ClassLink integrated OneRoster and the Ed-Fi Data Standard to give schools and states easier access to tools and more meaningful student data.
By championing unified standards, ClassLink simplifies edtech integration and fuels the innovation that supports student success.
As an education technology provider working closely with schools and districts, we’ve seen firsthand the benefits of bringing together data standards. Reducing the time and costs of integrations between ClassLink and other edtech apps and tools gives the school districts we serve more flexibility to find the tools that work best for them. Ensuring that standards work together unlocks the full potential of those benefits—empowering districts with greater choice, efficiency, and innovation.
ClassLink partnered with state departments of education to explore how to use the 1EdTech® OneRoster® standard and the Ed-Fi Data Standard together. Supporting aligned standards helps build stronger, more connected systems. When everything speaks the same language, schools spend less time troubleshooting and more time teaching, with tools that deliver real value.
Aligning Standards for Student Success
Working with schools and education agencies, we saw a clear opportunity: how to bring together two powerful standards to better support student success. Many schools rely on the OneRoster standard to securely and reliably share roster information and course materials across systems. That’s why ClassLink has proudly supported OneRoster and built it into our products.
At the same time, the Ed-Fi Data Standard offers a way to expand and enrich that data, turning it into meaningful insights for reporting, program assessment, and individualized student support. When used together, these standards can give educators a fuller, more connected view of each student.
So we set out to make that connection work, converting data formatted for OneRoster into a format compatible with the Ed-Fi Data Standard. It wasn’t always simple, but the results made it more than worth it.
Real-World Impact
In Delaware, the state uses the Ed-Fi Data Standard to collect student data. ClassLink converts that data into the OneRoster format to automatically synchronize account creation in application platforms. Once accounts are created, federated single-sign-on is enabled. This allows students, parents, and teachers to use Single Sign-On to access all their apps, whether assigned by a school, district, or the state. By combining these two standards, we’re making it easier for everyone to access the tools and information they need.
This work also led to our latest product: One Data, which is based on the Ed-Fi Data Standard to gather summative assessment results and attendance data, enabling applications to personalize instruction based on each student’s assessment results.
By combining the strengths of both standards, we get the best of both worlds: OneRoster’s efficiency and ease of use, paired with the rich insights and context of the Ed-Fi Data Standard, helping schools make the most of their data.
Time for Collaboration
That’s what inspired us to join the Ed-Fi Alliance and 1EdTech’s Roster Steering Committee to help scale these kinds of solutions. While we’re proud of the progress we’ve made for individual clients, one-off fixes can only go so far. To truly unlock the power of connected data, we need a unified solution that works for everyone.
A single, standard solution gives school districts clarity in their procurement process and makes it easier for edtech providers to meet consistent requirements. I’m a firm believer in standards as a way to level the playing field for all, while each company then drives further innovation to offer better solutions. Innovating off aligned standards is faster and more effective than trying to navigate multiple competing ones.
The committee is making progress, and we encourage other technology and service providers to join the effort, working together to ensure schools and districts have the data they need to support student success.
About the Author
Patrick Devanney
Patrick Devanney represents ClassLink in the 1EdTech and Ed-Fi Alliance Roster Steering Committee.
Patrick oversees ClassLink’s portfolio of integration partners, managing technical integrations for single sign-on and rostering to ensure educators and students worldwide can access needed resources. He has held executive roles at Compass Learning, Education Elements, and Edgenuity, gaining a panoramic view of the strategic and practical imperatives for adopting open data standards and fostering industry collaboration. Under his leadership, ClassLink Partner Services has grown to support the largest ecosystem of integrations in the industry, with over 2,400 integrations created.
Patrick is a Board Member of NYSCATE (2021–present), the North American Leadership Group for A4L (2023–present), CoSN (beginning March 2025), and SETDA (2025–present). He serves on the Ed-Fi Technical Advisory Group and has been a member of Project Unicorn’s Technical Advisory Council since 2019. Through these roles, Patrick champions interoperability, security, and collaboration across education technology.
