Dashboard 2021 vs. 2025: Concepts & Changes

Dashboard 2021 vs. 2025: Concepts & Changes

Transitioning to Dashboard 2025 involves two significant shifts: a move from a flexible grid to a structured "Split-Zone" layout, and a change in how form data is filtered across the screen.

This guide maps the familiar components of the 2021 dashboard to their counterparts in the 2025 environment.

Layout Structure

Dashboard 2021: The Flexible Grid

The 2021 dashboard utilized a flexible grid system. Cards (like Listings or Metrics) were individual windows that could be placed anywhere on the board and had fixed dimensions.

Dashboard 2025: Primary & Secondary Zones

The new interface organizes the screen into two consistent zones to maximize screen usage.

  1. Primary Zone (Left): Occupies the majority of the screen. This area is reserved for high-detail tasks, such as the Listings card (full-width tables) or the Records About Me card.
  2. Secondary Zone (Right): A collapsible sidebar reserved for context and summaries. This area holds the Metrics, Messages, and Breakdown cards.

Navigation & Data Context

The most fundamental operational difference is how the dashboard handles form selection.

Dashboard 2021: Independent Cards

In the 2021 dashboard, each card functioned independently. You could set a Metrics card to display "Attendance" data while a Listings card displayed "Incident Reports" on the same screen. This allowed for a mixed-data view but required users to verify the form selection for each individual card.

Dashboard 2025: Unified Form Context

The new dashboard is Form-Centric. When you select a form (e.g., "480 Probationary") from the side menu, that selection applies globally to the entire screen. The Listings, Metrics, and Messages cards all automatically update to reflect the selected form. This ensures that all data on the screen always relates to the same context.

Component Mapping

Many specific cards from the 2021 dashboard have been transitioned into broader, purpose-built tools.
2021 Card Component
2025 Homepage Equivalent
Change Notes
My Forms
All Records About Me (Page) & Records About Me (Card)
The "My Forms" card has evolved into two tools. The Records About Me card shows your assigned records for the current form. For a global view of all your assigned records across all forms, use the All Records About Me page in the side menu.
Saved Searches
Search Menu (Listings Card)
The standalone "Saved Searches" card has been removed. This need is now solved natively within the Listings and Records About Me cards. Simply switch to your desired form and use the Search Menu to instantly find and apply your saved criteria.
Quick Links
Side Navigation
The Quick Links card was essentially a shortcut list for opening specific forms. This is now handled natively by the Side Navigation menu, which allows you to "Star" frequently used forms for instant access.
Profile Search / Quick Profile Search
Person Profile Search
These two tools have been consolidated into a single Person Profile Search modal, modeled after the popular "Quick Profile Search" workflow. It is accessible from the side menu.
Messages
Messages Card
This card remains largely unchanged but is now located in the Secondary Zone (sidebar).

Configuration Changes

The process of building a dashboard has changed from "constructing a grid" to "defining zones."

Dashboard 2021: Manual Assembly

Building a layout required you to manually construct the board, piece by piece.
  1. Adding: You added cards one at a time.

  2. Arranging: You had to enter a specific "Move Mode" to drag and drop cards.

  3. Alignment: Cards would snap into place along an invisible grid, often requiring trial and error to get rows and columns to align correctly on different screen sizes.

Dashboard 2025: Zone Selection

The new configuration removes the need for manual alignment. You simply define the content for the two established zones.

  1. Primary Card: You select the main card for the workspace (e.g., Listings or Records About Me).
  2. Secondary Cards: You select which optional cards (e.g., Messages, Metrics) should appear in the sidebar.
  3. Ordering: You only need to determine the vertical order of the Secondary cards. The layout logic (width, responsiveness, and alignment) is handled automatically by the system.

    • Related Articles

    • Migrating to Dashboard 2025

      Welcome to the Dashboard 2025 migration hub. This series of guides is designed to help System Administrators transition their districts from the legacy dashboard to the new, structured Dashboard 2025 framework. The Core Shift: A Form-Centric ...

    • Getting Started: Enabling Your Admin Access

      Before you can build layouts for your school or district, you must first enable the new dashboard for yourself. This is the first step in the migration process. Understanding Access: Role vs. User Settings To troubleshoot access effectively, it is ...

    • Strategy Guide: Recreating Your Layouts

      Migration is a Role-Based process. Because you enable the new dashboard for an entire role at once (via the Landing Page setting), you cannot migrate "Forms" one by one. You must migrate User Groups one by one. If you enable the new dashboard for ...

    • Known Limitations & Current Issues

      Note: This is a living document. We will be updating this article regularly as features are released and issues are resolved. To receive alerts when this page is updated, please click the Follow button on the right side of this page. As we transition ...