KEDS Introduction
KEDS/Ed-Fi is association-driven.
Meaning:
- Most educational activity is modeled through relationships
Examples:
- Student ↔ School
- Student ↔ Section
- Student ↔ Program
- Student ↔ Assessment
This is one of the biggest conceptual adjustments for new users in Ed-Fi ecosystem.
Unlike a traditional SIS database where records may stand alone, Ed-Fi models educational processes through relationships.
For example:
Student
│
├── StudentSchoolAssociation
│
├── StudentSectionAssociation
│
├── StudentAssessment
│
├── StudentProgramAssociation
│
└── StudentSchoolAttendanceEvent
A Student cannot receive a Grade until the Student has first been enrolled in a Section. Likewise, a Student cannot be enrolled in a Section until the Section exists, and the Section cannot exist until the Course Offering has been created.
Understanding these dependencies is one of the most important factors in building a successful Ed-Fi integration.