Description
Assess School Health Based on Data – Local
Description
National and regional data can help School Health Councils to identify student health priority areas. Local data (i.e. school or district-level) is even more helpful. The CDCs School Health Index is a self-assessment and planning tool that assists schools in obtaining that data. Learn about this tool and practice using components while interviewing a school professional or school informant.
If you worked in a team on the Assembling a School Health Council assignment, you may continue to work with that team. If on a team, dont just divide the work. Do each part together and in order. Submit one document per team with all names on it.
Purpose
To develop the following National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) 2020 areas of responsibility and competency:
- Area I: Assessment of Needs and Capacity
To develop the following SOPHE 2019 Health Education Teacher Preparation Standards:
- Standard 2: Assessing Needs
Procedures
Resources
- The CDCs School Health Index (SHI) main page and the menu sidebar. Download the following:
- The SHI Index for the school level of your choice, elementary or middle/high school
- Your Guide to Using the School Health Index (SHI)
- You will also participate in the School Health Index e-Learning Course.
- A school professional/informant from an elementary or middle/high school. You will practice a component of the SHI by interviewing this person. This person might be a: physical education or health teacher, a K-8th grade teacher, school nurse, guidance counselor, school psychologist, librarian, custodian, secretary, coach, parent group leader, or a school administrator.
Part 1 – SHI and Interview Pre-Planning
As part of your pre-planning, consider the questions below. Dont submit your answers. They are just here to help you think about what is important for the interview.
- With whom will you practice the SHI?
- With what school level is this person associated? Elementary or Middle/High School?
- Which of your 4-5 WSCC elements that your School Health Council has been focusing on would you like to practice? Pick one.
Part 2 – SHI and Interview Training
Avoid awkwardness, be professional, and conserve time! Prepare to administer the SHI with your volunteer by completing portions of the School Health Index e-Learning Course. The course link is on the SHIs main page. Complete these chapters:
- Chapter 1 – Introduction
- Chapter 2 – About the School Health Index
- Chapter 3 – School Health Index Modules (Watch the module associated with the WSCC element you selected in Pre-Planning. Just make sure its not Module 1. This is a HUGE overview module )
- Chapter 4 – Using the School Health Index (just Step 3 – Complete Self-Assessment Process)
Part 3 – Prepare to Administer the SHI
From the SHIs main page, download the appropriate SHI (elementary or middle/high school). Then:
- Skim the Introduction. Read anything that is unfamiliar to you.
- Skim the Instructions for the Site Coordinator. Read anything you need to know before you practice the SHI with your volunteer school professional/informant.
- Towards the end of the Instructions for the Site Coordinator is a Sample Completed Score Card and Sample Completed Planning Questions. You will do both of these activities with your data.
- Find the SHI Module for your selected WSCC elements. Read the instructions. Read the questions. Notice that each question is a narrative. Youll read this question to/with your volunteer and ask them to give a response on the 3-2-1-0 scale. Youll record this number.
- Print the scorecard that appears at the beginning of your selected SHI module. You will record and tally the scores on this sheet in the next part.
Part 4 – Administer the SHI
- Ask your volunteer your selected SHI module questions from the appropriate grade-level manual. Record their 3-2-1-0 responses on the module scorecard you printed for Part 3, Step 5.
- Ask your volunteer these two open-ended questions:
- Thinking about the questions you were just asked, what are the strengths of your schools health and safety policies and the environment? What are the weaknesses?
- Thinking about the weaknesses, what recommended actions do you think a school health committee and school administration could take to address them? (e.g., policies, practices, programs, etc.)
Part 5 Tally Results, Analyze the Data, Submit Work
- Tally the scores on the scorecard. Need an example? See Part 3, Step 3. Or here.
- Summarize the strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations. See the 2nd page here for an example. Yours need not look identical to their format, but must include the summarized parts.
- Submit your tally sheet (attach as a photo or PDF document scan) and strengths, weaknesses, and recommendation document.