Spring 2015 marked the end of a three-year pilot program that the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the NAIS Commission on Accreditation sponsored on school use of the High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE), created and administered by Indiana University. To better understand the student experience, HSSSE investigates the attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs high school students hold about their schoolwork, their learning environment, and their interaction with their school community.
The pilot was designed with three main goals:
•helping schools assess their effectiveness, especially on student progress related to 21st century skills;
•giving schools an option to comply with learning assessment standards without using standardized achievement tests; and
•capturing data that shows the value-add of an independent school education.
In 2015, more than 12,500 students from 58 NAIS-member schools participated in HSSSE. Students answered questions organized under three categories: (1) cognitive, intellectual, and academic engagement; (2) social, behavioral, and participatory engagement; and (3) emotional engagement. Overall, the 2015 HSSSE results for the NAIS group of schools were very positive. Almost all of the schools’ engagement scores were higher than their public school counterparts by statistically significant amounts.
In the cognitive engagement section, students shared their views on the number of classes that challenge them or on the level of effort they give to classes. Sixty-seven percent of the surveyed students in NAIS-member schools indicated that most or all classes challenged them to their full academic potential (vs. 38 percent for the surveyed public school students); 65 percent of the independent school students said they give their maximum effort in most or all of their classes (vs. 51 percent for the public school students).
HSSSE also included information on the frequency of certain academic activities. Among the activities reported as done “often,” 63 percent of students in NAIS-member schools mentioned receiving feedback from teachers on assignments or classwork (vs. 37 percent for the public school students); 60 percent asked or answered questions in class (vs. 41 percent); 38 percent worked with other students on assignments (vs. 25 percent); and 35 percent connected ideas from one class to another in classroom assignments or discussions (vs. 17 percent).Another set of questions under the same engagement category refers to the school’s contributions to the students’ development of skills such as understanding challenging material, using technology to communicate information, writing effectively, speaking effectively, and thinking critically. In 2015, 60 percent of the participating students in NAIS-member schools indicated that their schools contributed “very much” to their ability to write effectively (vs. 31 percent for the public school students) and 59 percent indicated the same for their critical thinking skills (vs. 29 percent).
In regard to participatory engagement, 57 percent of the surveyed students in NAIS-member schools said they like to go to school because of their teachers, vs. 36 percent of the public school students. The same percentage reported that they participate four hours or more per week in school-sponsored activities, vs. 41 percent of the public school students.
HSSSE also probed students on the emotional engagement with their schools. Forty-one percent of the students in NAIS-member schools strongly agreed that they care about their school (vs. 14 percent of the public school students); 56 percent strongly agreed that they feel safe in their schools (vs. 19 percent); 36 percent strongly agreed they feel supported by other students (vs. 19 percent); and 35 percent strongly agreed they feel comfortable being themselves at their schools (vs. 21 percent).
Students also described their relationships with adults in their schools. Fifty percent of the students in NAIS-member schools strongly agree that they each have at least one adult in their school who knows them well (vs. 32 percent of the public school students).
In responding to questions about bullying at their schools, 57 percent of the students in NAIS-member schools mentioned that they have never been bullied (vs. 50 percent of the public school students), and 35 percent said they have never witnessed acts of bullying (vs. 22 percent). Seventy-seven percent of the students in NAIS-member schools indicated that, given the choice, they would choose their current school again (vs. 56 percent of the public school students).
Additional information provided by HSSSE outside the three areas of engagement include student preferences for instructional methods (students in NAIS-member schools preferred discussions and debates), frequency of activities students do in a week (such as studying for a test, doing homework, exercising, or reading for pleasure), reasons for being bored in classes, and activities emphasized by the school (analyzing ideas, using technology, building positive relationships with students of different backgrounds, etc.).
The pilot project is over, but NAIS continues to work with interested schools. HSSSE provides participating schools with detailed feedback on the conditions that make for successful school experiences. It also offers schools several indicators of what they are doing well and what they could do better to improve the student experience. This past spring, NAIS started offering HSSSE to all of its members. A middle school version of HSSSE is also available.
Details of the program, registration, and cost are available at http://ceep.indiana.edu/hssse/nais/registration.shtml. To read the complete 2015 report, visit www.nais.org.
