Student Survey Results - BoardDocs, a Diligent Brand€¦ · The ABCs of Engagement (Fredericks, Blumenfeld, and Paris, 2004) Affective: Excited about the work and enjoy doing it

Presented at the Education Committee & Supplementary Regular Board Meeting

September 17, 2018

Student Survey Results

Presented byDr. Scott Eveslage, Assistant Superintendent

Dr. Kristina Paul, Special Assistant to the Superintendent for Program Evaluation

September 17, 2018

Responding to the Challenge Success Student Survey Results

The Stanford Survey of Adolescent School Experiences

Measures students’ experiences of:

• Homework

• Academic engagement & integrity

• Teacher support & Parent

expectations

• Extra curricular activities and

responsibilities

• Sleep, physical health, and stress

Personalized for LMSD to include:

• Measurement of students’ sense of belonging

• Questions about home access to Internet and technology

• Modification of the language used for gender identification

• Perspectives on possible school changes, including many related to All Forward initiatives

Education Committee Board Meeting, 9/17/18 Page 3

Survey AdministrationStudents took the survey February 26 – March 9, 2018, during school hours using Qualtrics Survey Software.

The results represent a strong majority of the student body:

Bala Cynwyd Middle School 88% (n=887)

Welsh Valley Middle School 85% (n=892)

Harriton High School 76% (n=914)

Lower Merion High School 80% (n=1,177)

Two families opted out.


DeliverablesChallenge Success provided us with:

• Interactive dashboards with the quantitative results (May)

• A 30-minute conference call with District leadership to discuss districtwide themes and suggested strategies

• 60-minute conference calls with a building-based action teams to discuss key findings and suggested strategies

• Findings from the open-ended questions updated on the school dashboards (late August)


Summary of Key FindingsSupport at School

Engagement

Health and Well Being

Time Use



Engagement


Time Use



Engagement

Stress

Suggested Changes

The majority of students in our middle and high schools have at least one adult at school they would feel comfortable going to if they had a personal problem.


56.7%

59.6%73.6%

67.9%Considered a strong,

positive finding by the Challenge

Success Research Team!

Students were asked, “If you needed help with a personal problem, is there one adult at your school who you feel you could go to?”



Just over half of these students said they would

go to a Teacher first.

About a third said it would be the Counselor.

56.7%

59.6%73.6%

67.9%



Just over half of these students said they would

go to a Teacher first.

About a third said it would be the Counselor.

56.7%

59.6%73.6%

67.9%

And the opposite was true for Welsh Valley.



Engagement


Suggested Changes



Engagement

Stress

Suggested Changes

While many students, especially at the middle school, report high levels of meaningful engagement, many also report just “doing school,” or going through the motions of school.


The ABCs of Engagement (Fredericks, Blumenfeld, and Paris, 2004)

Affective: Excited about the work and enjoy doing it.

Behavioral: Show effort and work hard on tasks.

Cognitive: Believe the assigned work is valuable and meaningful.


Based on a series of questions, students were classified by their type of engagement.

FullyEngaged

PurposefullyEngaged

Just “Doing School”

NotEngaged

11%

16%

29%

33%

42%

44%

13%

4%

10%

22%

23%

33%

48%

35%

14%

6%


FullyEngaged

PurposefullyEngaged

Just “Doing School”

NotEngaged

High AffectiveHigh BehavioralHigh Cognitive

Low AffectiveHigh BehavioralHigh Cognitive

Low AffectiveHigh BehavioralLow Cognitive

Low AffectiveLow BehavioralLow Cognitive

Profiles of Engagement


As a symptom of “doing school,”

9 out of 10 LMSD secondary students

self-report at least one instance of cheatingover the past year.

The most frequently cited cheating behaviors included copying someone else’s homework

and collaborating on assignments when the instructor had asked for individual work.


While these cheating rates are pretty typical among the schools who participate in Challenge Success, they are symptomatic of an academic culture in which students are

playing the game of school.


Grade → 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

WVMS 84%BCMS 89% 92% HHS

96% LMHS

Sample Cheating Behaviors

Working on an assignment with others (peers, parents, etc.) when the instructor

asked for individual work.

The majority of students at each grade level report they have engaged in cheating behaviors at least one time. However, these rates are within the range typically observed in Challenge Success Survey results.

Page 19

FullyEngaged

PurposefullyEngagedJust

“Doing School”

NotEngaged

What can we do to move students?


FullyEngaged

PurposefullyEngagedJust

“Doing School”

NotEngaged

What can we do to move students?

1)Provide meaningful, engaging

assignments; Reduce “busywork.”

2)Provide opportunities for students to

pursue personal interests.



Engagement


Time Use



Engagement


Suggested Changes


60% to 70% Students at each school who reported they

“often” or “always” feel stressed by their schoolwork


Responses to this open-ended question included these themes: •Assessment•College/Future •Extracurricular activities •Health/Mental Health•Lack of PDF (Playtime, Downtime, Family time)•Pedagogy and Learning•Pressure/Expectations•Relationships•School•Time Management •Workload•No stress/Nothing/I don't know

Students were asked, “Right now in your life, what, if anything, causes you the most stress and why?”


Biggest Causes of Stress

Workload: Between 49% and 61% of the responses referred to “workload” as the biggest cause of stress.

“Coming home after school and sports and trying to find time to do the large amount of homework that I am given. This causes me stress because I want to get a good night sleep but that is not possible if I am staying up to late hours doing homework after school and sports.“ (HHS Student)

“School work causes me the most stress. That’s because there’s so much of it. I am a straight A student, but that means sacrificing hours of sleep, meals, and my sanity.” (BCMS Student)


Biggest Causes of Stress

Assessment: The second most frequently cited category of stress was “assessment” (grades, tests, difficulty understanding material from class), accounting for 31% to 39% of responses.

“Projects that are huge and can be most of your grade. Also tests that I have, don’t fully understand the subject.” (WVMS Student)

“Grades because there is so much pressure in the school and at home to not only be successful, but be exceptional.” (LMHS Student)

Education Committee Board Meeting, 9/17/18Page 27

Reflections from the Challenge Success Research Team:

► Noted that the “academic load” spikes in 7th and 11th grade.

► Recommended taking a closer look at these specific grade levels as a time when students need more support; Examine our policies, practices, and expectations during and leading up to these grade levels.



Engagement


Time Use


Reflections from the Challenge Success Research Team: Amount of Homework: Between 13 and 20 hours per week of school and non-school homework, which is in line with other Challenge Success schools

Extracurricular Involvement: Higher rates than they usually see. The research team noted an unusually high percentage of students who are “double dipping” in school and club sports.

Hours of Sleep: Between 6.5 and 7.8 hours per weeknight, which is typical of adolescents nationwide and far below the recommended amount of 8 to 10 hours.

Average Amount of Free time: 2.2 to 2.3 hours per weekday; The research team noted that our students lead busy lives in and out of school, and suggested that we help students learn how to plan their time well.


Some surprises…

Jobs: Approximately 15% of Middle Schoolers & 23% of High Schoolers report working a job at least one hour per weekday.

Childcare: About 1 in 5 students report caring for siblings one or more hours per weekday.


How can we support students’ use of time? Ideas from Challenge Success•Revise school schedules (including late start days, modified block, full block, or trimester schedules).

•Revise homework policies to ensure purpose and volume of homework is appropriate.

•Schedule quarterly “no homework” nights.

•Create test and project calendars to reduce overlapping major assignments.

•Create guidelines for extracurricular activities.

•Move finals and/or cumulative projects to before winter break.

•Modify final exam schedule to create longer breaks between exams and earlier dismissal after exams.

•Schedule “dead week” each quarter where no testing is allowed.

•Eliminate summer and vacation assignments.

•Implement a “student-for-a-day” program where teachers follow a student’s schedule for an entire school day to get a sense of the cumulative effect of the daily schedule.

(Source: www.challengesuccess.org/resources/school-resources/space-framework/)


Possible ChangesFrom the Student Perspective


Responses to this open-ended question included these themes: •Reduce Pressure/Competition•Reduce Workload•Assessment Changes•Pedagogy and Learning•More time for PDF (Playtime, Downtime, Family time)•School Climate•School Schedule and Use of Time•School already does reduce stress•Don't know/Nothing/Stress is my own responsibility•Other

Students were asked, “What, if anything, could be done at your school to relieve your stress?”


Best Ways to Reduce Stress

Reduce Workload: In all schools, the most frequently cited way to reduce referred to reducing workload, particularly homework.

“Less out of school work (less homework). Smaller tests instead of a couple huge tests.” (BCMS Student)

“Right now I need some of the workload to be relieved. A lot of what I do in school I find to be very useful and help me grow as a students and as a person. However, there are certain classes that I feel are based entirely on busy work, which (a) is time consuming and inhibits me from completing other more useful assignments and (b) does not further my intellectual growth in any way.” (HHS Student)


Pedagogy and Learning: Change the way students are taught and expected to learn

“To relieve my stress I want more time to complete projects and less tests and quizzes. I would also want the teachers to explain a little bit more about what we are learning because some students are not the fastest learners (like me!).” (WVMS Student)

“To lighten the course load and de-emphasize busy work, to ensure that the work given out is meaningful and thought-out.” (LMHS Student)

After “Reduce Workload,” three different themes emerged as the best way to reduce stress.



Assessment Changes: Change the way learning is assessed

“No grades! Less emphasis on testing and test scores, more emphasis on learning, experiences, and creativity, etc.” (LMHS Student)

“The problem my school has with an unhealthy, very stressful environment is a hard one to solve. The way I see it, it comes from placing so much emphasis on grades and SAT scores. That’s not to say grades are a bad thing, but just that we have a culture of attaching our self-worth to the grades we have, something which I have been trying to get away from. I don’t know exactly what could be done to de-emphasize test scores without reducing student motivation, but I know that these scores play a significant role in the environment we have.” (HHS Student)

After “Reduce Workload,” three different themes as the best way to reduce stress.



Don’t Know/No Stress/Nothing/Stress is my own responsibility“No, because I use my stress as a way to push myself to improve.” (HHS Student)

“Nothing, it’s just part of life.” (BCMS Student)

“Stress is good sometimes.” (LMHS Student)

“Not much, it’s more of a personal thing. I decide what techniques I use to calm myself down.” (WVMS Student)

After “Reduce Workload,” three different themes emerged as the best way to reduce stress.



In light of this information…


Challenge Success recommends

when considering how to respond to information revealed through the student survey.


Ways we are responding through

Summer Conference

Parent Survey

Student Leadership Conference & Action

Building Forums and Plans

Homework Practices AssessedEducation Committee Board Meeting, 9/17/18 Page 41

Challenge Success Parent Survey PilotComing to LMSD October 1-14, 2018

The Challenge Success Parent Survey is a 20-minute online survey for parents of middle and high school students that measures perceptions of their children’s: • academic engagement, • connection to the school community, • physical health and well-being, • technology use, • how they use their time outside of school, and • family norms.

Questions for parents primarily focus on issues about which they can be reliable observers and over which they have the control to change.

For more information about the Challenge Success Student and Parent Surveys, including sample items, visit www.challengesuccess.org/schools/school-surveys/


http://www.challengesuccess.org/schools/school-surveys/

Documents

Student Survey Results - BoardDocs, a Diligent Brand€¦ · The ABCs of Engagement (Fredericks, Blumenfeld, and Paris, 2004) Affective: Excited about the work and enjoy doing it