United Township Becomes the First Illinois School District to Use Performance Matters Assessment and Data Management System

Performance Matters integrated, web-based solutions for data-driving decision making help K-12 educators improve instruction and student learning

WINTER PARK, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Grappling with decreased local and state revenue and new, more rigorous learning standards for math and English language arts, Illinois school districts are seeking innovative ways to increase their efficiency as they strive to improve student performance. One system that is making it easier to meet rigorous requirements while saving time for school and district staff is Performance Matters™. Performance Matters is a web-based solution that provides an integrated platform for student assessment, data management and teacher effectiveness.

“Performance Matters will allow us to review and analyze data more effectively, which will enable us to make better decisions”

United Township High School District #30 in East Moline is the first district in Illinois to purchase and implement the Performance Matters assessment and data management system.

“We have a large amount of student data, but getting it into teachers’ hands was difficult. Most of our data analysis was done by hand, so the only way to get the information to teachers was through paper copies,” said Terri VandeWiele, Ed.D., assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for United Township High School District #30. “We were looking for a data system that would increase our efficiency and give teachers the data they need to make instructional decisions in a timely manner. That’s why we decided to partner with Performance Matters.”

Operating on a single, web-based platform, Performance Matters helps school systems improve student learning by providing integrated solutions for data-driven decision making, from the individual student level to the district level. Using intuitive, interactive dashboards and color-coded reports, educators can easily slice and dice data to monitor student performance and growth in real time, evaluate instructional impact, and analyze policies and programs. With timely, actionable data, districts can differentiate instruction and professional development, identify and share best practices, and invest their resources where they have been proven to have the greatest impact.

“Performance Matters will allow us to review and analyze data more effectively, which will enable us to make better decisions,” said VandeWiele. “This information will not only help us make placement decisions when students enter our schools, but it will provide teachers with a more complete picture of what’s going on with each student. The color-coded reports will allow teachers to quickly see if their students are mastering the skills they’re expected to learn, and if they’re making adequate growth and progress. We will also be able to disaggregate student data to more quickly identify areas of concern or to identify students who need extra assistance.”

With Performance Matters, educators can instantly analyze historical performance on state tests, track current progress on local assessments for any student or group, and continuously monitor and predict Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) outcomes.

“A key benefit of Performance Matters is that it gives teachers a snapshot of students’ performance against our standards,” said VandeWiele. “We particularly like the ability of system’s Scan Engine to provide us with instant feedback. This will allow us to administer assessments, run them through the scan engine, immediately analyze the results, and then act on the information the very next day. We also appreciate the willingness of the Performance Matters staff to work with us as partners. They’ve been extremely responsive to our needs.”

United Township High School District #30 serves students from Barstow, Carbon Cliff, Colona, East Moline, Hampton, Silvis, portions of Moline and upper Rock Island County. Five elementary school districts and two private schools send students to further their education at United Township High School.

About Performance Matters

Performance Matters helps K-12 school systems improve student learning by providing comprehensive, integrated solutions for assessment, data management and teacher effectiveness. Based in Winter Park, Fla., Performance Matters’ solutions are used by school districts across the country. For more information, visit www.performancematters.com or call 407-645-1800.