SCALE (School Climate: Assessing the Learning Environment )
What is SCALE?
SCALE (School Climate: Assessing the Learning Environment) is a system for data collection, entry, and analysis that evaluates the effectiveness of school-based programs. SCALE provides staff and parents with powerful tools to determine how well character education and violence prevention programs are working.
Who is SCALE For?
All school systems can benefit from a SCALE analysis of its interventions. SCALE enables schools to subject their character education and violence prevention programs to rigorous evaluation. SCALE is of particular benefit to those seeking federal or local grants to support safe schools, character education, and school improvement initiatives.
How does SCALE Work?
SCALE streamlines the set-up and data collection processes for school-based evaluations. Once the goals of the evaluation are set, SCALE helps you select an evaluation design, choose your sample and select the appropriate instruments to use. SCALE provides the following survey instruments in Elementary and Middle/High School versions:
• School Safety - Assesses perceptions of safety at school. Negative risk factors are measured, including vandalism, truancy, bullying, and school violence. The presence of positive factors is also measured, including safety plans, consistent discipline, and good student-teacher relationships.
• School Climate - Assesses the quality of the school climate. Prevalence of behaviors within the school that correspond to character traits and values are measured, including responsibility, respect, honesty, civility, tolerance, loyalty, courage, and kindness.
• Individual/Student Behavior - Assesses the social and behavioral health of each individual student. Peer relations, acting out behavior, attention problems, anxiety, social stress, and attitude toward self and school are measured through this survey.
Why use SCALE?
• All the instruments and instructions needed for a school or school system to conduct an empirically sound evaluation of the efficacy of their character education and violence prevention programs are included.
• Multiple design options allow the evaluation to be tailored to meet the needs of the specific school district.
• SCALE includes planning guides, clear and concise administration scripts, sample parental consent forms, and multiple checklists to help ensure accurate administration.
• SCALE is particularly beneficial to those seeking federal or local grants to support safe schools, character education, and school improvement initiatives, as it enables schools to subject their character education and violence prevention programs to rigorous evaluation.
