Measures · 6 min read
Leading and lagging measures
A test score tells you how last year went. A good Strategic Plan also tracks the work that should move it, so you can change course before the results arrive.
Most district scorecards are built from lagging measures: state test results, graduation rates, reading proficiency. They matter most, and they're what boards and families ask about. But they arrive once a year, after the work is done.
Leading measures come earlier and more often. Is the new reading block running in every school? How many ninth graders are on track in credits this semester? They're the early read on whether the lagging number will move.
Pair them. Each strategy gets one result the public sees, and one or two measures of the work that your team watches between test seasons.
What it looks like
In the Northfield demo, the early literacy strategy pairs the work with the result. The reading block was in every elementary school by January 2026. The reading results it should lift come in each spring.
Northfield Public SchoolsStrategy 2.1 · Early literacy
Northfield Public Schools is a fictional demo district. See it live (opens in a new tab).
Pairs that work
| Lagging result | Leading measure | How often |
|---|---|---|
| K–2 reading proficiency | Schools running the reading block; fall and winter benchmarks | Yearly, or 3 times a year |
| Four-year graduation rate | Ninth graders on track in credits | Each semester |
| Chronic absenteeism | Students who have missed 10% or more so far this year | Monthly |
| Teacher retention | New teachers with a mentor; the staff survey | Fall and spring |
Three tactics
Pair every result with the work behind it
For each test score or graduation measure, ask what you could see in October that predicts it. Put that measure under the same strategy.
Measure change, not just activity
“Hold 12 training sessions” counts a process. “Teachers using the new routine weekly” shows a change. Keep process counts few.
Update on the data's own schedule
Three windows for a screener, monthly for attendance, once a year for state tests. StrataDASH asks each owner for an update when it's due.
See every example on a live Strategic Plan.
Click through Northfield's four goals and 24 measures. No sign-up.