How can you be SURE your school is providing a safe and supportive climate for learning?
The Comprehensive School Climate Inventory (CSCI) is a set of survey instruments designed to measure the way that the three critical groups in schools - students, school personnel, and parents - perceive the school's climate for learning.
Building on research and practice and the advice of educators and child development experts, the CSCI has been developed in a scientifically sound manner in accordance with the standards in testing and measurement.
The CSCI has been tested with thousands of k-12 students, parents and school staff to insure that it is a reliable tool for evaluating the key dimensions that color and shape school climate.
Why measure school climate?
By measuring school climate, individual schools can assess their strengths and needs in a way that supports focused and effective school improvement. The data from the CSCI can help everyone in the school community develop a shared understanding about what is working best in the school and what needs to be addressed. This shared understanding, in turn, supports joint planning and coordinated action.
What does the CSCI measure?
Research and theory suggests that there are eight to ten critical dimensions of school climate related to four broad areas of school life: Safety (Physical and Social-Emotional), Relationships (Respect for Diversity, Community & Collaboration, and Morale), Teaching and Learning (Quality of Instruction and Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning; and for School Personnel only - Professional Development & Leadership) and the Environment. The CSCI has eight scales (ten for school personnel) that measure perceptions about your school related for these dimensions.
To view a chart that shows the dimensions that the CSCI measures and the related indicators for each click here.
How can my school use the CSCI?
The CSCI can be used to conduct school-wide needs assessments, initiate a community-wide school improvement process, or as a pre- and post-measure to evaluate the success of systemic and pedagogic interventions.
The CSCI findings can be used as a springboard for building community, promoting student participation and student voice, developing school-home-community partnerships and creating a collaborative plan for school improvement.
The CSCI can play a valuable role in helping you develop a supportive learning environment in your school.
When used periodically, the CSCI becomes a powerful tool to facilitate dialogue and strengthen communication and collaboration among staff members as well as between staff, students, parents and community leaders.
CSCI users can access the School Climate Resource Center, which includes research based information, guidelines, tools, case studies and learning communities to support your school climate improvement process.
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