There's a New School Climate Survey

Attention middle and high school teams and everyone who supports them! The School Climate Survey Suite just got a new survey specifically for grades 6-12. Starting today, middle and high school teams have the option of asking students to take one of two surveys:

• School Climate Survey: Secondary (brief version)
• *NEW* School Climate Survey: Secondary (extended version)

The brief version is the same student climate survey you’ve always had your students take; we just gave it a new name. The extended version is a brand new survey we’re excited to add to PBIS Assessment. Here’s a little more information about the School Climate Survey: Secondary (extended version), when to take it, and how it’s different from its brief counterpart.

What is the School Climate Survey: Secondary (Extended Version)?

The School Climate Survey: Secondary (extended version) provides schools with a more in-depth understanding of how middle and high school students perceive school climate. The survey has 36 items scored on a 4-point scale (from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree) across eight subscales. Secondary students (typically grades 6-12) complete the survey during school hours using campus computers under the guidance of teachers or other appropriate school personnel. From start to finish, the survey takes about 15-20 minutes to complete.

How is the Extended Version Different Than the Brief Version?

The School Climate Survey: Secondary (extended version) is simply a longer version of the School Climate Survey: Secondary (brief version). There are 36 questions on the extended version instead of nine, which helps you understand specific aspects of your students’ experiences more completely. Because the extended version has more items to assess, it takes longer to complete. For that reason, we also recommend using the extended version as an annual assessment rather than something you’d ask students to complete multiple times during the year.  

Extended Version

• 36 items
• 8 subscales
• An annual assessment
• 15-20 minutes to complete

Brief Version

• 9 items
• 0 subscales
• A progress monitoring tool
• 10 minutes to complete
  

When Do You Take the School Climate Survey: Secondary (Extended Version)?

We recommend using the extended version as an outcome tool. That means you’d take it once every year. If you opt to take it more than once, we’d recommend taking it one in the first 45 days of your school year and again in the last 45 days of the year.

How Do You Take the School Climate Survey?

Taking the extended version works just like taking any of the other School Climate Surveys. It’s a multiple-response survey which allows as many student responses as you want. PBIS Assessment coordinators should open a window within PBIS Assessment allowing enough time for students to submit their responses. Make the link to the survey available to your students in a way that makes sense for your school. That’s it! PBIS Assessment provides aggregate reports summarizing your students’ perspectives.

Available Reports

The School Climate Survey: Secondary (extended version) comes with nine reports within PBIS Assessment as well as the option to download the survey data as a spreadsheet.

1. Total Score
2. Subscale
3. Items
4. Scores by Item
5. Scores by Ethnicity/Race
6. Scores by Gender
7. Scores by Grade
8. Scores by IEP Status
9. Scores by Sexual Orientation

Resources

School Climate Survey Manual