The displays below summarize student perceptions over time. The first year for which we have data will vary depending on when each construct or item was added to the survey. The students responding to the survey may have changed from year to year as your student composition has changed.

Student Characteristics

The following display shows select student characteristics over time. Please keep in mind that these results are self-reported and only representative of the students who responded to the survey each year.

School Climate

Belonging and Positive Relationships

The sense of belonging construct represents the extent to which students feel accepted, respected, and valued by others in their school community.

The student-teacher relationships construct represents the extent to which students report positive relationships with the teachers at their school, including their perceptions that their teachers listen to them, care about them, and can be relied on for support.

Notes: Responses fall on the following scale: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree.

Classroom Engagement Comfort Level

The classroom engagement comfort level construct represents students’ perceptions of their classroom environments, including the number of their classes in which they feel comfortable sharing their ideas, making mistakes, and asking questions when they do not understand something.

Students were asked for how many of their classes certain statements were true.

Notes: Responses fall on the following scale: 1 = none, 2 = a few, 3 = about half, 4 = most, and 5 = all.

Instruction

Competency-based Instructional Approaches

The competency-based instruction construct represents students’ perceptions of how often their teachers use competency-based practices in their classes such as providing expectations for how work will be assessed, examples of student work, feedback to help students improve their work, and multiple chances for them to succeed.

Students were asked how often certain activities happened in their classes.

Notes: Responses fall on the following scale: 1 = never, 2 = seldom, 3 = sometimes, 4 = often, and 5 = always.

Rigor and Purpose

These constructs and item represent students’ perceptions of how rigorous, relevant, and purposeful their classes and coursework are and whether class discourse is student driven.

The academic rigor construct represents students’ perceptions of how many of their classes include assignments that push them to deepen their thinking, demand critical thinking, require multiple drafts to strengthen their work, and challenge them to do their best.

The purpose construct represents how relevant and purposeful students report their coursework to be, including how many of their classes provide learning experiences that are tied to their interests and goals and are connected to issues that are important to their community.

Students were asked for how many of their classes certain statements were true.

Notes: Responses fall on the following scale: 1 = none, 2 = a few, 3 = about half, 4 = most, and 5 = all.

Authenticity

These items represent the number of times students reported engaging in class activities connected to the real world during each school year.

Notes: Responses fall on the following scale: 0 = never, 1 = once, 2 = twice, 3 = three times, and 4 = four or more times.

Student Success Skills

Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Skills

The goal setting construct represents the extent to which students report setting goals around their performance in school, knowing what they need to do to achieve their goals, and knowing whether they are on track to meet their goals.

The growth mindset construct represents the extent to which students believe that their abilities and skills can grow with effort. Students with a growth mindset see effort as necessary for success and embrace challenges.

The self-efficacy construct represents the extent to which students believe in their ability to achieve an outcome or reach a goal, including to overcome challenges and complete difficult tasks. Self-efficacy reflects confidence in the ability to exert control over one’s motivation, behavior, and environment. Students with a high sense of self-efficacy may approach difficult tasks as challenges, quickly recover from and persist despite setbacks, and see failure as a need for more effort and strengthened skills.

The collaboration construct represents students’ assessments of their collaboration skills, including the extent to which students report considering everyone’s ideas and sharing their own, paying attention when teammates talk, and helping their group solve problems. For these questions, students were asked to think about the times this year that they worked in a group in class.

The social awareness construct represents the extent to which students report they are respectful of others, they listen to other people’s points of view, and they get along with people different from themselves.

Students were asked how true statements were for them.

Notes: Responses fall on the following scale: 1 = not at all true, 2 = a little true, 3 = somewhat true, 4 = mostly true, and 5 = completely true.

Professional Communication

The professional communication construct represents students’ perceptions of how well-prepared they feel to communicate verbally and in writing in a school or work environment, including by making a presentation and speaking in public.

Notes: Responses fall on the following scale: 1 = I do not feel prepared, 2 = I feel slightly prepared, 3 = I feel moderately prepared, 4 = I feel well prepared, and 5 = I feel very well prepared.

Primary Person Model

Overall Primary Person System

Primary Person Meeting Frequency

The following display shows, on average, how often students report meeting 1:1 with their primary person.

Notes: Only asked of students who indicated that they have been assigned an adult to meet with regularly to discuss their academic progress. Responses fall on the following scale: 0 = never, 1 = once or twice this year, 2 = a few times this year, 3 = monthly or almost monthly, 4 = two or three times a month, and 5 = once a week or more.

Primary Person Relationship

The following display shows students’ assessments of the quality of the relationship they have with their primary person.

Notes: Only asked of students who indicated that they have been assigned an adult to meet with regularly to discuss their academic progress. Responses fall on the following scale: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree.

Advising & Postsecondary Planning

Advising

The on-track knowledge construct represents the extent to which students report understanding what they need to do to graduate from high school, including how they are doing in their classes and what they need to do to improve their grades.

The postsecondary guidance construct represents the extent to which students believe their school has helped them understand what they want to do after high school and the steps they need to take to achieve this college/career plan, including understanding the financial benefits of college and the financial aid options.

Notes: Responses fall on the following scale: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree.

Postsecondary Plan

The following display shows the percent of students who reported creating a written postsecondary plan.

Notes: Responses fall on the following scale: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree.

Postsecondary Plan Self-efficacy

The postsecondary plan self-efficacy construct represents the extent to which students with a postsecondary plan express confidence in their plan, including believing they can achieve the plan, knowing how to do so, and feeling their plan is right for them.

Notes: Items only asked of students who indicated they have a written postsecondary plan. Responses fall on the following scale: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree.

Postsecondary Preparation Activities and Exploration

The following displays show the percent of students who have completed various postsecondary planning activities each school year.

Next Steps after High School

The following display shows students’ reports of what they plan to do immediately after high school.

Postsecondary Aspirations and Expectations

The following display shows student reports of how far they want to go in their education and how far they think they will go.

Notes: No respondents chose the option “attend some high school” for postsecondary aspirations and expectations.