Texas Student Data System (TSDS) Upgrade Project
| Date: | November 9, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Texas Student Data System (TSDS) Upgrade Project |
| Category: | TSDS Upgrade Transition and Implementation Plan |
| Next Steps: | Share with superintendents and TSDS staff |
On September 30, 2021, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced the plan to upgrade the Texas Student Data System (TSDS) in order to improve system performance and better align with the national Ed-Fi data standard.
The purpose of this communication is to inform superintendents and local educational agency (LEA) TSDS staff of the current status of this critical project and provide some key actions an LEA can take to ensure readiness for this transition.
Background
The TSDS Upgrade Project is a multi-year initiative to upgrade the Operational Data Store (ODS) and the Texas Education Data Standards (TEDS) to a current version of the Ed-Fi data standard. This initiative replaces the current Extensible Markup Language (XML) data extract provided by your source system vendors with Application Programming Interface (API) transactions for all TSDS data submissions beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.
Impacts to Data Reporting
This project significantly impacts how LEAs load and validate their data in TSDS. As a result of the upgrade, LEAs will no longer submit their TSDS data in the XML format. Student Information, Human Resource, Finance, and Early Childhood Data System Assessment source system vendors will be required to provide this data through API transactions based upon the Ed-Fi Standard v4 in the 2024-2025 school year.
All source system vendors that TEA is aware of are in the process of changing their systems and testing in the 2023-2024 Parallel Submission year. All vendors are required to participate and test in the parallel year. Please contact your source system vendors directly to ensure their awareness and readiness of this upcoming change. Below is a link to the list of source system vendors TEA is currently collaborating with on this project:
If your LEA currently contracts or provides their own solution to generate XML data files or your source system vendor is unaware of the upgrade project, please contact TSDSDeployment@tea.texas.gov immediately. Additional support and outreach will be provided by TEA to ensure an effective transition from XML data files to API transactions.
Timeline
2022-2023 School Year: TEA conducted a pilot program with various source system vendors and a limited number of LEAs to conduct initial testing. The pilot concluded in August 2023.
2023-2024 School Year: TEA has established the Parallel Submission opportunity for over 300 participating LEAs to compare their XML data submissions against the API transactions provided by their vendor(s).
2024-2025 School Year: The TSDS Upgrade Project will go live. All LEAs will be required to submit API transactions for their TSDS data submissions. XML data files will not be supported and accepted by TEA.
Parallel Submission
For the 2023-2024 school year, TEA has established a comprehensive testing environment for participating LEAs to effectively compare XML data reporting against API transactions. LEAs will be able to verify the API transactions being provided by their source system vendors, participate in training opportunities being offered by their regional education service centers (ESCs), and submit direct feedback to TEA. XML will continue to be the official reporting for any LEA participating in the Parallel Submission.
Data Changes and Requirements
Refer to the Operational Data Store (ODS) Upgrade Texas Education Data Standards for changes to the TSDS Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) and CORE collections as a result of the TSDS Upgrade Project.
For Further Information
Learn more about the TSDS Upgrade Project by visiting our website: https://www.texasstudentdatasystem.org/tsds/about/tsds-upgrade-project
If you have questions, please contact your supporting ESC or TEA at: TSDSDeloyment@tea.texas.gov.