As part of the Illinois Education and Career Success Network‘s ongoing commitment to equitably increase postsecondary attainment across Illinois, the Success Network Dashboard provides relevant data to support Leadership Communities in setting goals and making data-informed decisions. In 2023, the Success Network introduced an enhanced dashboard version powered by EdSystems, with data on postsecondary enrollment and community college remediation. Since then, we have updated it to include four additional views: 9th grade on track, Career and Technical Education (CTE) participation, early college course enrollment, and high school graduation rates data. We hope communities across the state continue interacting with the dashboard and using it to inform their work.
Navigating the Dashboard
Built on data from the Illinois Report Card, the dashboard’s visualizations allow users to compare data by school districts, community college districts, and Leadership Communities. In some cases, the visualizations also allow users to compare demographic groups within districts and across communities. In addition, the dashboard provides multiple years of data in one view and allows users to easily review district and community trends.
Understanding the Dashboard’s Features and Limitations
The Success Network Dashboard differs from other publicly available tools as it provides the ability to look at aggregate regional groups at the Leadership Community level and has the potential to cover other regional aggregates, including Education for Employment (EFE) regions, Community Colleges, and Area Career Centers. Another unique aspect of the dashboard is the ability to easily download curated data sets for districts into a spreadsheet or an image file, which can be easily used in presentations and other documents. However, the dashboard does not provide users with the ability to view student-level data and cannot be used to conduct any type of longitudinal analysis, e.g., postsecondary outcomes for students in particular programs, because the source data does not contain that information.
Making the Most of the Dashboard
Since we released the dashboard in summer 2023, members of our Leadership Communities have been using the dashboard in a variety of ways. The uses range from referring to the data when completing grant reports and applications, researching regional trends, and sharing information with community stakeholders to better understand how their schools and districts compare to their peers. Other potential uses of the dashboard include:
Support for Data-Informed Decision-Making
The dashboard can allow educators, counselors, and administrators to:
- Identify trends: Spot patterns in student performance, career interests, and postsecondary aspirations, enabling different stakeholders to understand and respond to the needs of the student population as a whole.
- Measure program effectiveness: Track the impact of specific initiatives designed to enhance college and career readiness by providing insights for program improvement.
Target Intervention and Support
The dashboard can empower educators to:
- Tailor interventions: Develop and implement targeted support plans based on the needs of student groups.
- Advance equity: Identify and address disparities in access to resources and opportunities, promoting equitable student outcomes.
Improve Program Effectiveness
The dashboard can enable educators to:
- Track progress: Monitor the effectiveness of college and career readiness programs and initiatives.
- Make data-driven adjustments: Modify program components and strategies based on data analysis.
Enhance Collaboration and Communication
The dashboard can allow stakeholders to:
- Strengthen understanding: Help educators, counselors, administrators, parents, and other stakeholders develop a shared understanding of data, fostering communication and a unified approach to supporting student success.
- Deepen collaboration: Enable partners from different sectors to develop a more comprehensive and effective system for supporting student development.
Increase Student Ownership
The dashboard can:
- Empower students: Give students access to their school’s or district’s progress data, promoting self-reflection and encouraging them to take ownership of their academic and career journeys.
- Facilitate student-led goal setting: Support students in setting clear goals and developing action plans for achieving their college and career aspirations.
We hope that by utilizing the Success Network Dashboard, our community partners can continue to unlock the full potential of their data, leading to improved outcomes, efficiency, and, ultimately, greater impact.
Continuous Improvement
The dashboard will continue to be updated annually with new data, as made available through the Illinois Report Card. Additionally, the team will continue to refine and improve the tool’s user experience. We encourage you to interact with the dashboard and share feedback on your use or suggestions for improvements.
