Project Overview
Spring Branch Independent School District in Houston, Texas, uses a data-driven education approach to prepare each of its students to graduate ready to purse a technical certificate, military training, or a two-year or four-year college degree. The district calls this goal T-2-4 success. Educators lean on robust, real-time technology tools to understand each student’s learning and support their progress.
Now, Spring Branch is partnering with the Ed-Fi Alliance to create a dashboard for this education data so students can more easily make informed decisions and chart a course to success.
We know early intervention works with struggling students. With better data we’ll be able to reach those students, as well as those that we can accelerate and push further.
Christina Masick, Associate Superintendent Technology
How it Helps
Engaging students in their academic progression is crucial. Spring Branch’s new dashboard — called Compass — strengthens learning and better prepares students for the next step toward a successful career. The dashboard is powered by the Ed-Fi Technology Suite, a data standard and infrastructure that securely connects the data applications schools are already using.
Through the online dashboard, students in a Spring Branch ISD pilot program can see valuable information like grades, attendance, tardies, and what they need to achieve the T-2-4 goal. The dashboard not only shows students where they are in real time, but also provides suggestions on appropriate next steps such as keeping up the good work or speaking to a teacher if they need specific support. Campus leaders can also monitor their students’ progression on college, career, and military readiness indicators.
Partnering with Ed-Fi made the dashboard development process more efficient. Since many applications used in Spring Branch’s dashboard already work with the Ed-Fi system, the team didn’t need to use external resources or hire additional staff to integrate them. This made the process move at a more streamlined pace and saved the district effort along the way.
Spring Branch leaders say the information provided by the dashboard is essential for narrowing the achievement gap. They plan to roll out Compass to more students after the pilot. By giving students access to their learning data, the district is empowering them for a successful future.
