Microsoft and the nearby Lake Washington School District are testing a new system that takes cues from the offline world to confirm the identity of people using computers and online services. The idea is to use "in-person proofing" -- such as a visit to a school office -- to confirm users' identity before issuing digital credentials that determine their level of access.

It's the latest step in the Redmond company's long struggle to expand beyond its Passport/Windows Live ID log-on mechanism to encourage a more comprehensive "metasystem" for online identity. 

At the RSA security conference in San Francisco this morning, Microsoft cited the Lake Washington test as an example of where it wants digital identity systems to go. The company calls the concept "end to end trust." Microsoft hopes to see traditional identification providers -- such as government agencies -- issue corresponding digital identities that people could use securely and privately online.

The hope is "to recreate that offline experience in the online world," said Jules Cohen, Microsoft's director of online privacy and safety.

The school district test is currently a proof of concept, but it's expected to be rolled out more broadly across the district over the next year. It's part of the company's effort to put into practice a digital identity strategy it has been pursuing now for several years. The company introduced one of the key elements of the strategy, a Windows program now called "Card Space," three years ago.

In the case of the Lake Washington schools, parents will visit a school office with their children to verify their identity. Lake Washington is running the test in conjunction with a program that distributes small, Web-oriented "netbook" computers to students. Those netbooks will come preinstalled with virtual "information cards." Students will also get logon and password information.

Using a standard system of exchanging digital credentials lets people access school-related Internet applications even if they're not on the school network or using a school computer, said Dr. Chip Kimball, district superintendent. The approach also lets people use the same credentials to access online applications that are associated with the school but provided by third-party vendors.

The idea "is to begin removing some of those limitations that exist and provide a more ubiquitous computing environment for kids, faculty and parents," Kimball said.

A prime example is an online calendar used by the school to coordinate activities and invidual schedules. Once people log in, they see events and activities specific to them. The system, based on Microsoft's Geneva identity technology, also gives the outside application provider a standard way of verifying the identities of users and knowing what levels of access to grant them.

Based in Redmond, the Lake Washington district also serves Kirkland and Sammamish, with about 24,000 students in all.

The Microsoft identity system is currently being tested in a couple of classrooms in one of the district's elementary schools. If everything goes well, a larger pilot involving several hundred devices will take place in the fall, Kimball said. The district is aiming for a larger deployment of individual devices, for all the students in the district, about a year from now.