Category: Early Warning

Early Warning Systems (EWSs) are historically designed to identify students at risk of dropping out. When identifying at-risk students, the literature recommends monitoring Attendance, Behavior, and Course Performance data. Monitoring these indicators has resulted in preventative, responsive action for students in many districts. Many Uses for Early Warning Educational Software However, it’s worth considering that … Continue reading Early Warning for Student Needs: 7 Ways to Use an EWS (Beyond At-Risk Identification)

In previous posts, I’ve began with the assertion that in many cases, the likelihood that a student would graduate from high school could be predicted as early as kindergarten. Because early warning systems were initially designed to improve high school dropout rates, most of the research has centered around students in eighth grade and up. Another … Continue reading Early Warning Systems in Early Education

Identifying students in need of extra support is just one of the benefits of using an early warning system (EWS). As High School Graduation and College Readiness Indicator Systems: What We Know, What We Need to Know makes clear, an EWS should also “systematically focus, guide, and assess school improvement” and “hold schools accountable for … Continue reading The Importance of Setting-Level Data in an Early Warning System

In the last post, we discussed the importance of using just a few proven early warning indicators (EWI) to avoid overwhelming teachers, administrators, parents, and students with unnecessary data points. We learned that attendance, behavior, and course performance are far and away the best indicators of student outcomes, and that these “ABCs” should form the … Continue reading Student-Level Data in an Early Warning System: Less is More

In my previous post, I discussed the ways in which early warning indicators (EWI) and early warning systems (EWS) are designed to advance an equity agenda. By identifying at-risk students early and providing them with additional supports to help them reach their highest potential, these tools enable more students to experience the rewards of steady … Continue reading Developing a Data Strategy for Early Warning Indicators

In the next few weeks, we’ll be exploring the topic of early warning systems and its importance in the school system. This first post tackles the ways in which these tools are designed to advance an equity-based agenda. Guadalupe Guerrero, superintendent of Portland Public Schools (PPS)—the largest and most diverse school district in the State of … Continue reading Why Every School District Needs an Early Warning System