Benefits & Requirements

Survey Benefits

"We have, for the first time, the data to determine our needs and to design our prevention programs. The data...will help us focus on the positive and measure strengths." - Contra Costa County, CA Substance Abuse Advisory

Over the past 14 years, CHKS has evolved to include content that addresses a full spectrum of school improvement, safety, and climate issues. Listed below are some primary benefits identified by CHKS proponents at the state, county, and local levels:

• Closing the Achievement Gap - Reducing the persistent achievement gap among ethnic and economic groups is one of the most serious problems facing California schools. The CHKS includes questions about staff and student perceptions and experiences related to race, ethnicity, and culture, as well as other factors related to the gap. Districts receive reports showing how results differ by the race/ethnicity of students. In addition, the related Closing the Achievement Gap Workbook provides schools with step-by-step guidance on how to interpret the survey results and implement practice and policies that reduce the gap.
• Improving School Climate - A growing body of research underscores the link between school success and a caring, supportive, safe, challenging, and participatory school environment. The CHKS assesses all of the essential school climate variables identified by the Obama administration in its blueprint to the proposed re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the proposed Successful, Safe and Healthy Students program.
• Promoting Positive Youth Development – The CHKS assesses the three fundamental school and community support systems that research has linked to positive outcomes: Caring Adult Relationships, High Expectations, and Opportunities for Meaningful Participation. Scale scores are available for each of these three components, allowing schools to track progress over time and look for improvements based on program changes.
• Identifying Health-related Barriers to Learning - Growing numbers of children attend school with health problems that present severe challenges to learning. The survey assesses many of these key health barriers that have been linked to success on the Academic Performance Index. Schools can use CHKS data to assess their own levels of concern.
• Addressing Specific Local Needs - The structure of the CHKS makes it easy to customize, by either selecting from a large pool of existing custom questions or adding locally-developed questions to meet special needs.
• Obtaining Additional Funding - Both public and private agencies increasingly require data to demonstrate needs for funding and to demonstrate progress in addressing those needs once funding is secured. CHKS data is frequently used in winning proposals and is required in proposals for Tobacco Use Prevention Education funds.
• Low Cost - CDE continues to cover the majority of survey costs, with local fees at well below $1,000 for most districts in the state. The CHKS service includes both the student survey and CSCS staff survey, unlimited technical support, detailed outcome reports plus the CHKS Key Findings report, and in many cases, supplemental reports covering Migrant Education, Special Education, and the Achievement Gap.
• Reliability & Validity - Psychometric studies have shown that CHKS scales have a high degree of reliability. Other research likewise shows that confidential surveys like the CHKS have a high degree of validity in student answers—even with sensitive questions. In addition, the CHKS uses several checks and measures to ensure validity.
• Full-service Support - Step-by-step, comprehensive guidebooks and workbooks, internet access to all materials, informative trainings, and the latest technologies are available to help you throughout the data collection and data use process. Clients receive on-call technical assistance from regionally located expert staff with intimate knowledge and understanding of the new federal requirements and the tough issues facing schools.

The value of the CHKS is harnessed when the data are used as a catalyst for positive change within schools and communities. To optimize your school reform efforts, use your CHKS data to gain a thorough understanding of the scope and nature of student risk behaviors, assets (resilience), and supports, and then make sound decisions about allocating resources and programming.

Survey Requirements

In California, local educational agencies (LEAs) and county offices of education (COEs) that accept funds under the state Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) program or the Safe and Supportive Schools (S3) grant must administer the CHKS at least once every two years.

TUPE Survey Requirements:

• Conduct a representative district-level survey with students in grades 7, 9, and 11 in comprehensive schools, as well as with all continuation and community day school students (grades 7-12), as determined by the CHKS sampling plan. This includes charter schools that receive TUPE funding through the district.
• If the district is a K-6 district, administer the CHKS among grade 5 students.
• For secondary schools, administer the Core Module.

S3 Survey Requirements:

• In spring 2011 and spring 2014, districts participating in S3 data collection must conduct the CHKS in grades 9 and 11 in all traditional high schools, along with the California School Climate Survey (CSCS) for staff and the California School Parent Survey (CSPS). Non-traditional schools are not required to be surveyed.
• High schools receiving an S3 programmatic intervention grant are required to administer the CHKS in grades 9-12 annually in 2012-14, along with the CSCS and CSPS.

© 2012 WestEd. All rights reserved.
730 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94107 | Toll free 877.493.7833 | Fax 415.565.3012