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CASE Network FAQ

CASE® Network of Competencies and Academic Standards

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 
The CASE Network of Competencies and Academic Standards provides a single, verifiable, trusted source of learning standards and workforce competencies in digital format, making it easier to support aligned instruction.
 

  1. What is CASE Network?

  2. How does CASE work?

  3. What is the CASE Network registry?

  4. What content is in CASE Network right now?

  5. What is the difference between “verified” standards and “official” standards?

  6. Why would standards authors such as states use CASE Network to publish and distribute their official learning standards?

  7. Why aren’t official PDFs good enough?

  8. How is CASE Network funded?

  9. What if a state isn’t ready to publish in CASE Network?

  10. Why should school districts publish their own official learning standards through CASE Network?

  11. What if my state or district already publishes standards in CASE format?

  12. How can my agency mirror frameworks in CASE Network?

  13. How is CASE Network different than the commercial alignment services?

  14. Is registration and log-in required?

  15. What access is available with a registered login?

  16. How do I get my login credentials to be able to download frameworks?

  17. How do I access the secure API?

  18. How do I reset my password? What do I do if I forget my password?

  19. How does the security framework work for accessing the API?

  20. What if I can’t find an answer to my question?

  1. What is CASE Network?

IMS Global operates the CASE Network to provide a single, verifiable, trusted source of learning standards and workforce competencies in digital format, making it easier to support aligned instruction. The CASE Network registry software is an “all-in-one” standard authoring, verification, and distribution service available State Education Agencies, school districts, and edtech suppliers to publish, distribute, discover, and use official learning standards at no-cost with no IMS membership required.

  1. How does CASE work?

Competency & Academic Standards Exchange® (CASE) is a data standard designed specifically for issuing official learning standards and workforce competencies in an interchangeable, digital format that works seamlessly across the various district data systems. By using software to create official learning standards in CASE format, Districts can generate a unique number, known as a Global Unique Identifier (GUID), for each framework and each standard within a given framework that is uniquely their own. These GUIDs make easier for various systems to share standards specific to the district, aligns resources to those standards, deliver assessments based on those frameworks, and report results without the human manipulation, i.e., the re-keying and “cutting-and-pasting,” that currently occurs.

Framework

Illinois Learning Standards in Math (2010)

4th Grade Standard (Text)

4.NF.A Extend understanding of fraction equivalence and ordering.

Unique Identifier (GUID)

https://casenetwork.imsglobal.org/uri/
609f9d13-d7cc-11e8-824f-0242ac160002

Visit thee CASE specification page for more information.

  1. What is the CASE Network registry?

Initially, CASE Network was announced as “CASE Registry.” The registry refers to the open source software used to “register” CASE content as verified and official. IMS continues to refer to this registry feature in licensing. 

  1. What content is in CASE Network right now?

To get CASE Network started, IMS Global has verified and published the K-12 English Language Arts and Mathematics standards for the 50 U.S. states and we are committed to building out full sets of state standards and adding other official standards frameworks in the months ahead. 
 
Please visit the CASE Network Registry to see all of the frameworks available.

  1. What is the difference between “verified” standards and “official” standards?

The CASE Network uses the following adoption statuses for designating the accuracy of all materials issued through CASE Network:
  • Retired. IMS or Issuer designates materials as “retired” when the verified materials are no longer the most current version of the official materials of the standards organization.
  • Private Draft. IMS designates materials, i.e., academic standards, frameworks, and other documentation, in CASE Network as “draft” when the materials have been published and assigned to the appropriate organization, but the verification process by IMS staff has not been completed. These standards are not yet accessible to the public.
  • Verified. IMS designates materials as “verified” when the materials have been assigned to the appropriate organization and the review and verification by IMS staff as official materials of that organization.
  • Official. A standards organization, such as a State Education Agency or School District, can designate its own organization’s materials as “official” after the materials have been issued, reviewed, and verified by the organization's staff.

  1. Why would standards authors such as states use CASE Network to publish and distribute their official learning standards?

The CASE Network Registry software can create digital versions of state standards in CASE format and help states avoid the cost of operating their own software for this purpose. IMS Global is committed to helping every state publish their standards in CASE format. The CASE Network Registry is the no-cost publishing option for states and other official standards authors.

        PDF (Not Efficient)                                                            CASE Network (Efficient)

 

 

  1. Why aren’t official PDFs good enough?

Suppliers who provide content in Learning Tools Interoperability® (LTI®) and Common Cartridge® formats and suppliers who provide LMS, LOR, Assessment and Gradebook systems can not use a PDF to tag content and provide the “Metadata” needed to enable search, discovery and reporting of skill based alignments. PDFs, while trustworthy, are not interoperable and create “copy-and-paste” challenges when sharing standards across the different systems making up a digital learning ecosystem. This is terribly inefficient and fraught with error for districts trying to manage teaching and learning digitally.

  1. How is CASE Network Funded?

CASE Network is generously supported by IMS Global and through a CASE Network sponsorship program by a number of edtech suppliers that are committed to making official learning standards open and free for use. Current sponsors include ACT, McGraw-Hill, and SchoolCity powered by Illuminate Education.

  1. What if a state isn’t ready to publish in CASE Network?

State standards authors have a lot of work on their plate in terms of managing the standards adoption process from start to PDF on the State Education Agency website. IMS Global understands this and we are committed to assisting every state through this progress. That is why we have already verified and published the English Language Arts and Mathematics standards for all 50 states through CASE Network. IMS will work with states to build out full sets of state standards for every state in the months ahead, making it even easier for states to publish their official standards through CASE Network.

  1. Why should school districts publish their own official learning standards through CASE Network?

Here are a few reasons:
 
(1) By publishing a district set of official standards, even if they are a 100 percent “match” of their state standards, a unique set of identifiers are created and the “derivative” relationship between state standard and district framework is established. In this way, districts control their learning targets, but maintain a relationship with their state standards.
 

Framework

 

Illinois Learning Standards in Math (2010)

4th Grade Standard (Text)

 

4.NF.A Extend understanding of fraction equivalence and ordering.

Unique Identifier (GUID)

 

https://casenetwork.imsglobal.org/uri/
609f9d13-d7cc-11e8-824f-0242ac160002

↕

Chicago Public Schools: Illinois Mathematics Standards (2010)

4.NF.A Extend understanding of fraction equivalence and ordering.

https://casenetwork.imsglobal.org/uri/
476f151a-6830-11e9-9126-0242ac1f0003

Exact Match Of:

https://casenetwork.imsglobal.org/uri/
609f9d13-d7cc-11e8-824f-0242ac160002

 
(2) The digital transformation process can take longer for certain organizations than others. In many cases, school districts feel the pain of misaligned resources and misreported results more acutely than state organizations. Districts that publish their own set of official standards can mark their standards as “official,” thereby enhancing the validity and stability of their identifiers by their edtech suppliers.
 
When requested, suppliers can produce a list of district unique identifiers to demonstrate that they are in fact aligned to the official standards.
 
IMS Global is developing a CASE Network certification that would provide districts with the means of certifying that their suppliers are using official district standards.
 
(3) By issuing their own version of state standards, districts can establish their own local “power standards” or  “learning targets.” with explicit crosswalks to the state. Districts can build in different organizational hierarchies, i.e., classes, courses, units, play lists, etc., modify the human number scheme and semantic text, add notes, exemplars, scoring rubrics, etc. to better communicate the district’s learning standards to students, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders.

  1. What if my state or district already publishes standards in CASE format?

Awesome! With the new release, the CASE Network Registry software can “mirror” existing official standards published directly in CASE format. A great example of a state that issues standards in CASE is the Georgia Department of Education.

 

  1. How can my agency mirror frameworks in CASE Network?

If your state educational agency has a CASE provider application or service, such as the States of Georgia and Texas, the CASE Network and mirror your framework. Please contact the service administrator to coordinate mirroring externally hosted CASE frameworks. By mirroring you frameworks you can assure that vendors will be able to access and align to your standards with fidelity.  
 
Please contact casenetwork@imsglobal.org for more information.

  1. How is CASE Network different than the commercial alignment services?

Lack of Transparency. Commercial alignment services have their place in providing expert resource alignments. What is often lacking is a transparent relationship with official standards organizations. CASE, as a standard, builds in that transparency in that each unique identifier is actually a public webpage that presents the content of the framework or item identified. CASE Network provides a public website for establishing that resolvability universally.
 
Limiting Licensing. IMS has focused on removing the barriers created by commercial licenses by seeking to preserve the unique identifiers for the issuing organization across their edtech suppliers. This is critically important for districts seeking to build digital ecosystems in terms of ensuring the efficiency and efficacy of their work.
 
Cost Savings. By providing a free service for issuers and suppliers, IMS seeks to remove the cost constraints inherent with relying on commercial services, especially as edtech moves into the Big Data / API economy when creating and storing vast amounts of data long-term, tagged commercial identifiers, is not financially feasible.
 
It should be noted that the commercial services are welcome to register and consume the CASE Network materials at no cost like any supplier.

  1. Is registration and log-in required?

No, all of the frameworks in CASE Network can be viewed and linked to without a login. Terms of Use still apply.

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  1. What access is available with a registered login?

CASE Network requires users to login to gain access to both the download feature in both JSON and Excel formats and the authenticated API. During the registration process, users will indicate if they would like a key-and-secret for the authenticated API and one will be provided. IMS membership is not required for registration. IMS Contributing Members will also have access to the change logs with registration. Register for CASE Network.

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  1. How do I get my login credentials to be able to download frameworks?

(1) Complete the registration process.

(2) You will receive a notification when your credentials are ready.

(3) Contact casenetwork@imsglobal.org if you experience any issues.

  1. How do I access the secure API?

Complete the registration process and indicate your interest in accessing the secure API. Once you are approved, IMS will provide you with the key-and-secret via email. We will provide one set of credentials per organization. This is a manual process and could take up to two business days. If you do not receive your credentials or run into difficulty implementing it, please contact casenetwork@imsglobal.org.

  1. How do I reset my password? What do I do if I forget my password?

Send an email to casenetwork@imsglobal.org with “CASE Network: Password Reset” in the subject field.

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  1. How does the security framework work for accessing the API?

Accessing CASE Network data using the CASE API requires implementation of the IMS Global Security Framework. Organizations that can request a free access key-and-secret by contacting casenetwork@imsglobal.org or by requesting access when registering.

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  1. What if I can’t find an answer to my question?

Send an email to casenetwork@imsglobal.org and we’ll do our best to answer your question and add it to this FAQ.

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