1. Physical Appearance |
| Level - 3 (high) |
Level - 2 (middle) |
Level - 1 (low) |
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high |
high-middle |
middle |
middle-low |
low |
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| Welcoming to outsiders, the school projects its identity to visitors. |
Some signage for visitors as they enter the building, but images compete for attention. |
Little concern for the image of the school. |
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| Purposeful use of school colors/symbols |
Some use of school colors/symbols but mostly associated with sports. |
Students associate school colors with "losers." |
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| Staff and students take ownership of physical appearance. |
Staff regularly comments on school appearance, but students do not feel any sense of personal ownership. |
"That is the janitor's job" |
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| No litter |
Litter cleaned at the end of day |
People have given up the battle over litter |
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| Current student work is displayed to show pride and ownership by students. |
Few and/or only top performances are displayed |
Decades old trophies and athletic records in dusty cases |
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| Things work and/or get fixed immediately |
Things get fixed when someone complains enough |
Many essential fixtures, appliances and structural items remain broken. |
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| Staff and students have respect for custodians. |
Most staff are cordial with custodians. |
Custodians are demeaned |
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| Graffiti is rare because students feel some sense of ownership of the school. |
Graffiti occurs occasionally, but is dealt with by the staff. |
Graffiti occurs frequently and projects the hostility of students toward their school. |
2. Faculty Relations |
| Level - 3 (high) |
Level - 2 (middle) |
Level - 1 (low) |
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high |
high-middle |
middle |
middle-low |
low |
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| Faculty members commonly collaborate on matters of teaching. |
Most faculty members are congenial to one another, and occasionally collaborate. |
Typically faculty members view one another competitively. |
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| Faculty members approach problems as a team / collective. |
Faculty members attend to problems as related to their own interests. |
Faculty members expect someone else to solve problems. |
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| Faculty members use their planning time constructively and refrain from denigrating students in teacher areas. |
Faculty members use time efficiently but feel the need to consistently vent displaced aggression toward students. |
Faculty members look forward to time away from students so they can share their "real feelings" about them. |
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| Faculty members are typically constructive when speaking of each other and/or administrators. |
Faculty members wait for safe opportunities to share complaints about other teachers and/or administrators. |
Faculty members commonly use unflattering names for other faculty and/or administration in private. |
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| Faculty members feels a collective sense of dissatisfaction with status quo, and find ways to take action to improve. |
Faculty members give sincere "lip service" to the idea of making things better. |
Faculty members are content with the status quo and often resentful toward change-minded staff. |
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| Faculty members exhibit high level of respect for one another. |
Faculty members exhibit respect for a few of their prominent members. |
Faculty members exhibit little respect for self or others. |
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| Faculty meetings are attended by most all, and address relevant content. |
Faculty meetings are an obligation that most attend, but are usually seen as a formality. |
Faculty meetings are seen as a waste of time and avoided when possible. |
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| Staff and all-school events are well attended by faculty. |
There are few regular attendees at school events. |
Faculty and staff do a minimum of investing in school-related matters. |
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| Leadership roles are most likely performed by faculty members with other faculty expressing appreciation. |
Leadership roles are accepted grudgingly by faculty, and other faculty members are often suspicious of motives. |
Leadership is avoided, and those who do take leadership roles are seen as traitors. |
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| Teacher leadership is systematic and well-coordinated. |
Teacher leadership develops in response to particular situations. |
Teacher leadership exists informally or not at all. |
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| Faculty members have the time and interest to commune with one another, and feel very little isolation. |
Faculty members congregate in small cordial groups, yet commonly feel a sense that teaching is an isolating profession. |
Faculty members typically see no need to relate outside the walls of their class. |
3. Student Interactions |
| Level - 3 (high) |
Level - 2 (middle) |
Level - 1 (low) |
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high |
high-middle |
middle |
middle-low |
low |
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| Students feel a sense of community and "school" is defined by the warm regard for the inhabitants of the building. |
Students feel like they have friends and are safe, but the school is just a place to take classes. |
Students feel no sense of affiliation with the school or community. |
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| Various cultures and sub-groups blend, interrelate and feel like valid members of the community. |
Various sub-groups avoid each other and have varying degrees of sense of validity. |
Various sub-groups are hostile to one another. |
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| Students readily accept the purpose of zero tolerance for "put downs." |
Students think put downs are just part of their language. |
Put downs lead to violence. |
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| Many students attend school events. |
A few regulars attend school events. |
It is un-cool to attend school events. |
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| "Popular" students feel a an obligation to serve the school, not a sense of entitlement |
"Popular" students treat the other popular students well. |
"Popular" students use their political capital to oppress those less popular. |
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| Most students feel safe from violence. |
Most students don't expect much severe violence but accept minor acts of harassment almost daily. |
Most students do not feel safe from violent acts, large or small. |
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| Leaders are easy to find due to the wide range of gifts that are validated and harnessed. |
Leaders come from a small clique of students. |
Students avoid leadership for fear of being labeled as "goody goodies". |
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| Athletes are valued as quality community members and approach their role with a humble sense of honor. |
It is assumed that some athletes are just "jerks" and jocks are not "real students". |
Athletes band together to oppress the weaker and more academically gifted element in the school. |
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| Most students expect to be given ownership over decisions that effect them. |
Most students are upset when rights are withdrawn, but typically take little action. |
Most students assume that they have no rights. |
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| Most students expect to engage in "authentic learning" activities and to be taught with methods that make them responsible for their own learning. |
Most students adjust their expectations to each teacher and focus mainly on doing what it takes to get "the grade." |
Most students' expectation of school is that little of value is learned in there and real world learning happens somewhere else. |
4. Leadership/Decisions |
| Level - 3 (high) |
Level - 2 (middle) |
Level - 1 (low) |
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high |
high-middle |
middle |
middle-low |
low |
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| School has a sense of vision, and a mission that is shared by all staff. |
School has a set of policies, a written mission, but no cohesive vision. |
School has policies that are used inconsistently. |
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| Vision comes from the collective will of the school community. |
Vision comes from leadership. |
Vision is absent. |
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| School's decisions are conspicuously grounded in the mission. |
Policies and mission exist but are not meaningful toward staff action |
Mission may exist but is essentially ignored. |
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| Vast majority of staff members feel valued and listened to. |
Selected staff members feel occasionally recognized. |
Administration is seen as playing favorites. |
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| A sense of "shared values" is purposefully cultivated. |
Most share a common value to do what's best for their students. |
Guiding school values are in constant conflict. |
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| Staff understands and uses a clear system for selecting priority needs, and has a highly functioning team for "shared decision-making". |
There is a SDM committee but most real power is in a "loop" of insiders / decision makers. |
Decisions are made autocratically or accidentally. |
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| Most of the staff has a high level of trust and respect in leadership. |
Some staff have respect for leadership. |
Most staff feel at odds with the leadership. |
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| Teacher leadership is systematic and integral to the school's leadership strategy. |
Some teachers take leadership roles when they feel a great enough sense of responsibility. |
Leadership is seen as solely the domain of the administration. |
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| Leadership demonstrates a high level of accountability, and finds ways to "make it happen." |
Leadership is highly political about how resources are allocated and often deflects responsibility. |
Leadership seems disconnected to outcomes and find countless reasons why "it can't happen." |
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| Leadership is in tune with students and community. |
Leadership has selected sources of info about the community and students. |
Leadership is isolated from the students and community. |
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| Leadership is in tune with others' experience of the quality of school climate. |
Leadership makes pro forma statements about wanting good school climate. |
Leadership does not see school climate as a necessary interest. |
5. Discipline Environment |
| Level - 3 (high) |
Level - 2 (middle) |
Level - 1 (low) |
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high |
high-middle |
middle |
middle-low |
low |
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| School-wide discipline policy is consistently applied. |
School-wide discipline policy is used by some staff. |
School-wide discipline policy exists in writing only. |
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| It is evident from student behavior that there are clear expectations and consistency in the discipline policy. |
In many classes there are clear expectations and most teachers are fair and unbiased. |
Students have to determine what each teacher expects and behavioral interventions are defined by a high level of subjectivity. |
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| Most teachers use effective discipline strategies that are defined by logical consequences and refrain from punishments or shaming. |
Most teachers use some form of positive or assertive discipline but accept the notion that punishment and shaming are necessary with some students. |
Most teachers accept the notion that the only thing the students in the school understand is punishment and/or personal challenges. |
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| Classrooms are positive places, and teachers maintain a positive affect, and follow-through with consequences in a calm and non-personal manner. |
Most teachers maintain a positive climate, but some days they just feel the need to complain about the class and/or get fed up with the "bad kids" |
Classrooms are places where teachers get easily angered by students and there is a sense of antagonism between the class and the teacher |
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| Maximum use of student-generated ideas and input. |
Occasional use of student-generated ideas. |
Teachers make the rules and student should follow them. |
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| Most consider teaching and discipline within the lens of basic student needs that must be met for a functional class. |
Most have some sensitivity to student needs, but the primary goal of classroom management is control. |
Most view all student misconduct as disobedience and/or the student's fault. |
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| Teacher-student interactions could be typically described as supportive and respectful. |
Teacher-student interactions could be typically described as fair but teacher-dominated. |
Teacher-student interactions are mostly teacher-dominated and reactive. |
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| When disciplining students teachers typically focus on the problematic behavior not the student as a person. |
When disciplining students teachers are typically assertive yet often reactive, and giving an overall inconsistent message. |
When disciplining students teachers are typically personal and often antagonistic. |
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| Management strategies consistently promote increased student self-direction over time. |
Management strategies promote acceptable levels of classroom control over time, but are mostly teacher-centered. |
Management strategies result in mixed results: some classes seem to improve over time, while others seem to decline. |
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| Teachers successfully create a sense of community in their classes |
Teachers successfully create a working society in their classes |
Teachers create a competitive environment |
6. Learning/Assessment |
| Level - 3 (high) |
Level - 2 (middle) |
Level - 1 (low) |
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high |
high-middle |
middle |
middle-low |
low |
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| Assessment targets are clear and attainable for learners. |
Most high achieving students can find a way to meet the teacher's target. |
Students see grades as relating to personal or accidental purposes. |
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| Instruction / Assessment promotes student locus of control, sense of belonging and sense of competence. |
Instruction / Assessment is most often focused on relevant learning, yet mostly rewards the high-achievers. |
Instruction / Assessment is focused on bits of knowledge that can be explained and then tested. |
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| Student-controlled behavior (effort, listening, attitude, etc) is rewarded and even assessed when possible. |
Student controlled behavior is verbally rewarded. |
Only quantifiable academic and athletic outcomes are rewarded. |
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| Teachers have some mode of making sense of, and being responsive to, varying learning styles. |
Teachers are aware of learning styles as a concept, and make some attempt in that area. |
Teachers expect all students to conform to their teaching style. |
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| Instruction is dynamic, involving, learner-centered, and challenging. |
Instruction is mostly based on relevant concepts but often appears to be busy-work |
Instruction is mostly "sit and get" |
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| Students learn to work cooperatively and as members of teams. |
Some teachers buy into the idea of cooperative learning. |
Cooperative learning is seen as leading to chaos and cheating. |
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| Students are given systematic opportunities to reflect on their learning progress. |
Mostly higher-level students are given occasional opportunities to reflect on their learning in some classes. |
Teaching is seen as providing maximum input and little opportunity for reflection exists. |
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| Students are seen as the primary users of assessment information, and assessment is used for the purpose of informing the learning process and is never used to punish or shame. |
Assessment is seen as something that occurs at the end of assignments. Grades are used primarily for student-to-student comparison. |
Assessment is used to compare students to one another and/or to send a message to lazy students. |
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| Classroom dialogue is characterized by higher-order thinking (e.g., analysis, application, and synthesis). |
Classroom dialogue is active and engaging but mostly related to obtaining right answers. |
Classroom dialogue is infrequent and/or involves a small proportion of students. |
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| Students consistently feel as though they are learning subjects in-depth. |
Students are engaged in quality content, but the focus is mostly on content coverage. |
Students feel the content is only occasionally meaningful and rarely covered in-depth. |
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| Teachers promote the view that intelligence and ability are a function of each students' effort and application, and are not fixed. The major emphasis is placed on the process over the product. |
Teachers promote the view that effort has a lot to do with how much students are able to accomplish. The major emphasis is placed on working to produce good products. |
Teachers promote the view that intelligence and ability are fixed/innate traits and not all students have what it takes. The major emphasis is on the comparison of products / grades. |
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| School-wide rewards often focus on student effort and contribution and sparingly on being the top performer. |
School-wide rewards honor a variety of top performance-based achievements. |
A competitive climate exists for the scarce supply of school-wide rewards given only for performance. |
7. Attitude and Culture |
| Level - 3 (high) |
Level - 2 (middle) |
Level - 1 (low) |
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high |
high-middle |
middle |
middle-low |
low |
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| Students feel as though they are part of a community. |
Students feel as though they are part of a society. |
Students feel as though they are visitors in a building. |
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| Students self-correct peers who use destructive and/or abusive language. |
Students seek adult assistance to stop blatant verbal abuse. |
Students accept verbal abuse as a normal part of their day. |
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| Students feel as though they are working toward collective goals. |
Students feel as though they are working toward independent goals. |
Students feel as though they are competing with other students for scarce resources. |
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| Students speak about the school in proud, positive terms. |
Students speak of the school in neutral or mixed terms. |
Students denigrate the school when they refer to it. |
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| Most students feel listened to, represented, and that they have a voice. |
Most students see some evidence that some students have a voice. |
Most students feel they have very little voice when at school. |
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| Most students feel a sense of belonging to something larger. |
Most students see some evidence that efforts are made to promote school spirit. |
Most students feel alone, alienated and/or part of a hostile environment. |
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| Teachers share commonly high expectations for all students. |
Most teachers have high expectations for students who show promise. |
Often teachers openly express doubts about the ability of some students. |
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| Students feel as though they owe their school a dept of gratitude upon graduation. |
Graduates feel that they had an acceptable school experience. |
A high number of students graduate feeling cheated. |
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| Students feel welcome and comfortable in talking to adults and/or designated peer counselors. |
Some students have a few staff that they target for advice. |
Students assume adults do not have any interest in their problems. |
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| School maintains traditions that promote school pride and a sense of historical continuity. |
School maintains traditions that some students are aware of but most see as irrelevant to their experience. |
School has given up on maintaining traditions due to apathy. |
8. Community Relations |
| Level - 3 (high) |
Level - 2 (middle) |
Level - 1 (low) |
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high |
high-middle |
middle |
middle-low |
low |
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| School is perceived as welcoming to all parents. |
School is perceived as welcoming to certain parents. |
School is suspicious of why parents would want to visit. |
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| School sends out regular communication to community including invitations to attend key events. |
School sends out pro forma communication that may be plentiful but is not created with the consumers' needs in mind. |
School sends out pro forma communication only. |
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| Community members are regularly invited to speak in classes. |
Inconvenience leads to few community members speaking in classes. |
The vast majority of community members have not seen the inside of the school since they went there. |
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| Service learning efforts are regular, promoting student learning and positive community-relations. |
Service learning is performed, but very infrequently due to perceived inconvenience. |
Service learning is seen as just a glorified field trip and therefore not worth the time or expense. |
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| Parents and coaches all work for the best interest of student-athletes. |
Parents support the coaches and teams if things are going well. |
Parents feel free to challenge coaches, coaches mistrust parents. |
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| Volunteer efforts are well coordinated, volunteers are plentiful, and conspicuously appreciated. |
Volunteers are willing, but are often unaware of the events and/or feel a lack of guidance. |
Volunteers are hard to find or unreliable. |
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| Athletic events and Fine Arts performances are well attended due to deliberate efforts toward promotion and crowd appreciation. |
Athletic events and Arts performances are attended by a die-hard following and/or only when things are going well. |
Games and performances are poorly attended and as a result progressively less effort is made by participants. |
