West Aurora School District 129 uses predictive analytics from ECRA School Improvement to give school district leaders and every teacher a clear picture of how students are expected to grow and where instruction needs to change. With predicted growth checkpoints built into the school year, the district has replaced guesswork with targeted, purposeful conversations about student learning. It is a model for any superintendent looking to put K12 data and analytics to work for student growth.
| District | West Aurora School District 129 |
|---|---|
| Location | Aurora, Illinois, just outside Chicago |
| Grades | Pre K through 12 |
| Schools | 10 elementary, 4 middle, 1 comprehensive high school |
| Languages Spoken | More than 44 |
| ECRA Solution | School Improvement with predictive analytics |
| Featured Leader | Brent Raby, Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning |
A district built on one promise
West Aurora School District 129 is a pre K through 12 public school district in Aurora, Illinois, just outside Chicago, that covers about 35 square miles. Its students speak more than 44 languages, and the community is a World Relief resettlement hub.
School improvement in West Aurora has centered on consistency across every classroom.
“Our promise to our community is regardless of where you live in this district that you will have a similar educational experience,” said Brent Raby, Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning. “Now that’s a big promise, especially when you’re dealing with a thousand people and a whole lot of different belief structures around education.”
Curiosity, complexity, and the joy of learning
Keeping that promise took years of professional development and districtwide conversations about the foundation West Aurora would build on.
“For us that foundation is every instructional setting should be based on curiosity, complexity, and the joy of learning,” Raby said. “Our teachers know that. When we walk into a classroom, that’s what we want to see.”
“Now we’re kind of allowing the evolution to happen, and that’s where we really love our partnership with ECRA,” Raby said.
How predictive analytics drives school improvement in West Aurora
Predictive analytics is the engine behind ECRA School Improvement. The platform uses each student’s academic history to project future performance and a personalized learning trajectory. Those projections flag support opportunities before outcomes occur, which gives districts a one to three year head start on interventions.
“It’s allowing us to kind of build on that foundation to look for areas that we need to do a better job and to target,” Raby said. “Through their predicted growth model it is allowing us to have understandable conversations with our teachers about some of the things that we’re seeing within our classrooms.”
ECRA’s Projected vs. Actual Framework makes those conversations concrete. It shows whether students performed above, at, or below their personalized expectations, so teachers and leaders can see what is working and what is not.
Brent Raby, Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, West Aurora School District 129
Checkpoints that replace guesswork
West Aurora builds checkpoints throughout the school year on the predicted growth model. At each one, teachers compare how students are actually performing with how they were expected to perform, then adjust instruction while there is still time to make a difference. This data driven instruction gives principals and district leaders a shared view of student growth across all 15 schools.
“It’s allowing teachers to start targeting their instruction and focus their instruction for the things that are working and that are not working for our students,” Raby said. “So our teachers are just not guessing as they go with this, saying, ‘Oh, I think the kids are learning.’ ECRA is really allowing us to fine tune and to really talk to our staff about, ‘Hey, what’s next?'”
This cycle mirrors the four steps of ECRA School Improvement.
- Predict success by projecting each student’s expected performance from their academic history.
- Set goals that are ambitious and realistic for students, schools, and the district.
- Take action by focusing programs, interventions, and resources on students who are off track.
- Evaluate impact by measuring progress against personalized expectations during the year and adjusting strategies.
Not leaving learning to chance
“One of the things that we are pretty committed to, and that ECRA is helping us with, is not leaving things to chance,” Raby said. “We’ve talked a lot to our staff about how we can’t just hope that things happen. We have to be targeted and purposeful. And really the data that we get out of ECRA is the thing that drives us in those conversations, and that we’re really excited about.”
For a district serving families who speak dozens of languages across 15 schools, that purposeful use of K12 data and analytics is how West Aurora keeps its promise of an equitable, consistent, high quality experience in every classroom.
Predict what's possible in your district
West Aurora shows what happens when predictive analytics moves from a report into everyday conversations about teaching and learning. Superintendents and school district leaders can take the same approach to improve student outcomes.
- Explore ECRA School Improvement to see how predictive analytics can work in your district.
- Contact ECRA to talk with our team about bringing predicted growth and personalized expectations to your schools.
Looking for more ways to put data to work? See how Data Briefs deliver board ready insights and how the Strategic Dashboard helps leaders know their numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does West Aurora School District 129 use predictive analytics?
West Aurora uses ECRA's predicted growth model to set expectations for each student and to build checkpoints throughout the school year. Teachers compare actual performance with predicted growth to see which instructional strategies are working and where to target support.
What is predictive analytics in K12 education?
Predictive analytics uses each student's academic history to project future performance. Superintendents and school district leaders use those projections to identify students who need support before outcomes occur, set realistic goals, and evaluate whether programs are working. Learn more on the ECRA School Improvement page and in the ECRA FAQs.
What is ECRA School Improvement?
ECRA School Improvement combines predictive analytics with an evidence based improvement cycle of predict success, set goals, take action, and evaluate impact. Its Projected vs. Actual Framework shows whether students performed above, at, or below expectations.
Can predictive analytics show which programs are working?
Yes. ECRA measures the impact of programs and interventions against personalized expectations and offers Academic Return on Investment analysis to compare outcomes with investment.
How can superintendents use K12 data and analytics to improve student outcomes?
Superintendents can use predictive analytics to set expected growth for every student, build progress checkpoints into the school year, and compare actual results with those expectations. This turns K12 data and analytics into clear, actionable insight that school district leaders, principals, and teachers can use to target instruction and allocate resources.
