14 DAY TRIAL // Software solutions can be leveraged in order to curb high-school dropout rates in the US, and Microsoft in collaboration with partner companies is already helping school systems across the country ensure that the number of graduates increases. The Microsoft Student Individualized Growth Model and Assessment (SIGMA) Initiative was created with the precise purpose of providing a deeper perspective into student performance.
Educators and school administrators require additional resources if they are to tackle U.S. high-school dropout rates standing at more than 27%. Microsoft SIGMA offers, in this regard, a way to boost dropout prevention by taking advantage of data collection, data analysis, predictive analytics, and collaborative technologies. Products such as SharePoint Server and SQL Server are already leveraged by Microsoft partners in solutions offered to curb dropout rates.
At the core of the Microsoft SIGMA Initiative are the Microsoft Education Analytics Platform (EAP), and its business intelligence and predictive analytics data-management services. At the same time, EAP is designed as a platform on top of which third-party companies can build additional solutions that can streamline decision-making through capabilities such as search, data analysis, reporting, and integration. Mizuni Incorporated, VersiFit LLC, and Choice Solutions are three companies that have already worked to deliver early warning system solutions designed to identify students on the verge of dropping out.
“Microsoft and our partners are developing on-premise and cloud-based software with business intelligence and predictive analytics that helps school leaders better understand which students may be on the verge of dropping out of school. Each of these partners has built solutions on top of Microsoft SharePoint Server and Microsoft SQL Server to collect data, analyze the myriad factors that contribute to students dropping out, and identify the most at-risk students,” Anthony Salcito, vice president, Worldwide Education, revealed.
Salcito even shared a success story with the public, revealing how Western Heights School District near Oklahoma City reduced its dropout rate by 24% since the implementation of a system designed to keep students in school.
“Superintendent Joe Kitchens decided, and began looking for a solution. He thought that by collecting data -- such as grades, attendance, socio-economic factors and other variables -- his teachers and counselors could better understand what was happening with students, why they would suddenly disengage and lose interest in class, and then proactively intervene with specialized programs to keep more students in school. The district deployed a new data system for tracking student progress, and today, Western Heights has reduced its dropout rate from 45 percent to 21 percent -- an amazing accomplishment,” Salcito stated.
