The list goes on and on. However, the results of these surveys have recently been released and these results are part of the school’s current accreditation process. With accreditation visits scheduled for next week, it is important to know the results of these surveys and what these results mean.
The Indicators of School Quality survey was conducted for PCHS by Utah State University at no cost, which according to PCHS Principal Hilary Hays, is “huge.”
The survey assesses the school by looking at answers given by parents, students, teachers, and other members of the PCHS staff to questions regarding 30 characteristics of the school. Hays said that the administration likes giving the survey later in the year so that the sophomores are more used to the school and familiar with how it is run.
Hays said one of the main goals of the survey is to “look at data and find areas to improve on.” She added, “We look at areas where we can have the greatest impact.”
PCHS’s areas of achievement included the level of math being offered at the school as well as successful AP classes. Most other schools only offer up to Algebra II in math, yet PCHS offers two AP Calculus classes, AP Statistics, and many more beyond the level of Algebra II.
“The bulk of our kids are in upper level classes, which makes us different. It is something that sets us aside,” said Hays.
PCHS also offers open enrollment for AP classes, and boasts a 70% overall pass rate. “That’s fantastic,” says Hays when explaining that other schools in Utah are either closed enrollment for AP classes or have pass rates of around 30% for open enrollment AP classes.
“When we have so many kids achieving, we need to change the way we teach,” said Hays. “That is a challenge for us to deal with. We need to make sure that we are doing the best we can with what these talented PCHS students bring to the table.”
When looking at the survey, Hays explained that the first “dot” in each section represents last year’s results, and the overlapping “dot” represents this year’s results. One area that improved from last year was that students responded as feeling “safer” at school this year than last year.
The ISQ survey results for PCHS overall are mainly covered with green and yellow dots, indicating “Superior” and “Typical,” respectively. Overall, there are not very many purple—“Exemplary”—dots on the survey results.
Hays said that one of the main areas of improvement that PCHS must strive for is an attitude that what is learned in the classroom will indeed apply to “real life.” The staff at PCHS sometimes didn’t believe that what they were teaching would apply to students’ lives in the real world. This attitude was shared by students who oftentimes believe that what they are learning will not apply to their future lives.
To improve upon this area, PCHS is focusing on the areas of quality instruction, curriculum, essential assessments, and building community.
Hays explained how some of the questions on the survey were believed to be vague by the administration, teachers, and students alike and that this needs to be communicated to Utah State University.
One of the main, local goals of the survey is for “us to check in with you guys,” said Hays referring to the administration and staff to the students.
“It is us asking, ‘Is it [the current system] working?’ And you guys communicate to us on how to improve it. It is a change in education. We are getting out of the attitude of the ‘this is how it has to be’ traditional system and really working to improve it for the advancement of the students.”
The new, current PCHS mission statement is derived from the results of this survey, and the desired improvements are simplified into the three main areas of the mission statement: integrity, academic excellence, and inclusive community.
Hays noted that one way it is believed that the school can continue to improve on lower-scoring areas is teacher collaboration; in other words, the late morning starts. She explained how teachers can discuss instruction, delivery of instruction, and collaborate on how to improve target areas.
On Monday and Tuesday of next week, the accreditation team of four people will visit PCHS.
“They have studied the results of this survey beforehand and they are simply coming to validate the results of the survey. They are coming here to make sure that we are doing what we say we are doing,” said Hays.
To see the results of the ISQ survey, visit http://www.pcschools.us/index.php?page=259
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