Collective Word Cloud from all 22 Qualitative Interviews
Individual Word Clouds Respondents 1-22
Park Vista Community High School Profile At A Glance
SEQ Student Questionnaire The Palm Beach County School District
CATEGORY ItemText
CHALLENGING ASSIGN
25. My teachers have given me assignments that require me to defend my point of view or ideas.
CHALLENGING
ASSIGN 26. My teachers often connect what we are learning to life outside the classroom.
CHALLENGING
ASSIGN 27. My teachers often require students to explain their thinking.
CHALLENGING
ASSIGN 28. My teachers provide class work that is academically challenging.
CHALLENGING
ASSIGN 29. My teachers provide assignments that require the use of technology.
COLLEGE
PREPARATION 42. I have conversations about going to college with my family.
COLLEGE
PREPARATION 43. My parents expect me to continue my education after high school.
COLLEGE
PREPARATION 44. I want to continue my education after high school.
COLLEGE
PREPARATION 45. I know what I need to do to meet college readiness requirements.
COLLEGE
PREPARATION 46. My school emphasizes preparation for college or career education.
COLLEGE
PREPARATION 47. I am interested in hearing others talk about their college life and study.
COLLEGE
PREPARATION 48. I have the opportunity to participate in advanced coursework.
DIVERSE
COMMUNITY 30. I feel that students of different races or ethnicities get along.
DIVERSE
COMMUNITY 31. At this school, all students are treated the same, regardless of their race or ethnicity.
DIVERSE COMMUNITY
32. The school provides instructional materials (e.g., textbooks, handouts) that reflect my cultural background.
DIVERSE
COMMUNITY 33. My teachers value my cultural background.
DIVERSE
COMMUNITY 34. My teachers use classroom materials that reflect multicultural perspectives.
INDIVIDUAL
CONCERNS 38. It is rare for students at this school to be teased or picked on.
INDIVIDUAL
CONCERNS 39. It is rare for students at this school to be bullied.
INDIVIDUAL
CONCERNS 40. I do not have problems with other students on my way to or from school.
INDIVIDUAL 41. It is rare for students at this school to be teased or picked on through social media.
CONCERNS This year has been a difficult one for me or for my family that has impacted me at school.
PARENT
INVOLVEMENT 35. My parents attend scheduled parent conferences at school.
PARENT
INVOLVEMENT 36. My family supports me in my school activities.
PARENT
INVOLVEMENT 37. My family encourages me to participate in clubs, groups, or team activities.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 1. I feel safe at school.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 10. If I need to, I can talk to at least one adult about personal problems.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 11. There is at least one adult at school who knows me well.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 12. Students are treated with respect by adults at school.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 13. Homework help is available to me if I need it.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 14. Students are encouraged to work together and help each other.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 15. Students respect each other at this school.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 16. Problems with dangerous student behavior are quickly resolved at this school.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 17. My teachers provide me with feedback that helps me improve my study.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 18. My teachers have a system to allow me to make up work after an absence.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 19. My teachers have taught me different strategies that help me learn.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 2. I am happy to be at this school.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 20. My teachers encourage me to set academic goals.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 21. I am regularly reminded about my academic goals.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 22. I feel satisfied with the work that teachers have done for the students at this school.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 23. I feel that the school is clean.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 24. Students at this school work out their disagreements with other students.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 3. I feel like I am part of this school.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 4. I feel socially accepted.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 5. I care about school.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 6. I am treated fairly at school.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 7. Adults working at this school reward students for positive behavior.
SCHOOL CLIMATE
8. Adults working at this school help students develop strategies to encourage better behavior.
SCHOOL CLIMATE 9. School rules are applied equally to all students.
Analyzing the SEQ Data/Guiding Questions
The SEQ items are grouped by sub-category for each of the 3 surveys. This format provides you with the opportunity to triangulate and analyze the data from the perspectives of the staff, students and parents.
Source: Palm Beach County School District
These are the guiding questions used in identifying the trends in the data.
1. What is the participation rate for each of the 3 surveys (Staff, Students, Parents)? Do efforts need to be made to improve participation of any one of our sub-groups?
2. Do the scores collected over the past three years show any trends, upward or downward, for each of the items on the SEQ?
3. What is the current data telling us?
4. Can we identify patterns of strength? If so, how can we ensure maintenance or continuation of these assets?
5. Can we identify areas for growth? What resources, personnel, programs or strategies can support positive progression in these areas?
6. Are the items in a sub-category rated similarly by staff, student and parent groups? If not, what might be the factors that could account for the differences?
7. Do we have standard messaging and practices related to the item categories on our campus? If not, how might we institutionalize our messages and practices?
8. What are we currently doing on our campus to generate positive interpersonal connections between staff and staff, staff and students, and students and students? Do these activities need to be updated, re-launched, tweaked or replaced?
9. What are we doing to support the growth of adults and/or students who need more help with social and emotional skills?
10. How might we find out what other schools are doing to systematically address the school climate elements that concern us?
11. What other data/information (other than SEQ results) do we use to determine our climate needs?
12. What professional development, resources, personnel, programs or strategies might be tapped to help us achieve our desired outcomes?
13. What systems can we put in place or improve?
14. Would forming one or more sub-committees assist us in moving the work forward?
15. Who on our campus will take responsibility for the oversight of the sub-committee work?
from all the high schools and Park Vista, the selected school.
IRB Documentation
Interview Protocols
Documents and Recruitment: The School District of Palm Beach County
Recruitment: Park Vista High School
Recruitment was primarily through the English teachers, but there were additional opportunities to recruit through online platforms which were needed, especially during the Covid quarantine.
There was a weekly guidance newsletter and text communications via Remind.
Informed Parent/Guardian/Caregiver Consent and Student Assent Forms
The Learning Policy Institute’s 7 Best Practices for Effective Professional Development
1. Content focus: Educator professional development that specifically focuses on
pedagogical curriculum supports teacher learning within their classroom contexts. This element includes an intentional focus on discipline-specific curriculum development and pedagogies in areas such as mathematics, science, and literacy.
2. Active learning: Active learning engages teachers directly in designing and trying out teaching strategies, often providing them an opportunity to engage in the same kind of learning they are designing for their students. Such professional development uses authentic artifacts (e.g., curriculum plans, assignments, assessments, rubrics, and models of teaching), interactive activities, and other strategies to provide classroom-embedded, highly contextualized professional learning. This approach moves away from traditional learning models that are lecture based and have no direct connection to teachers’
classrooms and students toward learning that can be directly applied to practice.
3. Collaboration: High-quality professional development creates space for teachers to share ideas and collaborate in their learning, often in job-embedded contexts. By working collaboratively, teachers can create communities that positively change the culture and instruction of their entire grade level, department, school, and/or district.
4. Modeling of effective practice: Models of curriculum and modeling of instruction provide teachers with a clear vision of what best practices look like. Teachers may view models that include lesson plans, unit plans, sample student work, observations of peer teachers, and video or written cases of teaching.
5. Coaching and expert support: Coaching and expert support involve the one-on-one sharing of expertise about content and evidence-based practices, focused directly on teachers’ individual needs.
6. Feedback and reflection: High-quality professional learning frequently provides built-in time for teachers to intentionally think about, receive input on, and make changes to their practice by facilitating reflection and soliciting feedback. Reflection and feedback help teachers thoughtfully move toward the expert visions of practice.
7. Sustained duration: Effective professional development provides teachers with adequate time to learn, practice, implement, revise, and reflect upon new strategies that facilitate changes in their practice