Metadata

 

Definition: Data about data, metadata are used to facilitate the understanding, characteristics, use, and management of data.

What This Means: Every education agency must have control over its metadata. Metadata standards are part of a comprehensive Information Systems Architecture. Metadata are the authority for how data elements are defined, reported, and stored across all information systems. Metadata are the single most important part of reducing reporting burden from schools to districts to states. Consistent compliance with metadata standards negates the necessity for crosswalks and other burdensome processes to share the data across individual systems.

 

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