Open standards strengthen national education systems while enabling French edtech to scale globally

 

BURLINGTON, Mass., Jan. 22, 2026 — With the adoption of its new Interoperability Framework for Digital Services for Education, France is setting clear expectations for how digital education tools must work together nationwide. It requires “public middle and high schools to use digital tools and services that comply with technical requirements for security, interoperability and responsible digital technology set by the Minister.” 

1EdTech stands ready to help educational organizations and education technology providers align with and benefit from the framework.

By requiring internationally recognized open standards, France is reducing technical barriers that have traditionally slowed adoption and market entry, especially for open tools and resources, and is creating conditions for a more open, competitive, and sustainable edtech ecosystem.

This standards-based approach supports:

  • Faster entry for startups and small-to-medium education technology providers
  • Lower long-term costs for educational institutions
  • Greater flexibility and choice for schools and educators

Just as importantly, it allows French education technology providers to build solutions that can operate not only within France, but also across international markets that rely on the same global standards.

“By requiring common interoperability standards, France is ensuring that digital education tools can work together by design,” said a French Ministry representative. “This approach helps lower long-term costs, protect student data, increase efficiency, and increase trust across the country. Interoperability is essential infrastructure for a modern, open, and future-ready education system.”

“In the past, digital learning tools often needed custom connections for every school system, which was costly and slowed innovation, especially for smaller companies,” said Curtiss Barnes, CEO of 1EdTech Consortium. “France’s new interoperability framework reflects the same vision we share at 1EdTech: replacing one-off integrations with trusted, shared standards. That’s why we’re investing in simpler certification pathways and a new OneRoster profile that more specifically meets France’s needs, so providers of all sizes can more easily adopt standards, scale globally, and give schools real choice based on quality.”

The 1EdTech standards named in France’s framework support different parts of digital learning:

  • OneRoster® helps schools share class and enrollment information, so teachers and students don’t have to manually add or update class lists across different tools.
  • Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI)® lets learning tools connect easily to learning platforms, allowing educators to launch tools with one click and students to use them without extra logins.
  • Common Cartridge® and Question & Test Interoperability (QTI)® make learning content and tests easier to share, so educators can reuse lessons and assessments across systems instead of rebuilding them from scratch.
  • Caliper Analytics® helps schools understand how students learn online by using shared data formats, making it easier to spot what’s working, what’s not, and where students need support.
  • Open Badges allows students to earn digital credentials they can keep and use anywhere, giving learners portable proof of their skills that can move with them between schools, jobs, and training programs.

Together, these standards help schools build learning systems that can change and grow over time.

French public middle and high schools, and education technology providers that serve them, will need to comply with the framework’s requirements. All 1EdTech standards are open and publicly available, and 1EdTech members have access to additional tools, guidance, and certification resources to support alignment with France’s framework.

 

About 1EdTech

1EdTech® Consortium is a global community committed to building an integrated foundation of open standards that make educational technology work better for everyone. Our mission is to reduce complexity, accelerate innovation, and expand possibilities for learners worldwide. Our members represent K-12, primary, secondary, and postsecondary education, workforce and corporate learning, and technology and service providers. Together, we create and evolve community-developed technical standards and practices that support learner success throughout the lifelong learning continuum. Our organization gives a voice to all stakeholders working to improve education. 1EdTech hosts the Learning Impact Conference, Digital Credentials Summit, Learning Impact Europe Conference, and other engagement opportunities to advance the leadership and ideas that shape the future of learning. Visit our website at 1edtech.org.