Georgia District Implements Predictive Analytics To Identify At-Risk Students

Gwinnett County Public Schools in Georgia is implementing predictive analytics software with the goal of improving student performance and achievement. The new software is part of the district's new digital curriculum and instruction initiative, called eCLASS.

The eCLASS initiative uses an integrated solution of IBM Cognos software and IBM SPSS predictive modeling and analytics software. The combined solution is intended to help educators in the district "guide their interactions with students to improve early intervention and assist overall student achievement," according to IBM.

The school district had already been working with IBM to collect, integrate, and analyze student data. Now, with the launch of eCLASS, the district is building on that foundation "to get 'smarter' about using analytics to provide better insight to student needs," said Scott Futrell, chief information officer for the school district, in a prepared statement.

According to Futrell, the district is now using all of the key components of the IBM Smarter Education strategy. "Together with Gwinnett's existing student applications and learning management solution, we are positioned to use analytics to quickly recognize students who need help, identify potential interventions, and ultimately track student success over time," added Futrell.

Key features of IBM's Smarter Education Solution include:

  • Integration of data from multiple sources to provide students and administrators with insight into student performance and achievement;
  • Establishment and coordination of early-warning systems for at-risk students;
  • Support for collaborative learning communities to help teachers, students, parents, and specialists work together to identify and implement instructional intervention plans; and
  • Data aggregation and analytics to identify intervention and program efficacy.

Gwinnett County Public Schools is located in the metro Atlanta area and is the largest school system in Georgia. It operates over 120 schools and serves approximately 160,000 students.

Further information about IBM's Smarter Education Solution is available on IBM's site.

In related news, IBM is delivering its Smarter Education reference architecture, which was originally announced in April. The architecture is "built on open, industry standards to enable a multi-provider, interoperable environment," according to the company.

About the Author

Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • robot typing on a computer

    Microsoft Unveils 'Computer Use' Automation in Copilot Studio

    Microsoft has announced a new AI-powered feature called "computer use" for its Copilot Studio platform that allows agents to directly interact with Web sites and desktop applications using simulated mouse clicks, menu selections and text inputs.

  • AI microchip under cybersecurity attack, surrounded by symbols of threats like a skull, spider, lock, and warning shield

    Report Finds Agentic AI Protocol Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks

    A new report from Backslash Security has identified significant security vulnerabilities in the Model Context Protocol (MCP), technology introduced by Anthropic in November 2024 to facilitate communication between AI agents and external tools.

  • educators seated at a table with a laptop and tablet, against a backdrop of muted geometric shapes

    HMH Forms Educator Council to Inform AI Tool Development

    Adaptive learning company HMH has established an AI Educator Council that brings together teachers, instructional coaches and leaders from school district across the country to help shape its AI solutions.

  • illustration of a human head with a glowing neural network in the brain, connected to tech icons on a cool blue-gray background

    Meta Introduces Stand-Alone AI App

    Meta Platforms has launched a stand-alone artificial intelligence app built on its proprietary Llama 4 model, intensifying the competitive race in generative AI alongside OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI.