Early Warning Indicators
The Boston Plan for Excellence provides school teams with early warning data that help them identify students who, without support, would be likely to drop out. The tools we’ve developed draw on local and national research and put key predictive data in one place. Data tools are updated quarterly, enabling teachers and principals to track patterns in student performance and make proactive decisions on behalf of students in need of support.
How it works
BPE has developed tools that help schools use data to inform decisions at every level:
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The Composite Learning Index puts key individual student data in one place – including past performance on MCAS (the state’s assessment), grades in math and English, age, and attendance and discipline records. Each factor is weighted according to how well it predicts the likelihood of dropping out, and every student is flagged as “on track” or “off track.”
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A graduation progress tracker for individual students help them track their own progress meeting high school graduation and college admissions requirements.
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A quarterly data dashboard helps the principal and instructional leadership team to monitor progress on school-wide goals.
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Public displays of data and communication with families provide the larger school community a clear sense of how students are doing in relation to school goals.
These data tools are one part of Boston’s data-driven inquiry effort, which is helping school teams address the needs of their least successful students.
Read more about the BPE facilitation and data services that support inquiry teams.
Why it matters
Boston’s schools have produced steady gains for many students, but achievement gaps persist. Our data tools provide a clear picture of where students are — and where they need to be — so teachers, leaders, families, and students themselves can make timely decisions that get more students on track for success.
Sample Composite Learning Index
