Educational Opportunity Audit

A detailed data portrait to understand and analyze inequities—and to inform and inspire action.

Developed and fine-tuned over 15 years, XQ’s Educational Opportunity Audit (EOA) provides an in-depth portrait of the academic progress of a school’s entire graduating class over all four years of high school—uncovering eye-opening findings about equity gaps and informing areas for improvement.

The EOA identifies patterns in student access to rigorous coursework by gathering findings across multiple analytical tools and creating a comprehensive report. It also taps into the perceptions of stakeholders around the quality of schooling. The EOA report provides a map of the changes needed to bridge the gaps in preparation among student groups and ensure every high school graduate is college and career ready. Data from the EOA is then analyzed in deep consultation with XQ’s school and systems partners to determine areas of challenge and how to address them.

The EOA relies on quantitative and qualitative data, drawing on:

Student transcripts, including courses taken, grades, and exam results, to map the journey through high school and identify barriers to equitable outcomes.
Student focus groups, for deeper insights into the student experience.
Surveys of students, parents, and staff to capture each group’s perceptions of school quality and equity.

When Rhode Island partnered with XQ, the EOA determined that only six out of ten Rhode Island students were enrolled in the courses they needed to be considered college eligible. The Rhode Island Department of Education responded by proposing new graduation standards and listening to public feedback. In November, 2022, the state’s Council on Elementary and Secondary Education enacted new regulations that establish college and career-ready coursework as the default expectation for every child in Rhode Island regardless of where they live, their family’s income, the language they speak at home, or their disability status.

Educators from DC dig into the data during an EOA Design Day in photos below.