ECC reviews draft equity data dashboard showing gaps in third-grade reading and other indicators

Scott Horn presented a work-in-progress data dashboard to the Equity Council Committee on Aug. 5 that displays multiple equity indicators and school-level distributions to help the district and board identify where gaps exist.

Horn said the dashboard includes longitudinal data (back to the 2020—21 school year in many indicators) and that the early focus indicators include kindergarten readiness, third-grade reading proficiency, eighth-grade math and a ninth-grade on-track metric that Horn said involves course passing and credit thresholds (exact credit definition not specified in the presentation).

The dashboard shows that district recovery from pandemic-era declines varies by indicator and that many schools with lower proficiency rates have higher shares of economically disadvantaged students, Horn said. He demonstrated maps, school-distribution charts and demographic filters that let users examine performance for groups such as African American, Hispanic/Latino, English learners and students with disabilities.

Horn described the presentation as a draft and asked ECC members and district staff to validate data and advise on indicators to include. He said much of the data came from the Kentucky report card system and that some indicators were supplemented with district data. He also said the district's internal suspension reporting is more detailed than state-provided counts and that he is adding student-belonging indicators such as a Climate Index and Safety Index at Jeanette Hart's suggestion.

Council members praised the visuals and accessibility features Horn added (color-blind friendly palettes) and asked about sustainability. Horn said he has documented the data-processing pipeline and published code artifacts privately; he said he will continue to maintain the dashboard in the short term and documented it so a technically skilled successor could continue the work.

Horn and others discussed whether to wait for state's 2025 data release before finalizing a public product; Horn said the 2025 data may be delayed and that the committee should decide jointly whether to await it. No formal decision was recorded.

Horn asked for ongoing ECC feedback and for the dashboard to be reviewed by district staff, peer reviewers and the board before any public release. The presentation included a working title 'Opportunity Index' as an alternative to 'equity scorecard' and raised naming and framing as open questions for the group.