Advancement · School Operations

How does your school feel
to the people in it?

A climate survey earns its keep when students, staff and families answer matching items, so you can see where they agree and where they do not. Write the items once, tag each with a domain and print a version for each group. When results are in, enter the percent favorable and the tool shows response rates, domain scores by group and the widest gaps.

Add a survey roundWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the School operations toolkit, $49 for 56 items.

Survey rounds

The worked example is made up: a middle school where staff see a safer school than students do, a high school with few family responses and a small elementary pilot. Saved on this device only.

Loading the survey round form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Advancement · School OperationsAlso for Enrichment · Wellbeing$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A record per survey round: students, staff and families invited and responding, each item’s domain and percent favorable by group, and six design checks. Prints the survey for each group from the same items; works out response rates, percent favorable by domain and group, the lowest domain for students and the widest gap between groups; flags low response, items under 60% and gaps of 15 points or more.
Who it is for
Principals, assistant principals, school climate and wellness teams, counselors and district staff who run school surveys.
Format
Browser tool with a saved record per round. Prints the survey for students, staff or families, one round’s results, every round in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the School operations toolkit ($49) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The School Operations space in Caveat Advancement; also listed in the Wellbeing space (where school climate and belonging tools sit for students and families).
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Write items and tag each domain.
  2. Print a version for each group.
  3. Enter who was asked and who answered.
  4. Enter percent favorable per group.
  5. Read the gaps and share back.

Add a survey round

Reading a climate survey

Four domains of school climateSafetyPhysical safety,rules appliedfairly, freedom frombullying.RelationshipsRespect, an adult totalk to, connectionto school.Teaching and learningHigh expectations,support forlearning,engagement.EnvironmentBuilding,cleanliness, space,resources.Four domains of school climateSafetyPhysical safety, rules applied fairly,freedom from bullying.RelationshipsRespect, an adult to talk to, connection toschool.Teaching and learningHigh expectations, support for learning,engagement.EnvironmentBuilding, cleanliness, space, resources.
Ask students, staff and families the same items where they fit: the gaps between groups are often the finding.

Percent favorable

Percent favorable is the share of a group that chose agree or strongly agree. It is easier to read and compare than an average on a 4-point scale, and it is how most published climate reports present results. A domain score here is the average percent favorable across that domain’s items for one group.

Gaps and response

In many schools adults rate safety and respect higher than students do; a gap of 15 points or more on the same item is worth a conversation with students before any plan is written. Results from a group where fewer than half responded describe the people who answered, not the whole group. Families often respond least, which is why language and timing matter.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments. ED School Climate Surveys (EDSCLS) and school climate measurement (safesupportivelearning.ed.gov).
  2. Cohen, J., McCabe, E. M., Michelli, N. M., and Pickeral, T. (2009). School climate: research, policy, practice, and teacher education. Teachers College Record, 111(1), 180 to 213.
  3. National School Climate Center. School climate dimensions: safety, relationships, teaching and learning, institutional environment (schoolclimate.org).
  4. Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, 20 U.S.C. 1232h: notice and consent for certain student survey topics (studentprivacy.ed.gov).

The worked example is made up, including the schools. The 50% response, 60% favorable and 15-point thresholds are working rules stated on the page. Follow your district’s rules on surveys and student privacy. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.