Academic Snapshot: Measuring Student Success at BlueSky
If you’ve been following BlueSky for a while, you know we’re always moving forward and finding ways to improve. Last fall, we were honored to receive the Innovation Award from the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools (MACS) for our social-emotional learning approach. This year, we’ve applied for another MACS Innovation Award, and this time we’re putting the spotlight on a tool that has been transforming how we support our students: the Academic Snapshot.
Before Implementing Academic Snapshot
In a traditional school, a teacher sees students every day. They notice when someone seems checked out, confused, or overwhelmed. Online school requires a different kind of awareness and attention to ensure students are succeeding, especially because we let students select the type of schedule that works best for them (more or less classes, block scheduling, trimesters vs. semesters, etc.)
Before the Academic Snapshot existed, BlueSky teachers were manually creating individualized pacing schedules for every student in every course. That process took eight or more hours each week. It was time-consuming, inconsistent across instructors, and often unclear for students trying to figure out where they stood. Critical information like pacing, assignments, grades, and deadlines was scattered across multiple platforms, and struggling students may have slipped through the cracks before anyone could intervene.
But we know that a single grade doesn’t tell the whole story of how a student is doing. It’s more nuanced than that. BlueSky needed a better method.
Breaking Down Academic Snapshot
The Academic Snapshot is a real-time dashboard that gives students, parents, and teachers a complete, holistic view of student progress across all courses in one accessible place. But it goes far beyond just displaying grades.
The Snapshot integrates several key indicators into a single view:
- Pacing progress
- Quality of work
- Course grades
- Course end-date trajectory
- Weekly to-do list
- Link to live class sessions (if required by the course)
- Easy avenues to contact teachers and support staff
In addition to these pragmatic tools, students can also see color-coded progress bars that give immediate visual clarity on whether they’re on track, falling behind, or in need of some assistance. Students can see two progress bars side by side: “You are here” and “You should be here.” No guesswork needed.
Even better, most elements on the Snapshot are clickable. Students and families can move directly from a progress indicator to action: opening the gradebook, accessing that week’s workload, joining a live class session, or reaching out to a teacher, all from one place.
Built Through Community Feedback
One of the things that makes the Academic Snapshot genuinely innovative is how it was developed. Before a major recent update, BlueSky gathered feedback from approximately 250 stakeholders, including students, parents, and staff, to evaluate what was working and what needed to improve.
Students consistently said pacing information and assignment counts were the features most helpful for planning their weeks. Navigation tools like the weekly to-do list and academic overview scored among the highest-rated features, with average ratings of 4.65 and 4.54 out of 5, respectively. But stakeholders also had some honest feedback for us: the previous format required too much interpretation and didn’t give clear, immediate signals about whether a student was on track.
That feedback directly shaped the new design, leading to clearer visual pacing indicators and improved user navigation throughout. The BlueSky community helped innovate the tool they needed.
The Meaningful Results
Since the Academic Snapshot was first implemented in 2014, BlueSky’s course passing rate has increased by 31.2%, reaching 93.7% in the most recent school year. Consistent attendance has increased by 29.2% over the same period. Retention rates have also climbed steadily, from around 55% in 2014 to 85.2% in the 2024-25 school year.
These aren’t coincidental trends. By including the right information at the right time, the Snapshot allows teachers and advisors to intervene earlier, students to take ownership of their own progress, and families to stay consistently involved without having to chase down information across multiple systems.
And because teachers no longer spend hours each week building manual pacing plans, they can redirect that time toward what matters most: designing great learning experiences and building relationships with students.
Committed to Innovation, Year-After-Year
Winning the MACS Innovation Award last year for our social-emotional learning approach was a great honor. Applying again this year, this time for “Creating Different and Innovative Forms of Measuring Learning Outcomes,” embodies something we believe deeply at BlueSky: innovation is an ongoing commitment to asking hard questions, listening to the people we serve, and finding better ways to meet students where they are.
The Academic Snapshot reflects our tagline, “The School Designed for You,” in a very practical way. Every student at BlueSky follows a unique schedule. They may start and end courses at different times, follow modified pacing plans, or balance school with work, athletics, or family responsibilities. The Snapshot automatically adjusts expectations to each student’s individual schedule, ensuring no one gets lost in the system simply because their path looks different from someone else’s.
Connect with BlueSky
Curious what the Academic Snapshot actually looks like? BlueSky has a short video that shows how students use it day-to-day to stay on top of pacing, access coursework, attend live sessions, and connect with teachers. It is one of the first things new families learn about when they enroll. We will share updates on the MACS award process as they develop. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about how BlueSky supports student success, we would love to connect. Contact us today!
