DISTRICT/SCHOOLS STUDENT CLIMATE SURVEY REPORT- 2023

Introduction:

The District-Wide School Climate Survey was conducted to assess the overall climate and perceptions of students. This summary highlights key findings, emphasizing that while the overall results are positive, there are specific areas that call for focused attention.

The survey, based on a comprehensive framework assessing School Connectedness, Peer Social Support, Adult Social Support, Cultural Acceptance, Character [Social/Civic Learning], Physical Environment, School Safety, and Order and Discipline, was conducted to understand the district as a whole and each school's climate and the effectiveness of fostering a positive and inclusive learning environment. This report presents information and insights derived from the survey. The results are from all three schools within the district and disaggregated data from each school with a focus on how different subgroups and underrepresented groups perceive the school's climate.

PDF 2023 District School Climate Survey Report

Methodology:

The survey was offered, electronically, to all students in the Spring of 2023 and 1,425 students across the district responded. For this report, we examined the 36 questions that are part of the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports student climate survey. This survey was developed with support from the U. S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The survey questions are organized into eight subcategories. The subcategories are created by grouping questions. They are School Connectedness, Peer Social Support, Adult Social Support, Cultural Acceptance, Character [Social/Civic Learning], Physical Environment, School Safety, and Order and Discipline dimensions.¹ The questions are located in the link PDF above.

School Connectedness, questions 1-5, is the students’ perceptions of the degree to which they feel they fit in and are a part of the school
Peer Social Support, questions 6-8, is the students’ perceptions of the degree to which they feel they are engaged with and supported by peers in their school.
Adult Social Support, questions 9-12, is the students’ perceptions of the degree to which they feel they are engaged with and supported by adults in their school.
Cultural Acceptance, questions 13-17, is the students’ perceptions of the degree to which diverse cultural backgrounds are welcomed and celebrated by peers and adults in their school
Character [Social/Civic Learning], questions 18-23, is the students’ perceptions of their own and their peers’ character and character development at school.
Physical Environment, questions 24-27, is the students’ perceptions of maintenance of school grounds and resources.
School Safety, questions 28-31, is the students’ perceptions of their own safety at school
Order and Discipline, questions 32-36, is the students’ perceptions of the degree to which they feel their school has high expectations and sets clear rules for behavior.
Respondents were asked how strongly they agree with statements (questions). They can Strongly disagree(1), Somewhat disagree(2), Somewhat agree(3), Strongly agree(4) or skip the question. The responses are weighted, and the results are averaged giving a number between 1 and 4.

The four data tables are location in the PDF of the report here: PDF 2023 District School Climate Survey Report

Amity’s Goal:

While there are many ways to examine the data, we have identified 3.00 as our benchmark. Generally speaking, 3.00 or higher is in the “agree” range.²

District-Wide Findings:

The district-wide analysis shows a positive overall climate. Several subcategories are also at or above the district benchmark; Peer Social Support, Character, School Safety, and Order and Discipline. Cultural Acceptance, Adult Social Support, Physical Environment, School Connectedness are areas of opportunity. Attached to this report are four data tables with the specific results.

Positive Highlights:

The results, generally, across the survey, including subcategories and different subgroups, are good. The results fall mostly in the “average” range. Average is being used here based on the national norm.
Respondents reported an overall positive climate. The score was at 3.07 which is up from 2.94 in 2022.
The group Black or African American saw large gains overall, going from a score of 2.67 in 2022 to 3.19 in 2023. This was also consistent across the subcategories as well.

Areas of Opportunity:

Cultural Acceptance is below our desired 3.00 mark at 2.70 districtwide. This holds true in all three buildings, 2.88 at AMSB, 2.87 at AMSO and 2.65 at ARHS.
School Connectedness is an area of opportunity for us as well. The overall district result is 2.83. There are similar results in all three buildings, 3.00 at AMSB, 2.98 at AMSO and 2.81 at ARHS.
The group Hispanic or Lantine is virtually unchanged, it was 2.94 in 2022 to and 2.92 in 2023.

Building-Specific Insights:

Detailed analyses were conducted for each of the three school buildings to identify building level details in the school climate. Buildings saw growth across subcategories and subgroups. Cultural acceptance in each building, while not at our desired goal of 3.00, saw improvements. Subgroups, Nonbinary, Hispanic or Lantine, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual, Two or More Races, and students with IEPs saw improvements in overall scores and in many subcategories and remain as areas of opportunities.

Amity Regional High School:

Amity High School student climate is good. ARHS overall climate score is 3.01. Four of the eight subcategories — Peer Social Support, Character [Social/Civic Learning], School Safety, and Order and Discipline—have surpassed our 3.00 goal.

Amity Middle School Bethany:

Bethany Middle School student climate is good. AMSB overall climate score is 3.19. Seven of eight subcategories—School Connectedness, Peer Social Support, Adult Social Support, Character [Social/Civic Learning], Physical Environment, School Safety, and Order and Discipline—have surpassed our 3.00 goal.

Amity Middle School Orange:

Orange Middle School student climate is good. AMSO overall climate score is 3.21. Six subcategories—Peer Social Support, Adult Social Support, Character [Social/Civic Learning], Physical Environment, School Safety, and Order and Discipline—have surpassed our 3.00 goal.

Recommendations:

Based on the district-wide and building-specific findings, the following recommendations are proposed:

Continue to actively engage with students and seek feedback from various sources, including surveys, student groups, and building-level forums.
Consistently engage in the ongoing review and analysis of district and school data, ensuring alignment with the Board's core values and goals, the District Strategic Plan, and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Guiding Principles and goals. Implement strategic actions derived from this analysis to increase results in school climate.
Reduce our reliance on our external consultants for conducting surveys and instead transition to an in-house staff-led approach.
Continue to provide professional learning opportunities for staff, focusing on targeted areas to enhance support and contribute to the improvement of student climate. Foster a positive and inclusive environment through our strategic initiatives.

Conclusion:

The districtwide school climate survey has supplied valuable insights into the overall well-being and perceptions of students across the district. While the results are positive in many aspects, there are areas for growth and improvement. This report serves as a guide for district-wide and building-specific discussions and actions, ensuring a sustained commitment to fostering a positive, inclusive, and supportive learning environment for all. Continued collaboration and targeted efforts will contribute to the ongoing success of the district in maintaining and enhancing its positive school climate.

NOTES:

¹Center on PBIS. (January 2022). School Climate Survey (SCS) Suite Manual. University of Oregon. www.pbis.org.

²We use the term “agree” and should note that there are a few questions that are inversely coded because the question is in the negative. Meaning a response of “strongly agree” would not be our goal. For example, consider the question: “I have felt unsafe at school or on my way to or from school.”