Measuring California Superintendents' Beliefs About School Climate Assessment: New Insights From Item Response Theory Analysis

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable 2
  In Roundtable Session: New Methods for Evaluating School Climate, Student Well-Being, and Social-Emotional Learning

Abstract

School climate is an important factor influencing academic outcomes. Accountability across schools and school districts to inform decision making depends on superintendents’ beliefs about school climate data and its potential uses. This study examined a sample (n=298) of California superintendents with a 37 item Likert-style survey. Employing a multi-dimensional Item Response Theory (IRT) Model, we found evidence for three constructs related to superintendents’ beliefs about school climate data: Importance, Capacity, and Trustworthiness. Regression analysis showed that compared to superintendents serving in rural districts, those serving in suburban districts believed more in the importance of school climate data and trusted their data more for continuous improvement. Reliability and validity evidence show we can dependably identify three groupings among respondents.

Authors

• Yidan Zhang, University of California - Berkeley

• Anji Buckner, San José State University

• Brent Duckor, San José State University

• Mark R. Wilson, University of California - Berkeley