How whole-child data closes achievement gaps and supports student well-being

Educators face a complex post-pandemic challenge: closing academic achievement gaps in light of students’ declining social-emotional and behavioral health.

As educators work to overcome the many academic achievement gaps that have widened due to COVID-19’s disruption of in-class instruction, other needs are surfacing. It wasn’t just learning that suffered — our students' social-emotional growth has also been stifled.

In fact, nearly 90% of public school leaders reported that the pandemic negatively impacted students’ social-emotional health. And almost 60% of educators recorded more incidents of classroom disruptions. These collective challenges mean more students are struggling with self-doubt, demotivation, and a lack of concentration, all of which ultimately affect students’ academic success.

How can educators address these interconnected dilemmas? With access to holistic data about every child in a single platform, district leaders and educators can develop a holistic understanding of student experiences and identify intervention opportunities.

But what does having access to such a powerful bank of student data and insights look like for school districts and the educators working to make them better? Here’s the vision:

Centralized student data in a single platform — Siloed student data systems make it difficult to understand student needs and identify patterns. Why? One set of data like demographics doesn’t tell the complete story. That’s why looking at all student data through a single platform is so important. Specifically, a student data insights platform enables you to assess academic records in tandem with other data like social-emotional and behavioral reports. These comprehensive insights are your decision-making dashboard and help bridge achievement gaps while supporting students’ well-being.

Takeaway: With whole-child data in one place, you can capture cohesive insights and create intervention plans faster and more efficiently.
Detect specific student risk factors based on district needs — At the district level, a more organized and comprehensive set of student data is an essential tool. Are certain schools experiencing more classroom disruptions, and if so, is there a school-wide program that might help? Or is a particular community or cohort being impacted more than another? When data systems include behavioral information and other contextual factors, it makes it much easier for leaders to understand problems and provide resources to make them better.

Proliftic, a student data insights platform, can help your organization identify specific student risk factors, group information by categories, and visualize patterns with color-coding. Learn more about these features.

Takeaway: When you simplify analysis, you can focus on planning and implementing strategies for student success.
Provide research-based intervention resources — You need the necessary resources to help your students thrive, and so do your teachers.

But with many intervention options on the market, it’s difficult to determine which solutions may work for your district. Proliftic’s multi-tier support system (MTSS) offers access to research-based intervention resources tailored to your district needs. It takes the guesswork out of intervention planning, allowing you to focus on your students’ academic development.

For example, in a district-wide report, you notice more seventh grade students struggling with math comprehension in a particular middle school. These results prompt you to evaluate students’ behavioral risk indicators closer. After further analysis, you discover that the school’s math educators reported more incidents of student misconduct in their classrooms. In response, you implement intervention strategies from the student data insights platform to support both educators and students.

To make this a reality, it’s important to offer data literacy training to help your educators understand how to interpret and use holistic student data. Empowered with data analytic skills, teachers can make data-driven decisions to better support students’ academic and social-emotional well-being.

Takeaway: With easy access to proven intervention resources, you can focus on student academic development and well-being rather than searching for solutions.

Post-pandemic achievement gaps will take time to close, especially for students struggling with social-emotional and behavioral challenges. But with Proliftic, you and your educators can analyze whole-child data to foster a comprehensive understanding of your students’ academic journeys. These insights enable you to make informed intervention decisions so you can be there for students when they need you the most.

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