Student Engagement Survey Results and Analysis June 2011

Overview Engagement is the sense of connection that students have with their school and their studies. The school/learning environment affects the degree to which students are engaged with their education. Interest in classroom activities, perceived relevance of subject matter, feeling safe at school, having defined career and education goals, variety and availability of extracurricular activities, and relationships with adults at school all impact the level of students’ engagement. This study was conducted to accomplish three goals: 1.Measure the level of engagement among students. 2.Identify which groups of students are not engaged. 3.Identify areas to help improve engagement. With this information, we hope to improve conditions so that all students are fully engaged in the learning process. Students who are highly engaged in learning, along with an engaging teaching staff, are the students who are most likely to reach their full potential.

Study Design All middle and high school students were invited to complete the engagement survey. The survey was completed online using the K12 Insight platform. The survey consisted of four parts: Engagement Scale was comprised of eight items that were specifically designed to measure each teacher’s level of engagement. On the basis of responses to these items, an “Engagement Score” was computed for each respondent. School items assessed 14 areas that are related to engagement. Each of the 14 areas were measured by two questions that were combined to yield a score for each area. General Satisfaction Respondent Background items included school site, grade level, and gender.

Technical Notes This study was designed as a census survey. That is, all teachers were invited and encouraged to participate. The census approach is desirable because:  From an engagement/outreach perspective, it provides opportunities for all constituents to voice their views.  From a statistical perspective, it eliminates sampling error because everyone is included. An alternative to a census study is a random sample study. The random sample involves inviting a fraction of the population to complete the survey. The random sample approach requires that:  Individuals are selected to participate in a manner that is not systematically related to the variable being studied (unbiased).  A sufficient number of individuals are invited and respond to the invitation to achieve a desired level of precision (margin of error).  The resulting sample should reflect (be representative of) the characteristics of the population from which it was drawn. When a population is large, perceptions held by the population as a whole can be statistically estimated from a small fraction of individuals from that population. However, when the population is small, (i.e., <1,000), as much as one-half of the population must be sampled to gain a valid estimate of the views held by the overall group. In either case, individuals must be selected at random to ensure they accurately represent the larger population.

Who Responded to the Survey? A high response rate is critical so that the survey provides an accurate assessment of engagement. The survey was open to students in grades 5, 8, and 11. However, grade 5 students account for 71% of the participants (157 out of 220 total survey participants). Because of the low response of the grade 8 and 11 students, the data summary is based only on the 5 th grade participants. The 157 grade 5 students represented 50% of all fifth grade students (315 total 5 th grade students). Care must be taken while reviewing the data even for the 5 th grade students. The 50% who did not participate may include a high proportion of non-engaged students compared to those who completed the survey. This leaves open the possibility that the survey results overestimate the level of engagement. However, the information provided by the engaged students will help to identify areas to improve engagement for all students.

Who Responded to the Survey? Participation rates varied across the elementary schools where 5 th grade students participated on the survey. Response = 94% Response = 70% Response = 64%

What is the Overall Level of Engagement? The eight engagement scale items were rated on a five-point scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Average ratings are displayed. Because the more engaged students were likely to respond to the survey, these data likely overestimate engagement among students.

What is the Overall Level of Engagement? Ratings on the eight items comprising the engagement scale were averaged to provide an engagement score for each respondent. The median engagement score was 4.5 (average was 4.4) and ranged from 2.75 to 5.0. Scores were classified according to three levels: Not Engaged (less than 3.5), Engaged (3.5 to 4.5), and Highly Engaged (4.5 to 5.0). Most respondents were identified as Engaged (45%) or Highly Engaged (54%). 1% (n=2) of respondents were identified as Not Engaged. Engagement Score Descriptions Median4.5 Minimum2.75 Maximum5.0

Which Groups of Students are Engaged? Percent of students registering as “highly engaged” by school is summarized below. The proportion of students who are highly engaged varied between 40% and 67% of the responding students.

Which Groups of Students are Engaged? Overall, the fifth grade females (63%) tended to be more highly engaged than their male peers (44%).

Are the Engaged Students More Satisfied? Highly engaged students were most likely to be “very satisfied” while the engaged students tended to be “satisfied” with their school experience. Although most not engaged students were satisfied with their school experiences, as many as 10% were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.

Where Should Efforts be Focused to Improve Student Engagement? Fourteen aspects of the school environment were examined to find areas of focus to help improve engagement among students. Each area was rated on a five-point scale, with higher values indicating greater satisfaction with that area. The relationship between each student’s ratings and their overall engagement score was also examined. To do this, correlation coefficients were computed between the engagement scores and each school item. A correlation coefficient is a measure of how strongly two items are related to each other. The value can range from -1.0 to 0 to The closer to ±1.0, the stronger the relationship. Based on the combination of ratings and correlation with engagement, the areas were classified as high vs. low in ratings and high vs. low in relation to engagement (see table below). Those areas that were rated low, but had a strong correlation with engagement (red) should receive primary focus. The secondary areas are those that had high ratings and a strong correlation with engagement (yellow). Relation to Engagement HighLow Rating Low PRIMARY FOCUS High SECONDARY FOCUS

Where Should Efforts be Focused to Improve Student Engagement? Relation to Engagement HighLow Rating Low PRIMARY FOCUS These areas are highly related to Engagement, but were rated low. These items offer best opportunity for improving engagement. Improvement in these areas may help with the overall work environment, but would have little impact on engagement. High SECONDARY FOCUS These areas are highly related to Engagement, and were rated favorably. Emphasis on these items may help improve engagement among some teachers. District is performing well in these areas.

Where Should Efforts be Focused to Improve Student Engagement? Relation to Engagement HighLow Rating Low PRIMARY FOCUS High SECONDARY FOCUS Rating Relation to Engagement I am interested in my classes I feel like I belong at school The rules at school are fair I have friends at school I look forward to going to school each day I am safe at school I participate in classroom activities My classes are relevant to the real world I am interested in the extracurricular activities offered at school I am challenged at school My teachers give me the support and attention that I need The staff at school know me and care about me My family supports me in school I need an education to get a good job or go to college

Summary