Closegap Launches Insights Tool to Better Track Student Emotional, Physical, and Mental Health

Based on Free Closegap Essentials Platform and Its Data From Students’ Daily Mental Health Check-ins

Closegap, a nonprofit whose daily mental health check-in platform is used in over 2,000 K-12 schools across the United States, has rolled out premium add-on features for its free Closegap Essentials platform.

The new Closegap Insights service expands on the Essentials platform with more in-depth analysis of students’ daily check-ins to identify patterns and provide educators with solutions in real time, according to a news release.

Closegap Essentials is free with unlimited student accounts for K–12 schools and educators, and its student-facing content is tailored to three age groups: grades PreK–2; grades 3–5; and grades 6–12. Once a school or teacher signs up their students, students log in daily and answer questions about their feelings, needs, and challenges. The students also are asked “foundational questions” such as are they eating and sleeping enough, is everything OK in their friend group or at home, and so forth.

Image shows a screenshot from a student wellness check-in on the Closegap Essentials platform.Once the student completes the check-in questions, the platform offers the student an opportunity to ask for help, and then suggests a relevant “self-guided, evidence-based SEL activity” from its library for a brief reflection time, Closegap’s website explains.

The Closegap Essentials dashboard for educators shows a “triaged class roster” updated in real-time with each student’s check-in answers, so teachers or other school staff can address any concerning responses or offer help that a student has indicated they might need.

Additional features of the free Essentials platform include urgent and crisis alerts to school staff and options for educators to follow up with students via private message; to communicate and coordinate with other staff to intervene quickly when needed; to identify students “flying under the radar”; and to understand and address emotional indicators before academic outcomes are negatively impacted, according to the Closegap website.

Image shows a screenshot of an educator dashboard in Closegap Essentials, charting a student's check-in results over time

The Closegap Insights plan price starts at $1,500 per school, offering “access to powerful social-emotional data on the student, group, class, and school level” beyond the basics offered by the free Essentials service, the website says. It includes the Essentials features plus the ability to customize check-in questions by class, grade, or school; a daily educator summary and enhanced data analysis covering things like emotions, needs, and energy levels; customizable student and school-level alerts; and tracking and analysis of well-being on student, class, grade, and school levels, the nonprofit said.

For more information, visit Closegap.org.

About the Author

Kristal Kuykendall is editor, 1105 Media Education Group. She can be reached at [email protected].


Featured

  • stylized illustration of a desktop, laptop, tablet, and smartphone all displaying an orange AI icon

    Survey: AI Shifting from Cloud to PCs

    A recent Intel-commissioned report identifies a significant shift in AI adoption, moving away from the cloud and closer to the user. Businesses are increasingly turning to the specialized hardware of AI PCs, the survey found, recognizing their potential not just for productivity gains, but for revolutionizing IT efficiency, fortifying data security, and delivering a compelling return on investment by bringing AI capabilities directly to the edge.

  • cybersecurity book with a shield and padlock

    Proposed NIST Cybersecurity Guidelines Aim to Safeguard AI Systems

    The National Institute of Standards and Technology has announced plans to issue a new set of cybersecurity guidelines aimed at safeguarding artificial intelligence systems, citing rising concerns over risks tied to generative models, predictive analytics, and autonomous agents.

  • open laptop with various educational materials like charts, quizzes, and documents emerging from the screen

    Pear Deck Learning Debuts New AI Features

    GoGuardian recently introduced new artificial intelligence features within its Pear Deck Learning curriculum and instruction platform, designed to aid educators throughout their teaching journey — from lesson planning to assessment.

  • students raising their hands and participating in a classroom discussion

    Report Explores Link Between Student Engagement and Learning

    Over 90% of teachers, principals, and superintendents agree that student engagement is a critical metric for understanding overall achievement, according to a new survey report from Discovery Education.