EXAMPLE EXAMPLE ES STUDENT SURVEY RESULTS 1/10/2014 The Community and Youth Collaborative Institute (CAYCI) goal is to enhance the overall well-being of children and youth by supporting families, promoting healthy development and bringing together communities. This survey will help your school understand what student life is like and improve student school and classroom experiences. Anderson-Butcher, D., Amorose, A. J., Iachini, A. L., & Ball, A. (2013). Community and Youth Collaborative Institute School Experience Family of Surveys: Elementary school student survey. Columbus, Ohio: College of Social Work, The Ohio State University.
Table of Contents 2 Overview Section 1: School Improvement Pathway Framework Section 2: Definitions of Constructs Section 3: Demographics Section 4: Comprehensive Student Results - Scale Indicator Designations Section 5: Scale and Item Means and Maximum Value Percentages Section 6: Frequency Percentages by Item Section 7: How to Use Your Data for Improvement Planning Conclusion
Overview 3 During the period between 1/3/2014 and 1/9/2014, CAYCI School Experience Surveys were completed by 558 students at Example ES. This school-wide needs assessment examined students perceptions of academic learning strategies, school climate and positive youth development principles, and various non-academic barriers. These data are designed to compliment data schools already collect as part of school improvement planning efforts. Together these data, as well as academic performance and behavioral data, provide a more holistic picture related to the strengths and areas of concern at Example ES. There are seven sections to this report. Section 1 provides the framework used to organize the data in this report. Section 2 provides the definitions of constructs assessed on the survey. Section 3 provides demographic information about the elementary students who completed the survey at your school. Section 4 provides a comprehensive overview of the results. Section 5 provides the means for each scale, as well as the means for each individual item within the scales. Section 6 provides more detailed frequency data by construct and item. Section 7 offers recommendations for examining your data and using it to guide your improvement planning efforts. These findings offer your school and district important information from the students perspective. These data will help your school improvement efforts, particularly as you expand planning priorities to address identified needs and to celebrate areas of strength. For additional information about this report and its findings, please contact: Michael L. Fuller, Ph.D. Director Muskingum Valley ESC 205 North Seventh Street Zanesville, OH 43701 mike.fuller@mvesc.org 740-452-4518
Section 1: School Improvement Pathway Framework 4 Traditionally, schools and districts focus on academic data and maximizing opportunities for academic learning as part of their improvement planning processes. For example, reading and mathematics achievement data are commonly explored, oftentimes by student sub-group, to identify targeted strategies for improvement. However, to provide a comprehensive strategy, perceptual data are needed, and include assessing constructs such as students academic motivation, academic press, and school connectedness. Many schools and districts are expanding their improvement planning processes to focus on two additional school improvement pathways to student success: promoting school climate and positive youth development; and addressing nonacademic barriers. Promoting school climate and positive youth development includes ensuring students feel a sense of safety in school, and that students perceive diversity is valued. Likewise, building students assets and strengths (i.e., protective factors) is important to protect students against the host of challenges and barriers they might face at home, in school, or within their community. For example, promoting students social competence, healthy peer relationships, and engagement in physical activity and other out-of-school time activities are important priorities. Additionally, assessing students perceptions of parent involvement and support and family and community connections are critical. This important pathway prioritizes both enhancing the overall school climate to promote student learning, while simultaneously building and strengthening students protective factors to ensure overall healthy development. Many students experience difficulties that impede their ability to learn. For example, mental health, physical health, economic, and family challenges can strongly influence students abilities to be successful in school. In addition, students internalizing and externalizing behaviors, along with alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use can impact learning. These barriers are referred to as risk factors. The non-academic barriers pathway prioritizes and addresses them through comprehensive health and social service programs and strategies. Considered together, three school improvement pathways, which include (1) maximizing academic learning; (2) promoting school climate and positive youth development; and (3) addressing nonacademic barriers, are critical for "getting the conditions right" for students success in school. This report uses these three pathways as an organizing framework to present the data collected at Example ES. That is, each construct assessed through the student survey is presented according to one of these three school improvement pathways. Definitions for each construct measured in the survey are provided next.
Section 2: Definitions of Constructs 5 This section of the report provides a definition for each of the constructs assessed in the Elementary Student Survey. Schools or districts have the option of choosing a subset of constructs. Constructs chosen by Example ES are listed in Table 1 Academic Learning Pathway: Academic Experiences This scale assesses students perceptions of three school-related protective factors, including school connectedness, academic press, and academic motivation. School connectedness measures students perceptions of their relationships and sense of belonging at the school. Academic press assesses the extent to which students experience that others, including parents and teachers, emphasize and reinforce academic success. Academic motivation measures students interest and enjoyment in learning and school. Support for Learning - This scale assesses students perceptions of the support their family and school staff provide for their learning and social-emotional development. School Climate and Youth Development Pathway: Social Skills This scale assesses students perceptions of their ability to engage in positive social interactions with others. Parent Involvement and Support - This scale assesses the degree to which students feel that their parents and guardians are involved in their learning and support their educational growth. Family and Community Connections - This scale measures whether students feel that they have a connection to their families and their communities. This includes a sense of belonging, social responsibility, and meaningful relationships with adults. Peer Relationships - This scale measures students perceptions of their relationships with their peers and the extent to which their peers engage in pro-social behaviors. Activities This scale assesses students participation in school and community activities, such as afterschool programming, volunteering opportunities, or sport, recreation, and dance. Safety - This scale assesses students perceptions of their own personal safety at home, at school, and in their communities.
Diversity - This scale assesses students perceptions of their school s acceptance of and support for a diverse student population. 6 Non-academic Barriers Pathway: Internalizing Behaviors - This scale assesses the extent to which students report behaviors and feelings that are sometimes referred to as "inhibited behaviors" (see the work of Thomas Achenbach). These feelings and behaviors are those that are dealt with internally, rather than by acting them out in the home or school. Externalizing Behaviors - This scale assesses the extent to which students report behaviors that are directed outward, either toward other people or property. This scale includes externalizing behaviors that students typically demonstrate in the school setting.
Section 3: Demographics 7 Overall, 558 Example ES students completed the survey, with 292 (52.3%) of respondents reporting as male, 265 (47.5%) reporting as female, and 1 (0.2%) not responding. With regard to race, 328 (58.8%) of respondents reported as White, 24 (4.3%) as African American, 87 (15.6%) as mixed race, 104 (18.6%) as Hispanic/Latino, 0 (0%) as American Indian, 11 (2%) as Asian, 0 (0%) as Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 0 (0%) as other, and 4 (0.7%) not responding. Additional demographic information is provided in the tables below. Grade K Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 No Response 100 83 76 86 75 57 79 2 17.9% 14.9% 13.6% 15.4% 13.4% 10.2% 14.2% 0.4% Less 6 Years 7 Years 8 Years 9 Years 10 Years 11 Years 12 Years 13 Years Older No Than 6 Old Old Old Old Old Old Old Old Than 13 Resp. 68 89 68 82 79 72 50 46 2 1 1 12.2% 15.9% 12.2% 14.7% 14.2% 12.9% 9% 8.2% 0.4% 0.2% 0.2% Yes No No Response Receive Free or Reduced Price Lunch 337 60.4% 204 36.6% 17 3% Which of the following describes your family? I live with both my parents 376 67.4% I live in a one-parent family with my mother 88 15.8% I live in a one-parent family with my father 20 3.6% I live with a grandparent 3 0.5% My parents do not live together and I split time 63 11.3% between them I don't live with my parents - I have another 7 1.3% caretaker No Response 1 0.2% How many schools have you attended since you started school? 1 - I have been at the same school since I 249 44.6% started school 2 schools 166 29.7% 3 schools 65 11.6% 4 schools 39 7% 5 or more schools 37 6.6% No Response 2 0.4%
Section 4: Comprehensive Student Results Scale Indicator Designations 8 This section provides a comprehensive presentation of the data collected from students at Example ES. Over the years, schools and districts completing this survey were interested in understanding how their students perceptions compared with those of other schools and districts. As a result, a comparative framework for the Elementary and Middle/High School Student Surveys was developed by the Community and Youth Collaborative Institute (CAYCI). This framework was developed through rigorous statistical analyses using data collected by many schools and districts over multiple years. This section presents the student survey results for your school. A score for each construct was calculated based on the means for each scale. Indicator designations were then assigned based on the comparative framework. Indicator designations include: excelling; emerging; and needs improvement. The following is a brief description of each designation: Excelling is a designation where students perceptions were more than one-half of a standard deviation above the mean maximum value for all comparative schools and districts. Areas designated as excelling might be viewed as areas of strength. Emerging is a designation where students reported similar perceptions to comparative schools and districts (within one-half standard deviation above and below the mean maximum value). These areas might be viewed as important to continuously strengthen and improve. Needs Improvement is a designation where students reported perceptions much lower than other schools and districts (more than one-half standard deviation below the mean maximum value). These areas point to targets of concern and might be prioritized for improvement. Based on the school-wide student data collected, the indicator designations and associated color scheme for each scale are provided in Table 1. Green signifies excelling, yellow emerging, and red needs improvement. The value designation associated with each color band is elaborated in Section 5.
Table 1. Indicator Designations for Survey Constructs 9 Construct Indicator Designation Academic Learning Pathway Academic Motivation 86.8 School Connectedness 88.3 Academic Press 96.0 Support for Learning 88 School Climate and Youth Development Pathway Social Skills 78.1 Parent Involvement and Support 83.5 Family and Community Connections 84.2 Peer Relationships 81.5 Activities 73.9 Safety 90.1 Diversity 90.4 Non-Academic Barriers Pathway Internalizing Behaviors 78.8 Externalizing Behaviors 80.1
Section 5: Scale and Item Means and Maximum Value Percentages 10 Scale means are an important source of information to determine areas of strength and areas in need of improvement. In addition, the means of individual items within scales provide further insights. Scale and item means are presented on the following pages according to school improvement pathway and construct area. Please note that scale means cannot be compared across various constructs due to different Likert scales. For example, some constructs are assessed on a 4 point Likert scale (e.g., NO!, No, Yes, YES!), whereas others are assessed on a 3 point Likert scale (e.g.. No, Sometimes, Yes). Because of this, a maximum value percentage (MVP) has been calculated for each construct. MVP is calculated via the following equation: Maximum Value Percentage= Scale Mean Number of Response Options in the Likert Scale The MVP can be compared across constructs, and provides relative information regarding the extent to which students perceptions are favorable in relation to each construct. MVP values can range from 0% - 100%. As an example, imagine that the MVP for academic motivation was 87.8% and the MVP for school connectedness was 92%. This could be interpreted as students overall perceptions regarding both academic motivation and school connectedness are relatively high, but that students hold higher perceptions regarding school connectedness. In other words, comparisons may be made across constructs as they are now organized using the MVP.
Academic Learning Pathway 11 Academic Motivation Scale Mean = 3.47 Scale Maximum Value Percentage = 86.8 Item Mean Item 1 I work my hardest every day at school. 3.57 Item 2 I am a good reader. 3.43 Item 3 I am good in math. 3.33 Item 4 I know that I can get good grades. 3.55 Items Sorted by Maximum Value Percentage
12 School Connectedness Scale Mean = 3.53 Scale Maximum Value Percentage = 88.3 Item Mean Item 1 I enjoy coming to school. 3.45 Item 2 I have good relationships with my 3.57 teachers. Item 3 I am proud to be a student at my 3.65 school. Item 4 I feel like I belong at my school. 3.46 Items Sorted by Maximum Value Percentage
13 Academic Press Scale Mean = 3.84 Scale Maximum Value Percentage = 96.0 Item Mean Item 1 My school wants me to learn a lot. 3.81 Item 2 My parents want me to learn a lot. 3.85 Item 3 My teacher wants me to learn a lot. 3.86 Items Sorted by Maximum Value Percentage
14 Support for Learning Scale Mean = 3.52 Scale Maximum Value Percentage = 88 Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5 Item 6 When I have a problem, I get help from my family. When I have a problem, I get help from my teacher. I would go to my teacher for help if I needed it. My teacher would notice if I was not in school. There is at least 1 adult in my school who knows me well. There is at least 1 adult in my school who cares about me. Items Sorted by Maximum Value Percentage Item Mean 3.55 3.48 3.46 3.6 3.62 3.41
School Climate and Youth Development Pathway 15 Social Skills Scale Mean = 3.12 Scale Maximum Value Percentage = 78.1 Item Mean Item 1 I help other people. 3.32 Item 2 I ask others if I can help them. 2.8 Item 3 I am good at making friends. 3.41 Item 4 I get along with others. 2.95 Items Sorted by Maximum Value Percentage
16 Parent Involvement and Support Scale Mean = 3.34 Scale Maximum Value Percentage = 83.5 Item Mean Item 1 My parents help me with my schoolwork. 3.25 Item 2 My parents talk to me about what I do in 3.64 school. Item 3 My parents ask me about my schoolwork. 3.72 Item 4 My parents visit my school. 2.75 Items Sorted by Maximum Value Percentage
17 Family and Community Connections Scale Mean = 3.37 Scale Maximum Value Percentage = 84.2 Item Mean Item 1 I feel like I really belong to my family. 3.22 Item 2 I feel like I am an important part of my 3.46 community. Item 3 There are adults in my community who 3.41 support and encourage me. Item 4 There are adults in my community that I could go to for help if I needed it. 3.38 Items Sorted by Maximum Value Percentage
18 Peer Relationships Scale Mean = 3.26 Scale Maximum Value Percentage = 81.5 Item Mean Item 1 My friends support and care about me. 2.75 Item 2 My friends think I am a positive person. 3.03 Item 3 My friends are people who I can trust. 3.78 Item 4 My friends don't get into trouble. 3.47 Items Sorted by Maximum Value Percentage
19 Activities Scale Mean = 2.22 Scale Maximum Value Percentage = 73.9 Item Mean Item 1 I play on a sports team. 2.17 Item 2 I play a musical instrument. 2.17 Item 3 I am in a dance or theater group or 2.24 class. Item 4 I am in a youth program (4-H, YMCA, 2.27 Boys and Girls Club). Item 5 I am in a youth group or church. 2.24 Items Sorted by Maximum Value Percentage
20 Safety Scale Mean = 3.6 Scale Maximum Value Percentage = 90.1 Item Mean Item 1 I feel safe at home. 3.57 Item 2 I feel safe in the community. 3.67 Item 3 I feel safe at school. 3.57 Items Sorted by Maximum Value Percentage
21 Diversity Scale Mean = 3.62 Scale Maximum Value Percentage = 90.4 Item Mean Item 1 At my school, students treat others who 3.57 are different from them with respect. Item 2 At my school, teachers and other 3.59 school staff treat all students with respect regardless of background or culture. Item 3 At my school, all students are treated 3.47 equally. Item 4 At my school, it's ok to be different. 3.68 Item 5 At my school, all students are treated the same regardless of where they come from. 3.77 Items Sorted by Maximum Value Percentage
Non-Academic Barriers Pathway 22 Internalizing Behaviors Scale Mean = 3.15 Scale Maximum Value Percentage = 78.8 Item Mean Item 1 In the past week, I felt sad. 3.44 Item 2 In the past week, I felt afraid. 3.06 Item 3 In the past week, I felt lonely. 3.27 Item 4 In the past week, people were not nice to 3.17 me. Item 5 In the past week, I felt worried. 3.03 Item 6 In the past week, I felt like I didn't care 3.15 about anything. Item 7 In the past week, I felt like I didn't matter. 3.32 Item 8 In the past week, I had trouble sleeping. 3.15 Item 9 In the past week, I felt shy. 2.77 Items Sorted by Maximum Value Percentage
23 Externalizing Behaviors Scale Mean = 3.2 Scale Maximum Value Percentage = 80.1 Item Mean Item 1 Is it hard for you to control your behavior? 3.1 Item 2 Have you ever gotten into trouble in class? 3.09 Item 3 Has your school called home because you 3.1 were in trouble for your behavior? Item 4 Have you ever been suspended from 2.75 school? Item 5 Have you ever been in a fight? 3.53 Item 6 Have you ever bullied someone at school? 3.65 Items Sorted by Maximum Value Percentage
Section 6: Frequency Percentages by Item 24 This section of the report provides frequency percentage data for every item within each of the constructs assessed. For each construct, there is a visual representation of these percentages by item. There also is a table that includes the exact numeric percentage by item. Academic Learning Pathway Academic Motivation Item 1 I work my hardest every day at school. NO! No Yes YES! No Response 1.3% 3.4% 32.1% 63.1%.2% Item 2 I am a good reader. 2.9% 5.6% 35.8% 53.9% 1.8% Item 3 I am good in math. 2.9% 11.5% 35.1% 49.5% 1.1% Item 4 2.0% 4.8% 29.0% 63.3%.9% I know that I can get good grades.
School Connectedness 25 NO! No Yes YES! No Response Item 1 I enjoy coming to school. 5.2% 5.9% 28.0% 60.8%.2% Item 2 I have good relationships with my teachers and other adults at 2.0% 3.9% 28.9% 64.9%.4% my school. Item 3 I am proud to be a student at my school. 2.3% 2.5% 22.6% 72.0%.5% Item 4 I feel like I belong at my school. 4.1% 7.0% 26.9% 61.3%.7%
Academic Press 26 Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 My school wants me to learn alot. My parents want me to learn alot. My teacher wants me to learn alot. NO! No Yes YES! No Response.5%.9% 15.2% 82.8%.5%.5% 1.1% 11.5% 86.6%.4%.7%.9% 9.9% 87.6%.9%
Support for Learning 27 Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5 Item 6 When I have a problem, I get help from my family. When I have a problem, I get help from my teacher. I would go to my teacher for help if I needed it. My teacher would notice if I was not in school. There is at least 1 adult in my school who knows me well. There is at least 1 adult in my school who cares about me. NO! No Yes YES! No Response 1.4% 4.3% 31.9% 61.6%.7% 3.8% 6.6% 26.9% 62.2%.5% 3.2% 6.1% 31.4% 58.8%.5% 2.9% 4.3% 22.2% 69.5% 1.1% 1.4% 4.1% 24.6% 68.8% 1.1% 7.9% 9.3% 16.1% 65.6% 1.1%
School Climate and Youth Development Pathway 28 Social Skills NO! No Yes YES! No Response Item 1 I respect others. 9.3% 7.9% 23.5% 58.2% 1.1% Item 2 I cooperate with others. 19.5% 16.1% 27.2% 35.5% 1.6% Item 3 I am responsible. 6.1% 7.2% 25.3% 60.0% 1.4% Item 4 I am a good friend. 18.1% 12.9% 22.8% 44.6% 1.6%
Parent Involvement and Support 29 Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 My parents help me with my schoolwork. My parents talk to me about what I do in school. My parents ask me about my schoolwork. NO! No Yes YES! No Response 11.3% 12.4% 15.8% 59.7%.9% 3.4% 5.6% 14.3% 75.6% 1.1% 3.4% 3.2% 10.9% 81.2% 1.3% Item 4 My parents visit my school. 24% 19.9% 12.5% 42.7%.9%
Family and Community Connections 30 Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 I feel like I really belong to my family. I feel like I am an important part of my community. There are adults in my community who support and encourage me. There are adults in my community that I could go to for help if I needed it. NO! No Yes YES! No Response 7.9% 16.7% 19.9% 53.9% 1.6% 6.5% 7.9% 18.6% 65.9% 1.1% 7.5% 6.1% 23.7% 61.6% 1.1% 6.8% 7.0% 26.2% 58.4% 1.6%
Peer Relationships 31 Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 My friends support and care about me. My friends think I am a positive person. My friends are people who I can trust. My friends do nice things for other people. NO! No Yes YES! No Response 25.3% 12.7% 22.4% 38.4% 1.3% 16.5% 11.8% 22.0% 48.0% 1.6% 2.2% 2.0% 11.1% 83.7% 1.1% 4.5% 7.3% 24.4% 62.5% 1.3%
Activities 32 Item No Sometimes Yes No Response Item 1 I play on a sports team. 8.2% 65.2% 25.1% 1.4% Item 2 I play a musical instrument. 6.3% 68.5% 23.1% 2.2% Item 3 I am in a dance or theater group or class. 1.6% 72.8% 25.4%.2% Item 4 I am in a youth program (4-H, 1.4% 69.9% 28.3%.4% YMCA, Boys and Girls Club). Item 5 I am in a youth group or church. 2.7% 70.4% 26.3%.5%
Safety 33 NO! No Yes YES! No Response Item 1 I feel safe in the community. 2.2% 3.0% 29.7% 64.3%.7% Item 2 I feel safe at school. 1.1% 2.3% 24.7% 71.5%.4% Item 3 I feel safe getting to and from school. 2.2% 3.6% 29.2% 64.0% 1.1%
Diversity 34 Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5 At my school, students treat others who are different from them with respect. At my school, teachers and other school staff treat all students with respect regardless of background or culture. At my school, all students are treated equally. At my school, it's ok to be different. At my school, all students are treated the same regardless of where they come from. NO! No Yes YES! No Response 2.9% 5.2% 23.5% 68.1%.4% 2% 4.7% 25.6% 67.4%.4% 3.9% 6.3% 27.8% 61.3%.7% 2% 2.7% 20.6% 74.0%.7%.5%.9% 19.4% 78.7%.5%
Non-Academic Barriers Pathway Non-Academic Barriers Pathway 35 Internalizing Behaviors YES! Yes No NO! No Response Item 1 In the past week, I felt sad. 7.2% 7.0% 20.8% 64.7%.4% Item 2 In the past week, I felt afraid. 14.3% 15.2% 19.5% 50.2%.7% Item 3 In the past week, I felt lonely. 9.3% 11.6% 20.4% 57.3% 1.3% Item 4 In the past week, people were not nice to me. 12.5% 13.4% 17.4% 55.4% 1.3% Item 5 In the past week, I felt worried. 15.2% 17.2% 15.8% 51.1%.7% Item 6 12.4% 14.3% 18.3% 54.3%.7% Item 7 In the past week, I felt like I didn't matter. In the past week, I had trouble sleeping. 10.9% 9.1% 16.7% 62.2% 1.1% Item 8 In the past week, I felt shy. 14.2% 11.5% 19.0% 54.3% 1.1% Item 9 24.6% 16.1% 15.8% 42.5% 1.1% In the past week, I felt others didn't like me.
Externalizing Behaviors 36 Item 1 Item 2 Have you ever gotten into trouble in class? Has your school called home because you were in trouble for your behavior? YES! Yes No NO! No Response 14.3% 14.9% 16.1% 53.2% 1.4% 14% 14.2% 19.7% 51.1% 1.1% Item 3 Have you ever been in a fight? 12.7% 14.3% 22.2% 49.8%.9% Item 4 13.3% 33.0% 17.2% 34.8% 1.8% Item 5 Item 6 Have you ever bullied someone at school? Have you ever skipped schoolwork assignments? Have you ever lied about something important? 5.9% 6.8% 14.7% 71.5% 1.1% 4.5% 4.5% 12.2% 77.6% 1.3%
Section 7: How to Use Your Data for School Improvement Planning 37 This report organizes data across three school improvement pathways, including maximizing academic learning, promoting school climate and positive youth development, and addressing nonacademic barriers. The following section of the report provides recommendations in relationship to how priority areas might be determined based on these data and how existent school improvement planning processes might be expanded to address these emergent priorities. Determining Overall School Improvement Priority Areas Start by identifying general school-wide areas of strength, as well as areas for improvement. Section 4 of this report is a good source for this information. The scale indicator designations provide information about the areas in which you may be excelling, or areas that may be in need of improvement. For example, you might consider all of the scales designated as Excelling as areas of strength, and all of the scales designated as Needs Improvement as priority areas for strengthening. Exploring the scale designations by the three school improvement pathways is an important next step. For example, you might find that you are excelling in all areas related to the academic learning pathway, but are emergent in areas related to addressing non-academic barriers to learning. Or, you might find that you are excelling in one area related to the academic learning pathway, but need improvement in the other areas. Regardless of the way data in this section is explored, it is important to identify overall areas of strength and then overall areas for improvement. Determining Specific Needs within a Priority Area Once overall improvement areas have been identified, it is important to consider the specific components within these areas that might be contributing to lower perceptions. The information presented in Section 5 is important here. Specifically, it is important to explore the individual item means for each area prioritized as needing to be strengthened. You might consider whether there is one specific item that has a lower mean compared to the other items, or you might examine whether there are several items that have lower means in comparison to others. For example, you might have identified school connectedness as an overall priority area. As you examine the individual item means within the school connectedness scale, you might notice that the mean of the item that assesses students perceptions of "having meaningful relationships with teachers" is much lower than the means for the other items in that scale. Based on this information, there is now a specific need identified within an overall priority area.
Other Considerations When Examining Your Data 38 It is important to keep in mind several considerations when examining these data. First, this report provides you with only one stakeholder perspective - students. Parents and families and school personnel provide needed insight to set priority areas for school improvement. If you have collected data from these stakeholders, it will be important to examine these data together to see what similarities or differences exist in perceptions across stakeholder groups. Understanding a variety of perspectives helps develop a more comprehensive picture of what might be happening within your school and community. Second, it is important to remember that you know your school best. The best decisions often arise from the combination of using data and personal experience. It is recommended that both of these sources of information be used together to determine specific areas for school improvement. Expanding Your School Improvement Plan As mentioned earlier, schools already engage in planning processes that result in strategic plans for improvement. Traditionally, these plans focus on academic data and academic-oriented strategies to impact student learning. The stakeholders usually involved in the planning are those individuals who work within the school or district. Other important stakeholders, such as parents and community members, may not be involved in these processes. The data collected through this school-wide assessment, and the priorities that emerge can help broaden both district and school improvement plans by prioritizing important non-academic barriers to student learning and important protective factors related to overall student success and healthy development. In addition to focusing on academic data, data related to non-academic barriers and protective factors should be included within these plans. The priorities that emerge from these data can help expand the stakeholders involved in the planning process. Parents and community members have important resources and assets, and can be critical members of both district and school improvement teams. They can help identify strategies to address specific areas of concern. For example, parents can help identify meaningful parent and family engagement strategies the school might implement to strengthen their support for learning. Community partners can provide linkages and connections to resources outside of the school day. They can provide programs and services directly within schools in the district.
39 As you begin to explore these data, and consider the expansion of your improvement planning process and team, you may want to form sub-groups or sub-committees based on priority area. For example, you might have a "Parent and Family Engagement Committee" and a "School Climate Committee." It is important to distribute leadership across teams and people to help address the collectively identified goals. Here, timelines, action steps, and evaluation indicators become extremely important for each specified priority area. By collecting these data, your school has already taken the first step towards expanding its improvement priorities. Comprehensively exploring these data and determining areas for improvement, and ultimately expanding your school improvement plan, are the next steps in this process. This section of the report provides you with some initial ideas on how you might begin. Conclusion This report provides a school-wide analysis of students thoughts and views regarding several different areas of focus, including students perceptions of needs related to: (1) maximizing academic learning (2) promoting school climate and positive youth development; and (3) addressing non-academic barriers to learning. These data are necessary for a thorough root cause analysis of underachievement, and provide the data to develop measureable goals to track process improvement efforts at the school level. This report should be considered and utilized as a tool to guide and enhance school improvement efforts.