Climate Survey

Back to State of Education Address - January 22, 2008

In compliance with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, the California Department of Education (CDE) requires that all local educational agencies receiving Title IV Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities funds administer the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) to students biennially to assess their needs, monitor progress in addressing those needs, and demonstrate accountability. In the fall of 2004, districts began administering the California School Climate Survey (CSCS) to staff to assure compliance with NCLB, simultaneously with the CHKS.

What is the California Healthy Kids Survey?

The CHKS is an anonymous, confidential student self-report of attitudes, health risk behaviors, and protective factors. The survey gathers information on behaviors such as physical activity and nutritional habits; alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use; school safety; and environmental and individual strengths. Used by California schools since 1997, the CHKS consists of age-appropriate survey instruments for students in grades five, seven, nine, and eleven and is designed in a flexible, modular format that can be customized to meet local district needs. The CHKS is intended for use in planning and evaluating student support programs, primarily alcohol, tobacco, other drug, and violence prevention programs.

The CHKS is a requirement of funding for districts that accept federal Title IV Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities funds or state Tobacco-Use Prevention Education funds. Title IV Section 4112 requires the CDE to implement a Uniform Management Information and Reporting System that collects information on the incidence and prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and violence by youths in schools and communities that shall be collected through anonymous student and teacher surveys. Title IV Section 4115 requires that school districts plan, implement, and evaluate their programs using the Principles of Effectiveness. These principles include conducting a needs assessment through data gathering and analysis, choosing a science-based program proven to be effective in reducing the problem behaviors identified through data analysis, establishing performance objectives for reducing the problem behaviors, and using data to evaluate progress and improve the program. The CHKS is integral to the Principles of Effectiveness because it provides data for program planning, performance objectives, and program evaluation.

What is the California School Climate Survey?

The CSCS is administered simultaneously with the CHKS to school staff. The survey has two parts – the first part is for all staff. The second part is only for staff with responsibilities for services or instruction related to health, prevention, discipline, counseling, and/or safety requirements.

To meet the NCLB requirement, the survey gathers information from school staff that, in conjunction with CHKS student data, will enrich a school district’s ability to: (a) understand the health risk and protective factors that students encounter; and (b) address the impact of substance use and violence

on the students and the school. It covers some of the same content areas regarding substance use, school safety, health, and youth development that are in the CHKS student survey. This enables districts to determine whether staff perceptions are consistent with self-reported student behaviors.

It includes questions that assess:

• How great a problem certain behaviors pose for the school; e.g., student alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, violence, and truancy.
• The nature, communication, and enforcement of school rules/policies (including zero tolerance assessment).
• The scope of prevention efforts and health services, including school-community collaboration and availability of resources.

Additionally, it contains general school-climate questions relevant to the overall environment, academic achievement, school connectedness, staff relationships, learning supports, and learning barriers. This includes questions related to:

Whether the school is a supportive place to work and learn:

• The physical/mental fitness of students, and motivation to learn.
• How well staff care about, pay attention to, and support students to do their best.
• How well staff support each other and feel responsibility for school improvement.
• Racial/ethnic conflict among students and promotion of diversity appreciation.
• Parent involvement.

For more information about the CHKS and CSCS, please contact Hilva Chan, Consultant, Safe and Healthy Kids Program Office, at 916-319-0194 or by e-mail at hchan@cde.ca.gov. The following Web sites also have additional information: The California Healthy Kids Survey - Research [http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/yd/re/chks.asp] and California Healthy Kids Survey [http://www.wested.org/cs/chks/print/docs/chks_home.html] (Outside Source).