As educators, we always try to be as proactive as possible in trying to meet the needs of all students. However, once the school year begins, we often find ourselves reacting to circumstances in our schools and with the students we serve, rather than being as proactive as we aspire to be.
As a former high school counselor, high school principal, and most recently, superintendent, I know how motivated teachers, counselors, and administrators are to make sure students get off to a strong start every school year.
A strong start is particularly important within those transitional grades when students begin middle school and high school.
To better empower these key advocates to meet the needs of students, School Perceptions has developed a student entrance survey (one for middle school and one for high school) that measures how students are doing socially, academically, and emotionally within the first 90 days of the school year.
This check-in survey tool empowers key student support personnel to more precisely identify students who may be struggling early in the year.
School advocates and student support teams will be empowered to know:
Which students need their support.
What their needs are.
And how to best to spend their time and energy.
The student entrance survey findings are reported in context compared to other schools, so student needs can be prioritized compared to same age peers. This allows school personnel to intervene where their presence is needed most and helps prioritize their time and energy.
Additionally, our longitudinal tracking data allows school support teams to measure the impact of their programs and services over time to better plan for maximum effectiveness now and in the future.
With the School Perceptions entrance surveys, school personnel no longer have to wonder “Who needs my help?” or “I wish I would have known that student was struggling!” because students are provided a personal and confidential means to communicate with support personnel about how their start of the school year is going.
Empower your teachers, counselors, and administrators to put their time and talents where they are needed most by giving the School Perceptions entrance surveys at the start of your school year.
We help you eliminate the guess work that comes with measuring student mental health and at-risk factors impacting your students’ school experience.
If you would like to learn more about the School Perceptions process or any of our other products, contact us at info@schoolperceptions.com or 262.644.4300.
The School Perceptions Blog and Resource Center features the voices of our team members. This post was written by Daren Sievers, Project Manager, former Slinger School District Superintendent.