Over the years, we’ve been honored to have the opportunity to work with a wide range of school administrators, business officials, and members of community organizations across the country on their projects and presentations. As the use of analytics has grown in the public sector, we’ve continued to be encouraged by the innovative ways in which our clients are applying our tools to the benefit of their communities.

Our Forecast5 Project of the Year Awards Program, now in its fourth year, was introduced to further encourage data curiosity and analytics innovation. This year, we received a record number of submissions. Thank you to all who shared their successes with us—it was truly a challenge to select the most compelling ones from all the submissions.

At this year’s National Conference, we honored seven organizations and awarded each a monetary donation to the fund of their choice. I’m thrilled to announce our 2019 Project of the Year award recipients.

AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT (Texas) 

Executive Director of Technology Operations Les Ready and Director of Management Information Systems Brenda Richmond used 5Lab® for their mass implementation of the student analysis system. 5Lab was implemented across 300+ Principals and Assistant Principals, who used this data in their PLCs. Watch the video.

DAVENPORT SCHOOL DISTRICT (Washington State) 

Business Manager Leslie Oliver used 5Cast® and 5Sight® for communication, capitalizing on dashboards and reports from these two products to share information with their staff and rural community on their website. This has greatly increased their transparency and given them tools to communicate about and manage projects more effectively. Watch the video. 

BARRINGTON COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT 220 (Illinois)

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Harris, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning John Bruesch, Director of Student Information June Nilles implemented social emotional learning data analytics using 5Lab. The district correlated these analytics to student performance and key indicators. They are now closer than ever to having a way to support students who are struggling. Watch the video.

EDGERTON SCHOOL DISTRICT (Wisconsin)

Director of Finance and Personnel Tad Wehner used 5Sight to collect local salary data for their district and surrounding areas. He organized a group of his peers to share data directly from their Skyward financial systems, which allowed them to analyze salary and staffing data faster than they are able to from statewide datasets. As a result, many participating districts have used the new compensation analytics to make important hiring decisions, identify areas of vulnerability, support their districts’ strategic goals and initiatives, and even pass operational referendums. This increased efficiency helped to close competitive gaps in order to retain and attract staff. Watch the video. 

MARSHALLTOWN (Iowa)

Superintendent Dr. Theron Schutte used 5Lab for their work with “Bobcat Ready” Analysis. The district created a “Bobcat Ready” report card based on the district’s College and Career Ready standards. The completion of this project enabled district leaders to gain insights into how their students were progressing towards the Bobcat Ready goal. Watch the video.

BATAVIA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT 101 (Illinois)

Superintendent Dr. Lisa Hichens, Assistant Director for Data & Assessment Michelle Erickson, and Principal Dr. JoAnne Smith used 5Lab to develop a Building-Level Intervention Team (BLIT) report. This report provided a more efficient way for teams to analyze student data to assess level of risk, and then provide interventions for students in need of assistance. Watch the video. 

SOUTHWEST DUBOIS COUNTY (Indiana)

Superintendent Tim LaGrange used 5Sight as a key component of the district’s “Like Us Tour” project. The tool enabled them to identify similarly-situated schools (high ELL population) who were also high achieving academically. Following onsite visits with some of these school districts, Southwest Dubois County implemented several changes that will allow them to better serve their ELL students. Watch the video.

Congratulations once again to all our nominees and award recipients. We encourage you to consider submitting your own success story in the 2020 Project of the Year Awards Program so we can continue to celebrate your successes.

View the 2018 Project of the Year Award Recipients...

View the 2017 Project of the Year Award Recipients...