West Virginia School Climate Surveys:
A Critical Component of
Implementing
Expected Behaviors in Safe
and Supportive Schools
Don Chapman, Assistant Director, Office of Healthy Schools
and
Dr. Andy Whisman, Coordinator, Office of Research
March 7, 2012
West Virginia Department of Education
Office of Research
Office of Healthy Schools
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Implementation Plans for Expected
Behaviors in Safe and Supportive Schools …
• shall reflect the particular needs of students and
staff to study, learn and work in a positive school
climate/culture
• should be developed collaboratively with input
from all stakeholders
• should articulate and incorporate the partnership
supports and resources that are available to the
school
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At a minimum, schools shall:
1. Establish a leadership team to manage the design, monitoring and
improvement of school climate/culture;
2. Establish a process to gain school-wide input and commitment to school
climate/culture improvement;
3. Develop school-wide priorities;
4. Analyze school climate/culture data annually;
5. Make data driven improvement decisions based on analysis of consistently
tracked student behaviors;
6. Implement school-wide plans that provide appropriate interventions to
support and reinforce expected behaviors;
7. Implement programs/practices that promote youth asset development to
support expected student behaviors, positive education and health
outcomes;
8. Implement comprehensive and effective interventions that target behaviors
that are disruptive to the educational process and that place students at
higher risk of poor education and health outcomes;
9. Develop appropriate and reliable referral procedures for intensive
intervention that enlist school and community partnerships; and
10. Evaluate school climate/culture improvement processes and revise as
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needed.
What is School Climate?
School Climate
…refers to the quality and character of school
life.
…is based on patterns of students', parents'
and school personnel's experience of school
life
…reflects norms, goals, values, interpersonal
relationships, teaching and learning
practices, and organizational structures.
Source: National School Climate Center: www.schoolclimate.org/climate/
Of What Does School Climate Consist?
Assess Needs Across all Domains and Sub-Domains
Source: safesupportiveschools.ed.gov
Why Should We Work on School Climate?
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Companion Guidance Document
Available at:
http://tinyurl.com/WV-School-Climate-Survey-Guide 7
The Surveys
• All surveys are conducted online. Print
versions can be accessed at:
Elementary Student (http://tinyurl.com/WV-SCS-ElemStudent)
Middle/High Student (http://tinyurl.com/WV-SCS-Student)
Staff (http://tinyurl.com/WV-SCS-Staff)
Parent (http://tinyurl.com/WV-SCS-Parent)
• Adapted from the California School Climate,
Health, and Learning Survey questionnaires
 Use is granted under permissions from the California
Department of Education
• Provide data on all domains and subdomains of
the School Climate Model
• Voluntary, anonymous, and confidential
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Getting Ready
• Survey Window for 2011-2012
 March 26 through May 4, 2012
• Know where to go for Technical Assistance
 School Climate Specialists
 Regional School Wellness Specialists
 WVDE Office of Healthy Schools and Office of Research
• Identify district / school survey coordinators
 Lead survey planning, scheduling, and administration
 Seek assistance from the respective TA provider(s)
 Ensure that surveys are carried out in an appropriate
and consistent manner
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Getting Ready
• Know the School Survey Login Codes
• Codes shall be seven (7) characters in length
preceding letter (“S” for students, “T” for staff
surveys, and “P” for parents),
followed by the three digit district code plus the
three digit school code.
S095501 - Student survey login code for district 095, school 501
T095501 - Staff survey login code for district 095, school 501
P095501 - Parent survey login code for district 095, school 501
• All students, staff, and parents responding for
a particular school will use the same
respective login code
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Sample Login Page
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Student Surveys
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Informed Consent
• Parental consent is required
• Generic consent forms are included in the
survey guidance document
• Consent forms should be sent to parents at
least two weeks prior to the scheduled survey
date(s).
• Schools should document their attempts to
notify and provide consent forms to parents.
• It is extremely important that schools carefully
track the return of forms so only students with
permission are surveyed
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Passive Informed Consent
• Given that participation is voluntary passive
parental consent has been deemed appropriate
 Parents are provided a written consent form
describing:
 The nature and content of the survey
 The benefits and risks of participation
 Their rights and the rights of their children as participants
 Parents sign and return forms ONLY IF THEY
WITHHOLD CONSENT FOR THEIR CHILD’S
PARTICIPATION
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Active Informed Consent
• Active parental consent may also be used
 Parents are provided a written consent form
describing:
 The nature and content of the survey
 The benefits and risks of participation
 Their rights and the rights of their children as participants
 Parents MUST SIGN AND RETURN FORMS IF
THEY GRANT CONSENT FOR THEIR CHILD’S
PARTICIPATION
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Census or Sample?
• It usually is not necessary to conduct a census of
all students to obtain reliable data
• For logistical reasons, schools may choose to
survey all students
• Required sample sizes depend on many
complicating factors
 Enrollment, margin of error and confidence levels, etc.
• WVDE Recommendation:
 Smaller schools (<= 400 students) survey all students
 Larger schools (> 400 students) may consider a
sample of students
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Forms and Resources
• Confidentiality Statement
• Student School Climate Survey Proctor
Instructions
• Introductory Script for Student School
Climate Survey Administration
• Student School Climate Survey Participation
Form
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Student Survey Administration
• Student surveys take about 20 minutes to
complete—some student finish in much less
time
• Prior to the scheduled survey dates school
survey coordinators should:
 Confirm the time and place of the survey
administration;
 Confirm the classes/students to be surveyed; and
 Review the procedures that will occur during
administration.
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Student Survey Administration
Two or three days before the survey
• The school survey coordinator should:
 have the survey web address provided by WVDE
and attempt to access the survey (Note that the
survey web address is different from the links to
the print versions provided in this presentation)
 have the login information specific to each school
 have the list of students whose parents withheld
permission to participate;
 have all the forms for administering the Student
School Climate Survey
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Student Survey Administration
On the day of the survey, the Survey
Coordinator and/or proctors should
 Set up the computer lab to ensure the privacy of
student participants;
 Make sure all computers are powered up and
connected to the internet;
 Point web browser to the survey web address;
 Make sure the school specific login information is
available to students;
 Read the Introductory Script for Student School
Climate Survey Administration before students login;
 Complete the Student School Climate Survey
Participation Form after the students have finished
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the survey.
Staff Surveys
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Which Staff Should Participate?
• Should be conducted as a census—that is, all
professional and support staff within a school
should be provided an opportunity to
participate.
• Instructions and staff login codes should be
distributed—one to each staff member at
each school—by e-mail, putting them in staff
mailboxes, or distributed at staff meetings.
• Staff may fill out the survey online from any
computer, either at school or elsewhere.
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What Staff Should Participate?
• Staff survey has three (3) Sections
– Section 1 addresses overall school climate
conditions more broadly
– Section 2 is more specific to staff who provide
services or instruction related to health,
prevention, discipline, counseling and/or safety.
– Section 3 is for those who teach or provide direct
services to students with Individualized Education
Programs (IEPs).
• All staff should complete Section 1, but may
opt out of Sections 2 or 3.
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Parents Surveys:
What Parents Should Participate?
• Getting parents to participate is a much more
challenging—schools should make every effort
to ensure parents are aware of and have access
to the survey.
• Should be conducted as a census of households
—that is, only one response per household
which has one or more children at school
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Making Parents Aware of the Survey
• Generic parent invitation letter form is included
in the survey guidance document
• Instructions and parent login codes should be
distributed by
 Notices sent home with students
 Notices posted at the school, on the school
webpage, on Edline; in school newsletters
 Announcements/handouts distributed at public
meetings
 Any other way you can think of
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Survey Products
• Student Sampling Plan (if needed)
• Survey Guidance Document
• One-page school specific instruction
sheets for all three surveys
• Periodic survey response rate reports
• All data analysis and reporting
products
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What You Get from Participating
• Survey summary reports for each survey
 Student, Staff, and Parent
• School Climate Index Score
(http://tinyurl.com/WV-School-Climate-Index)
 Overall School Climate conditions
 Scores on twenty school climate indicators showing
your school relative to all other schools
 Summary data on 56 measures making up the 20
indicators
• Assistance in using the data to improve
school climate conditions
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Next Steps
• If you plan to conduct the surveys,
complete the form at:
www.surveymonkey.com/s/SCS-ReqForm.
• If you have questions, you may submit
them at:
www.surveymonkey.com/s/WVSCS-QandA.
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Online
or
Paper and Pencil?
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Thank you
Contact Information
Don Chapman
dchapman@access.k12.wv.us
Assistant Director,
WVDE Office of Healthy Schools
Building 6, Room 309
304.558. 8830
Andy Whisman
swhisman@access.k12.wv.us
Coordinator, Research and Evaluation
WVDE Office of Research
Building 6, Room 722
304.558.2546
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