California School Climate, Health, and Learning Surveys and Data Workshops

The California School Climate, Health, and Learning Surveys (CalSCHLS) is a survey system created by the California Department of Education (CDE) in 1997 to provide efficient, cost-effective, and quality local data on student, staff, and parent/guardian perceptions of school climate, student well-being, and the learning environment in California public schools. 

How We Help

We provide technical assistance for the CalSCHLS system, including:  

• Data Collection: survey registration, customization, administration, and report selection 
• Data Analysis: reports and data dashboards, including summaries of key indicators, scales, trends over time, and data that is disaggregated by student groups identified in the California Education Code 
• Data Workshops: free virtual data review at the county or district level and, for a nominal fee supported by the California Department of Education, in-person data workshops on how to use the data to identify a focus area, create an action plan, and locate resources to implement plans at the county, district, and school levels tailored to the needs of the community 

We provide support in using school and district-level data to meet state and local priorities including: 

• Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), Priority 6 (School Climate)  
• Tobacco-Use Prevention Education (TUPE) program grants 
• Drug-Free Communities (DFC) grants 
• Comprehensive School Safety Plan (CSSP) 
• School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) 
• Mental Health Education requirements (SB 244) 
• Suicide prevention, intervention, and post-intervention policy requirements (AB 2246) 
• Anti-bullying, including cyberbullying, policy requirements (AB 2291) 

Service Delivery

• Onsite

Who Will Benefit

• School and district leaders 
• Teachers (grades 4–12) 
• School counselors, nurses, and student services staff 
• Community-based organizations and partners 
• Policymakers

Connecting Research With Practice

The California Department of Education (CDE) CalSCHLS system is comprised of three customizable surveys: 

• The California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS)  
  • Understanding resiliency, protective factors, risk behaviors, and school climate 
• The California School Staff Survey (CSSS) 
  • Measuring staff perceptions about learning and teaching conditions 
• The California School Parent Survey (CSPS) 
  • Providing teachers, administrators, and school staff with information directly from parents and guardians 

All three surveys were developed by WestEd with the help of Duerr Evaluation Resources and expert advisory committees of educators, researchers, and practitioners to provide school districts and their partners with high-quality local data that can be used to create safe and supportive school environments for students, staff, and families. 

In California, nearly 70% of districts regularly administer the California School Climate, Health, and Learning Surveys and the majority of districts now use CalSCHLS data for their Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), Priority 6 (School Climate) reporting requirements. The CalSCHLS staff and student surveys have been widely used in research studies nationally and internationally to guide the work of education, prevention, and health projects in school, after-school, and community settings.