As school districts continue to accumulate student assessment data, new questions have emerged:
- How are student cohorts progressing over time?
- Which assessment items consistently underperform?
- How do test results connect to student attendance, behavior, and different academic programs?
To answer these questions, districts need a way to see and analyze broader assessment trends over time. Connected Intelligence K-12 is PowerSchool’s fully managed Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) platform that centralizes all kinds of data from a district’s education ecosystem. If your organization already uses Performance Matters, then Connected Intelligence can be used to unify your assessment histories in one place, spot persistent gaps, validate assessment quality, and identify trends that aren’t visible in a single testing cycle. The results are stronger longitudinal insights that can inform classroom planning.
Here are five ways that Connected Intelligence can help your district be more strategic with years of rich assessment data housed within Performance Matters.
1. Create one source of truth for instructional and leadership teams
Connected Intelligence ensures that instructional teams and district leadership are working from the same assessment history. Teachers focus on current performance; leaders analyze trends, growth, and outcomes across years, cohorts, and schools over time. This foundation connects classroom decisions with district-level planning, program evaluation, and accountability without creating parallel systems.
2. Eliminate manual data work and answer questions faster
Data teams often spend hours exporting files, joining spreadsheets, and rebuilding reports whenever a new question arises. Connected Intelligence eliminates that burden by centralizing Performance Matters data automatically, creating a continuously updated source of truth.
With this foundation in place, analysts can respond to ad-hoc requests in minutes rather than days. Instead of rebuilding reports from scratch, teams reuse logic, explore trends dynamically, and run queries without repetitive data prep.
Application Library
PowerSchool also provides pre-built Performance Matters reports out of the box, accessible through the Application Library. The Application Library is a hub for Connected Intelligence sample applications, source code, and customization across PowerSchool data sources. No more searching across products. Districts tell us that this shift frees data analysts from maintenance work and lets them focus on higher-value activities.
3. Combine assessment data with SIS, attendance, and other student data
Assessment data rarely tells the full story. Connected Intelligence brings Performance Matters results together with data from attendance, behavior support, student information systems (SIS), and learning management systems (LMS) into a single environment. Analysts, instructional leaders, and administrators can explore relationships between assessment outcomes and other factors without relying on multiple tools or manual extracts.
4. Archive historical data and support compliance
Connected Intelligence serves as a long-term repository for Performance Matters data alongside SIS, LMS, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems data — supporting state and federal retention requirements while enabling long-term analysis of assessment outcomes, growth, and program effectiveness. Districts can quickly answer questions with confidence, without having to search for old files or rebuild datasets.
5. Prepare assessment data for AI and advanced analytics
As more districts explore AI and advanced analytics, centralized assessment data will be an invaluable asset. Connected Intelligence enables districts to safely apply machine learning and advanced analytics to Performance Matters data alongside broader student and operational data. This process is more scalable and secure than siloed tools, keeping governance and data ownership intact.
Key takeaways
PowerSchool Performance Matters helps educators understand students’ needs right now.
Districts with Performance Matters can use PowerSchool Connected Intelligence to go beyond the present and understand how student learning is evolving over time — across years, cohorts, and schools. This connected capability helps leaders identify ways to make assessments stronger at scale, all while reducing manual data reporting and analysis.
Unlock the power of siloed K-12 data
Districts often struggle to make sense of comprehensive student data that live in different source systems, like student attendance and assessment information. Connected Intelligence solves this issue, providing instant access to all data in one secure place.
Speak with an Expert