The RISE Network (RISE) recently launched a comprehensive postsecondary tracker that allows school-based counselors and administrators to have real-time information on students’ plans and progress toward their postsecondary
goals.
The tracker provides counseling teams with access to detailed student profiles regarding the completion of major postsecondary milestones while keeping track of large-scale data trends in their school communities. Through secure data-sharing agreements
with each school, the app integrates data from College Board, Naviance, PowerSchool, and Key Survey. In addition to these data sources, the app includes information drawn from student surveys disseminated to juniors (in January) and seniors at the
start and end of the academic year. The student surveys compile relevant background information for each student as well as their intended postsecondary plans and milestone completion.
Developing a tracker that can support the daily advising goals of school counselors was no small feat. It took many iterations and updates to preexisting advising platforms.
Initially, RISE piloted a secure Google Sheets-based tracking system to house information and data regarding student information and postsecondary plans. While this interface was helpful for counselors who did not previously have a system to track student
information, there were several challenges in navigating the spreadsheet. For example, the spreadsheet could only have filters for one person at a time and could easily be "broken."
RISE hosted focus groups with counselors at participating schools to learn how the tracking system could be improved. The goal of the focus groups was to reimagine how the tracking system could be a one-stop shop for counselors seeking to make sense of
student data quickly and efficiently.
“It was really important to us to have counselor voices in the development of the Postsecondary Tracker,” explains Sherry McLaughlin, deputy director of postsecondary success at RISE. “Several times throughout the build process, we hosted focus groups
so school counselors could give honest feedback on what would be the most helpful in a tracking system. As a former school counselor, it was really important to me that we gain insight from the users. The app could be the best tool to support students,
but if it is not user-friendly and not utilized by the school counselors, it will not help students.”
After the focus groups, RISE’s Postsecondary Success Team and Data Team launched a new and improved postsecondary tracker app. The app is web-based,
so teams log in with their school accounts. The updated tracker rolled out to counselors in August 2021. Currently, the tracker is available to nine urban schools through their RISE partnerships.
This revised tracker has four major components:
Tracking Page: This component is a landing page where counselors can review their caseload of students and monitor tasks completed by a student.
Student Profile Page: This domain allows counselors to select a particular student on the landing page to view personalized information regarding that student’s progress. It is a quick and efficient way to make updates to a student's
profile and add additional information regarding which milestones they have or have not completed. This page can also be used when counselors sit with students and families to review accomplishments and next steps.
Summary Page: This function displays postsecondary trends across each cohort. Data on this page can be broken down by subgroups like race, ethnicity, or first-generation status. A counselor can explore how many students have completed
particular milestones (e.g., identifying a postsecondary pathway or completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)). For instance, if a counselor would like to see how many students identified a two-year pathway as their next
step, they would be able to download a list of which students have chosen that pathway. This cuts down time for counselors who are looking to pull students for a workshop or school event that may interest them, rather than scrolling through an
extensive data set searching for students one by one.
Analytics Page: This part of the app allows counseling teams to design their charts on postsecondary trends and outcomes for students. Administrators and counselors can create charts and tailor data to identify groups of students
who need additional support. For example, a counselor can quickly design a chart to explore how many first-generation students have completed a college application. The counselor will also see which students fall into this category. With this
information, they will be able to target support and outreach practices better to select student groups and families to ensure that they complete this particular milestone.
Using the tracker, RISE coaches and counseling teams at each school engage in biweekly meetings to discuss the data trends they are seeing. In collaboration with one another, coaches and counselors develop strategic support and outreach plans for students
who need further assistance completing major postsecondary milestones.
These efforts have paid off. Last year, 80% of students across the RISE Network identified a postsecondary plan and pathway. As of this March, the app reported that 98% of students identified a postsecondary plan. McLaughlin explained that using
the tracker, in combination with the dedication of the counseling teams, made this spike in numbers possible.
The tracker also houses information for alumni. As NCAN has covered before, RISE offers a successful summer melt program. Moving into this summer,
data from the postsecondary tracker will help summer coordinators see where alumni stand and identify what support students need and what activities they need to complete to continue onto the next phase of their journeys.
In addition to the summer melt program, RISE supports network partners with a Summer Academy program, supporting students who have identified college as their next step. The program's goal is to support students in completing college milestones prior
to the start of senior year. The tracker has been essential in building early engagement and awareness for students who may be interested in participating in the Summer Academy. Interested students are identified in the postsecondary tracker app through
a junior survey they completed.
“The tracker, along with our Grade 12 Data meetings, have guided our coaches and teams as we work to support all students in all pathways. Moving forward, our RISE team, along with our focus groups, will work to enhance the tracker to ensure RISE students
graduate with a plan and the confidence to reach their postsecondary goals,” McLaughlin notes.
We asked McLaughlin about the tips and insights she could provide to other organizations and states interested in developing a similar platform. Here is what she highlighted:
Include counselors and administrators in developing the tracking system you are planning to create. These individuals are the key users who will need to interface with the platform daily. The app needs to work for them and answer the questions they
have. To do this, invite stakeholders to engage in focus groups and provide various times in the implementation process to provide feedback about the user experience.
Counselors and administrators must be trained on using the tracking system effectively and efficiently. RISE provided several training sessions for counselors before the school year began. RISE spent time going over the basics of using the app and
helped the trainees gain hands-on experience through scavenger hunts and scenario-based exercises. RISE also spent time with counseling teams showing them how they can navigate the app to answer different personalized questions.
Be open and willing to collaborate with many teams to make this work possible. It is not enough for one team to build out a complex and intricate system. Teams should consist of stakeholders across different partnerships to ensure that everyone’s
perspective is included in the creation process.
At NCAN, we are eager to see the tracker's impact on future cohorts of students in the RISE Network. Postsecondary trackers help address specific pain points that counselors across the country face when advising and managing large caseloads of seniors
preparing to embark on life after high school. These platforms can be a game-changer for counselors and administrators in our field seeking to improve access and opportunity.
Email to a Friend