How Noble Schools Operationalized Their Advising Philosophy at Scale
Chicago's Noble Schools serves 12,000+ students across 18 campuses. Here's how they brought their thoughtfully-built advising process into Overgrad. Same methodology, less overhead.
Operating with unified standards
That reflects their philosophy
On expectations or personalization
The Challenge
Noble had built a thoughtful process: custom Python scripts, Google Sheets, scoring rubrics. All designed around how they believe students should be advised. It worked, but maintaining it all was a significant burden on central office.
📊 A Sophisticated Process, Built In-House
Noble had developed a rigorous advising framework, evaluating target graduation rates, admissibility, and affordability for every college match. They'd built custom Python scripts, detailed Google Sheets, and specialized tools to operationalize this philosophy across 18 campuses.
⏰ The Maintenance Burden
While the process worked, central office spent significant time maintaining disparate systems: updating scripts, syncing spreadsheets, troubleshooting integrations. That overhead pulled focus from strategic work and supporting campuses.
📉 Generic Platforms Weren't an Option
Off-the-shelf tools would have meant abandoning the methodologies Noble had carefully developed. They needed a platform that could absorb their existing process, not replace it with something generic.
The Solution
Overgrad absorbed Noble's existing methodology (their scoring rubrics, evaluation criteria, and advising workflows) into a unified platform. No compromises on how they work, just less overhead to maintain it.
Their Process, Now in One Place
Noble's existing framework for evaluating colleges by target graduation rates, admissibility, and affordability moved from spreadsheets and scripts into Overgrad. Same methodology, same standards, far less maintenance.
- College scoring rubrics migrated directly into the platform
- Admissibility and affordability criteria preserved exactly
- Target graduation rate data automated instead of manually updated
Personalization at Scale
With 300+ seniors per campus, Noble needed to reach every student with relevant, personalized guidance. Overgrad's smart filtering and messaging tools let counselors deliver individualized support without sacrificing depth.
- Segmented outreach based on student progress and needs
- Personalized communication at scale without copy-paste
- Every student gets attention, not just the loudest voices
Custom Tools for Noble's Workflow
Overgrad built custom features specifically for Noble, including a PDF generator that creates one-page student progress reports to share with families. This helps parents stay informed and engaged in their student's college journey.
- Custom PDF one-pagers for family conferences
- Workflows configured to Noble's advising calendar
- Dashboards that reflect Noble's definition of student success
The Result
Overgrad became the system that reflects how Noble works. It reinforces their standards, supports personalization, and allows their team to operate at scale without lowering expectations.
Campuses, One Platform
The same rigorous process Noble had built now lives in one unified system. Central office no longer maintains scripts and spreadsheets. They focus on supporting campuses.
Seniors Per Campus, Personally
Counselors support hundreds of students without sacrificing the personalized attention each student deserves. Scale and quality are no longer in tension.
PDF Click for Families
A custom-built PDF generator creates student progress one-pagers instantly, keeping families informed and engaged in their student's college journey.
Compromises on Excellence
Noble didn't have to adapt their philosophy to fit the software. Overgrad was configured to match how Noble believes students should be advised.
Implementation
Documenting the Existing System
Overgrad worked with Noble to map their existing scripts, spreadsheets, and workflows. The goal: migrate everything into the platform without losing any of the logic they'd built.
Rebuilding to Their Spec
Noble's scoring rubrics, evaluation criteria, and advising workflows configured into Overgrad. Added the PDF generator for family progress reports as a custom feature.
Network-Wide Adoption
Training across all 18 campuses with dedicated support. Counselors immediately recognized the system as the same process they knew, just easier to use.
The result: A system that doesn't just track students. It actively reinforces Noble's advising standards across every interaction, every campus, every day.
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