Alternative or expanded definitions of Ed-Fi Section

In the Ed-Fi data model, Section is a strong entity tied to the notion of a CourseOffering, and from there to a Course.

However, in the field and in K12 practice, such a connection in not always there, as Section can be more of a scheduling construct than a Course-related construct.

For example, the attached slides from the SEA workgroup provide some examples of this issue, drawn from SEA experiences. One case is credit recovery schools: in such schools students will often be in the same section, but involved in very different course work during that section.

One key question to consider is the representation of sections in SIS systems: do SIS systems model both concepts (section as exclusively a time/place grouping concept and section as a course-related concept) via the same entity?

Side note: in Suite 2, Section was also tied to unified "time and place" scheduling - e.g. there was a Location in the key for example. This proved unsustainable - such connections emerged as volatile key fields. 

AC

• Propose one or more long-term fixes for review in subsequent tasks
• Propose shorter-term non-breaking options or workarounds that could be deployed for 2023-24 school year (if any)