Unionville-Chadds Ford School District CSCI Data Spring 2018
School Climate: NSCC’s Definition ➢ School climate refers to the quality and character of school life related to norms and values, social interactions, and organizational structures, as experienced by members of the school community: ❖ Students ❖ Staff ❖ Parents
Background on the Comprehensive School Climate Inventory (CSCI) Developed in 2002, The Comprehensive School Climate Inventory (CSCI) measures how critical groups • – students, school personnel and parents/ guardians – perceive the school’s climate for learning. The CSCI was evaluated by three independent survey development experts at Columbia & Fordham in 2006 • who confirmed the tool was reliable & valid . Three recent studies confirm the CSCI’s strength : • 1) A 2010 study of 102 school climate surveys found the CSCI to be one of only three measures to meet American Psychological Association criteria for reliability and validity (Gangi). 2) A 2011 study of 73 middle school measures, recommended ten as being reliable, valid and aligned with SEL research. Of those, the CSCI was the only school climate measure recommended ( Social Development Research Group ). 3) Clifford, M., M., Condon, R., & Hornung, C. (2012). Measuring School Climate for Gauging Principal Performance: A Review of the Validity and Reliability of Publicly Accessible Measures. American Institute for Research ( www.air.org/focus-area/education/index.cfm?fa=viewContent&content_id=1869 )
School Climate Research Findings I. Individual Experience: A positive school climate affects students’ self-esteem and self-concept ➢ II. Risk Prevention and Health Promotion: Effective risk prevention and health promotion efforts are positively correlated with safe, ➢ caring, participatory and responsive school climate settings III. Academic Achievement: Student academic achievement is strongly correlated to a safe, caring, and responsive school ➢ climate setting IV. Teacher Retention: Positive school climate is associated with greater teacher retention ➢ (For a summary of this research as well as a school climate research data base, see: www.schoolclimate.org/climate/research.php and/or Cohen, et. al 2009)
Social Support - Peers Social & Civic Learning Connectedness/ Engagement Rules & Norms Physical Surroundings Physical Security
The School Climate Improvement Model: A five stage process of school climate improvement
Assessment & Improvement Process School Climate Assessment/Evaluation 1. Measurement Process ➢ Interpretation of Results ➢ Action Planning 2. Drill down to key priorities ➢ Research best practices/ evidence-based programs ➢ Planning for Change 3. Form a representative team/ establishing ground rules ➢ Leadership Commitment/ Fostering “Buy in” ➢ Establishing a “no fault” framework/ culture of trust ➢ Community Engagement/Outreach ➢ Define action plans ➢ Establish benchmarks and clear timelines ➢ Program/Project Implementation 4. Re-assessment/Re-evaluation 5.
Interpreting School Climate Findings School Profile – Strengths & Needs How positive are overall ratings? • Which dimensions are at the top/bottom? • How do perceptions compare for different population groups- • students, staff, and parents? ➢ Individual & Group Variability How much variability and for whom? • Micro-climates – exposure to different environments, different • experiences Individual differences or divergences in perceptions •
Response Rates
Overall School Profile Example – Pocopson ES • Focus on major differences - .2 or higher – between scores • Note high points and strengths! • Look for consistent findings • Are there areas of disconnect between and within groups? • Consider factors that may inform data: context is key!
Student Climate Scores by School • The general trend of scores is similar for all schools • A lot of strengths in the district shown by positive scores (a score over 3.5) • Safety Rules and Norms, Respect for Diversity, Support-Adults, Social Support-Students, School Connectedness Engagement, and Physical Surroundings are strengths at all schools • Middle and High School scores are lower than elementary scores in Support for Learning and Social and Civic Learning.
Faculty Climate Scores by School • Many highly rated dimensions throughout the district, with a lot of scores above 4.0 and near 5.0 • Very strong scores in Sense of Physical Security, Support for Learning, Social- Support-Adults and Students, School Connectedness/Engage ment
Parent Climate Scores by School • Parent perceptions are mostly positive and there are many strengths throughout the district • Very strong scores in the Interpersonal Relationships category • Very strong scores in Safety Rules and Norms and Sense of Physical Security
Climate Scores by Population • There is a lot of convergence between staff, student, and parent scores and they feel similarly for many dimensions. • Staff generally have slightly higher perceptions than students and parents, but most dimensions are rated positively by all three.
Data Dive: Digging Deeper into Subgroups ➢ What does the data tell you? ➢ Micro-climates? ➢ Gaps in perception or areas of convergence? ➢ Relationship between dimensions ➢ Confirmations ➢ Surprises ➢ What else do you want to know? ➢ Additional research, data ➢ questions raised
Student Climate Scores by Grade - Perceptions are higher in the ES level, but mostly positive all-around - Many of the dimensions remain positively rated as grade level increases - - Biggest drop over time is in Social and Civic Learning - Sense of Social-Emotional Security and Social Media are rated lower than the other dimensions throughout grade level
Student Climate Scores by Race/Ethnicity - Racial/ethnic groups exhibit similar patterns for a majority of the dimensions - Most dimensions are rated positively by different race/ethnic subgroups - Black/African American subgroup had lower scores in some of the dimensions * Differences in different race/ethnic subgroups rated dimensions can be explored further in the individual school reports.
Staff Climate Scores by Years at School - Staff exhibit consistent patterns - Leadership and Professional Relationships, are consistently positive among all staff regardless of their length of tenure - Staff of 20+ years report the most positive perceptions - Staff who have been at the school for 1 year and 2 to 5 years, have slightly higher scores in some dimensions.
Opportunities to Address Within Dimension Rankings
Item-by-Item Survey Responses Example: Student – Social-Emotional Security
UCFSD Strengths and Areas for Improvement Strengths: Most dimensions were rated positively by students, staff, and parents in all schools. Safety Rules and Norms was a major area of strength across all schools in the district, regardless of grade level School Connectedness/Engagement was a top strength for students, staff, and parents. Physical Surroundings was a strength across all population groups Interpersonal Relationships: Respect for Diversity, Social Support – Adults, and Social Support – Students was consistently rated very positively across all populations. Areas for Potential Action: Sense of Social-Emotional Security and Social Media emerged as an area for potential improvement in select schools. Social and Civic Learning was rated less positively by students in the middle and high schools.
Research to Action Connect school climate data with: Other school or district-level data (i.e. suspension data, incident reports, teacher turnover, etc.) Context Understanding First-hand knowledge and experience Existing school-based goals and initiatives Consider additional areas of research (e.g. Particular unsafe “hot spots” where incidents occur most frequently)
What’s Next for UCFSD 1. Unpack the results (district and school levels) 2. Focus on common themes 3. Use other district and school-level data to connect to school climate data 4. Use multiple strength areas to mitigate areas needing improvement 5. Prioritize areas for action and begin the work 6. Determine when to conduct future surveys
Free NSCC Resources BULLYBUST – a national campaign that provides FREE resources to help students and adults prevent bullying. www.bullybust.org. School Climate Resource Center (SCRC) – interactive, on-demand learning site for educators: http://scrc.schoolclimate.org National School Climate Standards – adopted by Westbrook District! www.schoolclimate.org/climate/standards.php School Climate Guide for District Policy Makers and Educational Leaders – www.schoolclimate.org/climate/process.php School Climate Matters – quarterly e-newsletter with key resources, expert articles, and educator tips www.schoolclimate.org.
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