Polk County Maps its Students’ Future using Honest Game

Implementation, Integration, and Key Takeaways

Honest Game’s software offers Polk County a solution that integrates seamlessly with their student information system. The platform streamlines the tracking of academic eligibility for student-athletes, offering benefits not only to athletic administrators but also to families, coaches, administrators, and guidance counselors.

Honest Game’s software pairs student-athletes’ passion for sport with driving motivation in the classroom, using short-term achievable goals and strategic individualized guidance. Honest Game’s impact results in higher student learning outcomes and expanded post-secondary opportunities. 

Dan Talbot, Senior Director of Athletics at Polk County Public Schools, is the local spearhead integrating Honest Game into Polk County. As a former student-athlete and coach, Talbot knows the importance of finding a tool that wouldn’t create additional work for already stressed students and overworked staff.

“One of the most important factors that we pride ourselves on here in Polk County is giving the kids the opportunity that have the athletic talent, making sure that we stay on top of their academic success, but also making sure that they are being led in the right direction to be successful. [We want to] create the avenue for them to be successful at the next level and then have an opportunity academically to go to the next level.”

And so, after less than half a year utilizing Honest Game, Polk County Public Schools has already seen students access opportunities previously unknown to them. Among those success stories include the powerful story of a female wrestler who went from ineligible to playing at the collegiate level to an Early Academic Qualifier, thanks to the teamwork of Honest Game and Talbot.

“With us in Polk County partnering with Honest Game has taken a tremendous pressure off our counselors, off our coaches, off our athletic administrators. We have a program that is doing, meeting, and exceeding all expectations of tracking our student-athletes.”

Here are three major takeaways from the conversation with Talbot and the effectiveness of Honest Game’s work in Polk County after just a few short months.

Collaboration District-Wide: During an initial audit, Honest Game helped Talbot identify over 100 courses that were considered core that weren’t on Polk County’s list of NCAA approved courses. Getting these courses approved opened up college athletic pathways for student-athletes, and helped facilitate collaboration among different schools by approving those courses district-wide. With the increasing trend of student-athlete transfers, the Honest Game platform also provides Polk County with the capability to conduct audits on students transferring into the district, ensuring that students receive appropriate guidance and scheduling based on their prior academic history.

“We now have the capability to separate ourselves from other school districts from around the country with Honest Game, because if two athletes are the same athletically, what separates them? Their grades.”

Saving Time: Honest Game’s platform significantly reduces the workload for counselors, coaches, and athletic administrators. The ability to do data dumps at strategic points in the academic calendar eases the tracking process and allows for continuous access to reports. The software addresses local challenges associated with tracking NCAA eligibility and provides clarity to parents, students, and coaches alike. Honest Game removes the arduous need that Talbot and other athletic staff have to calculate NCAA GPA by hand, through easy-to-use and easy-to-share automation, reducing the risk of any unintentional errors – one of school staff’s greatest fears.

Empowering Student-Athletes: The platform has empowered Polk County student-athletes to track their academic progress. The color-coded system (green, yellow, and red) provides a visual representation of eligibility status, making it easier for students to understand their standing and take proactive steps toward any improvements necessary. Honest Game is all about proactive course correction by identifying potential issues early on to prevent the all-too-common scenario where student-athletes might fall short academically without their knowledge or timely intervention.

What the Future Holds

While Polk County is already reaping the benefits of their partnership with Honest Game, this is only the beginning. Staff, students, and parents continue to get comfortable with the Honest Game software and resources. There will be more success stories in the coming months and years, as more student-athletes unlock academic and athletic opportunities through the support of Honest Game.

“To be able to give those people [counselors] something to make their job easier and to make them smile is why we do what we do.”