PBIS – targeting supports, progress monitoring, evaluation
The Office of Climate and Culture uses the PSES results to support schools implementing Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS). PBIS coaches are particularly interested in responses to questions about behavior, school discipline, and trusting relationships. Questions on the Teacher Survey like, “My school consistently uses positive behavioral supports to encourage responsible student behavior,” and “I know what is expected of me regarding supporting student behavior,” help PBIS coaches identify which schools need more training/support, and within schools, whether certain grade-level teachers feel more confident than others. PBIS coaches can use this information to support networks/schools/grade-level teams that need additional support and also to build off of successes that already exist in a school community.
Similarly, questions on the Student Survey like, “Other students treat me with respect,” and “I feel safe in the hallways and bathrooms,” help PBIS coaches and schools understand the success of their efforts in implementing PBIS from the student perspective, and can identify a clear place to focus next steps when the survey results do not reflect school or district expectations or goals. The Office of Climate and Culture uses responses as a source of information about the success of the implementation of PBIS in different types of schools and school settings, and the Office of School Safety incorporates survey results into decision-making about other climate support measures, like the placement of school safety officers.
Teacher Professional Development – identifying needs, monitoring progress
The Office of Professional Learning uses responses to the professional capacity construct on the teacher survey to monitor and adapt their approach to district-offered professional development. The professional capacity construct includes questions about innovation (“I am encouraged to try new teaching approaches in my classroom”), peer collaboration (“How often do groups of teachers at your school meet to address the following topics?”), quality of professional development (“Teacher input is taken into consideration when planning district-level/school-level professional development”), content (“How often were District-wide professional development sessions offered by Central Office consistent with your school’s expectations for teaching and learning?”), and delivery (“How often were District-wide professional development sessions cognitively engaging?”). District-level, network-level, school-level, and grade-level teacher responses are used to track the success of PD, particularly related to the implementation of the new math, ELA, and science curricula, and to inform planning, policies, and supports each year.
Health and Wellness – examining trends, targeting supports, evaluation
One goal of the Eat Right Philly program is to encourage students and schools to make healthy choices. The Eat Right Philly team uses questions on the student survey like, “During the past 7 days, how many days were you physically active for at least 60 minutes?” and “Yesterday, how many times did you drink any soda, punch, fruit-flavored drinks…,” to examine trends in healthy behaviors over time as well as to identify which schools and areas could use additional support.
The parent/guardian survey also includes a set of questions on food insecurity, which are used to determine an overall rate of food insecurity for each school with sufficient responses. The Office of Research and Evaluation publishes regular reports analyzing trends in food insecurity at District schools. Food insecurity datasets are also available separately on the Open Data website.
Food Services – customer satisfaction
The Division of Food Services is responsible for providing daily meals to all students in SDP. Each year, staff review results from the student survey to track trends in customer satisfaction and identify areas for additional support and improvement. Questions on the student survey that help inform these decisions include “When I eat school lunch, the food tastes good,” and “Food that should be hot is hot, and food that should be cold is cold.” Food services also use data from three questions on the student survey as a set of Key Performance Indicators that are reported on their Annual Report.
School Improvement Planning Process – identifying needs, monitoring progress, incorporating parent feedback
Staff from the Planning and Evidence-based Supports Office review survey data as part of the continuous improvement planning process conducted in partnership with school leaders. Results from student, teacher, and parent surveys are used to identify needs for new programming or areas of focus for improvement or celebration. Parent/guardian survey responses are also used in accordance with Pennsylvania’s Title I funding requirements. In order to use Title I funds for school improvement, schools must report on parent feedback relative to school mission/vision, quality of instruction, and community engagement. Responses to questions like “Teachers at my child’s school give helpful comments on homework, classwork, and tests,” and “My child’s school provides me with regular feedback about my child’s progress,” are incorporated into the needs assessment portion of the school planning process.
Research and Evaluation – incorporating multiple stakeholder perspectives into research studies
Internal and external researchers rely on PSES results from parents/guardians, teachers, and students to inform progress on major District initiatives like curriculum implementation, Accelerate Philly, and the Goals and Guardrails. Reports and briefs produced by SDP’s Office of Research and Evaluation regularly incorporate PSES results. External researchers are encouraged to use survey responses available on our Open Data website (under the “School Information” category) rather than creating/administering new surveys of parent/guardians, students, and teachers that can detract from instructional time and goals.
Reading & English Language Arts (ELA)
In December 2020, the Board of Education (BOE) established the 
Philly School Experience Survey (PSES)
