ASN Description Language: Profile Data Model

Table of Contents

• 1 Background
• 2 General Guidance
• 3 Conceptual Model
• 4 Namespaces of Borrowed Terms
• 5 Index of Terms
• 6 Term Definition Tables
  • Properties
  • Classes

1 Background

The Achievement Standards Network (ASN) Description Language (ASN-DL) is comprised of a core set of Resource Description Framework (RDF) properties and classes that can be combined in community profiles with properties and classes defined by others to describe competency frameworks. This documentation describes both those properties and classes defined in the ASN namespace and properties borrowed from other publicly recognized namespaces to form a profile of all the schemas used in its design. The vast majority of properties defined in the data model are from the ASN namespace. The second most frequent properties used in the ASN-DL are from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) Terms vocabulary.

The core RDF namespace described here provides IRIs for vocabulary terms useful in RDFa markup and in development of application profiles in the manner defined by Dublin Core. Custom community application profiles for competency frameworks that meet particular national or project needs can be designed using: (1) properties and classes from the even more namespaces, (2) locally defined sub-classes and sub-properties of the ASN terms; and (3) other RDF description languages and ontologies useful in the context of the application profile. One significant profile example is the Credential Engine's CTDL-ASN serving the education-to-work ecosystem.

While the ASN is rooted in RDF and dedicated to supporting open world applications, creators of non-RDF metadata can use the ASN-DL in non-RDF, closed world contexts, such as XML, JSON, UML and relational databases, by disregarding both the global IRI identifier and the formalisms of the RDF-specific aspects of term definitions and taking domain, range, and subproperty relations as usage suggestions and focus instead on the natural-language text of definitions and comments.

Development of the ASN-DF dates back to 2000 and and its application gained significant momentum with near decade-long funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) starting in 2002 to the Information School of the University of Washington and its collaborator, JES & Co., a U.S. non-profit. Subsequent support for the ASN was provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop the means for long-term sustainability of the language.

In 2013, stewardship of the ASN-US repository of K-12 competency frameworks developed under NSF funding was transferred to D2L with a commitment on its part to maintain access to the repository as an open, public service. Leadership in the further development of the ASN-DL has been a cooperative endeavor of the Information School of the University of Washington, D2L and community input. Work is currently underway through D2L on deployment of the ASN-DL in describing Canadian provincial frameworks.

2 General Guidance

The ASN-DL defines a vocabulary of properties and classes referred to as terms. ASN-DL is also referred to as a vocabulary or terms. Each property defines the classes or types to which it is applicable in the "Property Domain" row of each property definition table. Similarly, the value space(s) for each property are identified in the "Property Range" row of each property definition table. ASN-DL classes do not identified applicable properties; that is a function of the properties through their domain property.

The ASN-DL does not define data structures or constraints on use of properties beyond their definitions (e.g., whether a term is require or optional, cardinality etc.). These tasks are left to application profile developers serving different communities of practice that profile the ASN-DL.

While this document focuses in the asn:StandardDocument and the asn:Statement classes in the figure below in Section 3, in depth coverage of the asn:Rubric and its adjacent classes can be found in Model for ASN Rubrics.

In addition to the serializations of the ASN-DL terms (classes and properties), controlled vocabularies for some of the properties have been defined. The RDF insignia found on each vocabulary page referenced below is a link to the RDF/XML encoding of the vocabulary.

• ASN U.S. Subject/Topic Vocabulary (SKOS Encoding) This vocabulary of learning area subjects is intended to provide a uniform categorization of U.S. achievement standards.
• ASN U.S. Education Level Vocabulary (SKOS Encoding) This vocabulary is deeply rooted in the U.S. Department of Education's Ed.gov vocabulary.
• ASN Jurisdiction Vocabulary (SKOS Encoding) This vocabulary is far from complete and is intended to grow as additional standards representing new jurisdictions are added to the ASN data store. Where necessary, jurisdictions existing in the vocabulary will be subdivided. Where ever possible, preferred labels and abbreviations are drawn from existing standards.
• ASN Publication Status Vocabulary (SKOS Encoding) This vocabulary describes the various publication statuses of ASN Standard Documents and Statements.
• ASN Indexing Status Vocabulary (SKOS Encoding) This vocabulary defines whether a statement should or should not be used in correlation work.
• ASN Export Version Vocabulary (SKOS Encoding) We distribute and make available through web services only the most current export version of the ASN. The current ASN export version is 3.1.0.

3 Conceptual Model

1. The ASN Conceptual Model is framed in terms of two entities:
   1. The asn:StandardDocument representing the promulgated competency framework as a whole; and
   2. The asn:Statement representing an individual achievement assertion in an instance of asn:StandardDocument. The asn:StandardDocument is comprised of a set of related instances of asn:Statement.
2. All instances of asn:StandardDocument and asn:Statement conforming to the ASN Conceptual Model are identified by globally unique identifiers in the form of IRI that are dereferencable over the Web.
3. A set of core properties define the relationships between the asn:StandardDocument and asn:Statement and between statement dyads. The relationships defined in the core are of two types:
   1. Structural relationships: Structural properties are responsible for replicating the necessary structural relationships between components of the standards document—e.g., structuring hierarchies of instances of asn:Statement in the form of taxon paths and establishing the relationship between an instance of asn:StandardDocument and its set of component asn:Statement.
   2. Semantic relationships: Semantic properties define relationships of meaning between statements including assertions of equivalence or other forms of conceptual synergy of any useful sort. For example, the asn:crossSubectReference property asserts that the instance of asn:Statement in one asn:StandardDocument is related in an interdisciplinary manner to a asn:Statement in a second asn:StandardDocument.

The five key entities of the ASN conceptual model diagram below include:

1. Two entities modeling the basic components of competencies:
   1. Statement defining a verbatim assertion of knowledge, skill, or disposition that a learner or worker is expected to know and/or be able to do including descriptive and contextualizing properties; and
   2. Standard Document defining a document-like container for a set of Statement entities including descriptive and contextualizing properties.
2. Three entities modeling an assessment rubric associated with asn:StandardDocument and/or asn:Statement entities:
   1. Rubric is a resource providing guidance in evaluating the quality and level of a person's responses or actions based on an explicit set of criteria;
   2. Rubric Criterion is a resource identifying a benchmark that must be met to achieve a performance task.
   3. Criterion Level is a resource identifying a benchmark that must be met to achieve a performance task.

In addition, the ASN model provides two sets of utility entities (not shown in the diagram above):

1. Two classes for handling controlled vocabulary values (i.e., enumerations) using the W3C's Simple Knowledge Organization System:
   1. Concept is a resource defining an idea or notion; a unit of thought (i.e., a concept).
   2. ConceptScheme is a resource defining a set of concepts, optionally including statements about semantic relationships between those concepts.
2. Two classes for handling standardized progression models:
   1. ProgressionLevel is a resource identifying a point along a developmental progression of competence, achievement or temporal position (e.g., "Beginner, "Second Quarter" etc.).
   2. ProgressionModel is a set of identifiable points along a developmental progression including increasing levels of competence, achievement or temporal position (e.g., "First Quarter", "Second Quarter", "Third Quarter", "Fourth Quarter").

The data model comes in both RDF/XML and JSON-LD serializations:

1. RDF/XML:
   1. Core standard.rdf
   2. Profile: profile.rdf
2. JSON-LD:
   1. Core standard.jsonld
   2. Profile: profile.jsonld
   3. Context: asnContext.jsonld

4 Namespaces of Terms

5 Index of Terms in the ASN Profile Namespace

Property listing for the classes identified in the Classes section below:

• Aligned From
• Aligned To
• Alternative Identifier
• Alternative Label
• Alternative Statement Notation
• Assesses Competency
• Assessment Rubric
• AttributionName
• AttributionURL
• Author
• Authority Status
• Benchmark
• Broad Alignment
• Broad Correlation
• Broader
• Comment
• Complexity Level
• Comprised Of
• Concept Keyword
• Concept Term
• Criterion Category Of
• Criterion For
• Cross Subject Reference
• Date Created
• Date Copyrighted
• Date Modified
• Derived From
• Description
• Education Level
• Exact Alignment
• Exact Correlation
• Export Version
• Has Child
• Has Criterion
• Has Criterion Category
• Has Level
• Has Part
• Has Progression Level
• Has Progression Model
• Has Scope
• Has Top Concept
• Has Version
• Identifier
• Indexing Status
• In Scheme
• Is Child Of
• Is Part Of
• Is Version Of
• Jurisdiction
• Language
• Level For
• License
• List ID
• Local Subject
• Major Alignment
• Major Correlation
• Minor Alignment
• Minor Correlation
• Narrow Alignment
• Narrow Correlation
• Narrower
• Note
• Preferred Label
• Prerequisite Alignment
• Prerequisite Competency
• Primary Topic
• Proficiency Level
• Publication Status
• Publisher
• Quality Label
• Repository Date
• Rights
• Rights Holder
• Scope Note
• Score
• Sequence
• Skill Embodied
• Source
• Spatial
• StatementLabel
• Statement Notation
• Subject
• Table of Contents
• Teaches Competency
• Temporal
• Title
• Valid
• Weight

Classes

• Competency Map
• Correlation Resource
• Criterion Category
• Criterion Level
• Derived Standard Document
• Derived Statement
• Educational Framework
• Jurisdiction Encoding Scheme
• Learning Resource
• Progression Level
• Progression Model
• Proficiency Scale
• Rights and Attribution
• Rubric
• Rubric Criterion
• Standard Document
• Statement
• Status Encoding Scheme

6 Definition Tables

The format and content of the ASN property definition tables are summarized as follows:

Properties

Align From

Align To

Alternative Identifier

Alternative Label

Alternative Statement Notation

Assesses Competency

Assessment Rubric

Attribution Name

Attribution URL

Author

Authority Status

Benchmark

Broad Alignment

Property URI	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/broadAlignment
Label	Broad Alignment
Defined By	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/
Source Definition	The target competency covers all of the relevant concepts in the competency being described as well as relevant concepts not found in the competency being described.
Source Comment	(See Decision Questions)
Type of Term	http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#Property
Property Domain	Statement (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/Statement)
Property Range	Statement (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/Statement)

Broad Correlation

Property URI	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/broadCorrelation
Label	Broad Correlation
Defined By	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/
Source Definition	The competency covers all of the relevant concepts in the learning resource being described as well as relevant concepts not found in the learning resource.
Source Comment	(See Decision Questions)
Type of Term	http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#Property
Refines	http://purl.org/dc/terms/conformsTo
Property Domain	LearningResource (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/LearningResource)
Property Range	Statement (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/Statement)

Broader

Comment

Complexity Level

Comprised Of

Concept Keyword

Concept Term

Created

Criterion Category Of

Criterion For

Cross Subject Reference

Date Copyrighted

Date Modified

Derived From

Description

Education Level

Exact Alignment

Property URI	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/exactAlignment
Label	Exact Alignment
Defined By	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/
Source Definition	The relevant concepts in both competencies are coextensive.
Source Comment	(See Decision Questions)
Type of Term	http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#Property
Property Domain	Statement (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/Statement)
Property Range	Statement (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/Statement)

Exact Correlation

Property URI	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/exactCorrelation
Label	Exact Correlation
Defined By	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/
Source Definition	The relevant concepts in the educational resource and the competency are coextensive.
Source Comment	(See Decision Questions)
Type of Term	http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#Property
Refines	http://purl.org/dc/terms/conformsTo
Property Domain	LearningResource (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/LearningResource)
Property Range	Statement (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/Statement)

Export Version

Has Child

Has Criterion

Has Criterion Category

Has Level

Has Part

Has Progression Level

Has Progression Model

Has Scope

Has Top Concept

Has Version

Identifier

Indexing Status

In Scheme

Is Child Of

Is Part Of

Is Version Of

Jurisdiction

Language

Level For

License

List ID

Local Subject

Major Alignment

Property URI	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/majorAlignment
Label	Major Alignment
Defined By	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/
Source Definition	Major overlap of relevant concepts between the two competencies.
Source Comment	(See Decision Questions)
Type of Term	http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#Property
Property Domain	Statement (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/Statement)
Property Range	Statement (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/Statement)

Major Correlation

Property URI	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/majorCorrelation
Label	Major Correlation
Defined By	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/
Source Definition	Major overlap of relevant concepts between the learning resource being described and the competency statement.
Source Comment	(See Decision Questions)
Type of Term	http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#Property
Refines	http://purl.org/dc/terms/conformsTo
Property Domain	Learning Resource (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/LearningResource)
Property Range	Statement (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/Statement)

Minor Alignment

Property URI	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/minorAlignment
Label	Minor Alignment
Defined By	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/
Source Definition	Minor overlap of relevant concepts between the two competencies.
Source Comment	(See Decision Questions)
Type of Term	http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#Property
Property Domain	Statement (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/Statement)
Property Range	Statement (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/Statement)

Minor Correlation

Property URI	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/minorCorrelation
Label	Minor Correlation
Defined By	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/
Source Definition	Minor overlap of relevant concepts between the learning resource being described and the competency statement.
Source Comment	(See Decision Questions)
Type of Term	http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#Property
Property Domain	LearningResource (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/LearningResource)
Property Range	Statement (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/Statement)

Narrow Alignment

Property URI	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/narrowAlignment
Label	Narrow Alignment
Defined By	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/
Source Definition	The competency being described covers all of the relevant concepts in the target competency as well as relevant concepts not found in the target competency.
Source Comment	(See Decision Questions)
Type of Term	http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#Property
Property Domain	Statement (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/Statement)
Property Range	Statement (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/Statement)

Narrow Correlation

Property URI	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/narrowCorrelation
Label	Narrow Correlation
Defined By	http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/
Source Definition	The learning resource being described covers all of the relevant concepts in the competency statement as well as relevant concepts not found in the competency.
Source Comment	(See Decision Questions)
Type of Term	http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#Property
Refines	http://purl.org/dc/terms/conformsTo
Property Domain	LearningResource (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/LearningResource)
Property Range	Statement (http://purl.org/ASN/schema/core/Statement)

Narrower

Note

Preferred Label

Prerequisite Alignment

Prerequisite Competency

Primary Topic

Proficiency Level

Publication Status

Plublisher

Quality Label

Repository Date

Rights

Rights Holder

Scope Note

Score

Sequence

Skill Embodied

Source

Spatial

StatementLabel

Statement Notation

Subject

Table Of Contents

Teaches Competency

Temporal

Title

Valid

Weight

Classes

The format and content of the ASN class tables are summarized below:

Competency Map

Correlation Resource

Criterion Category

Criterion Level

Criterion Level

Derived Standard Document

Derived Statement

Educational Framework

Jurisdiction Encoding Scheme

Learning Resource

Progression Level

Progression Model

Proficiency Scale

Rights And Attribution

Rubric

Rubric Criterion

Standard Document

Statement

Status Encoding Scheme