Assessments
CHARACTER COUNTS! Implementation Survey (CCIS)
The success of any character education program is directly tied to the fidelity and consistency of its implementation. The CHARACTER COUNTS! Implementation Survey (CCIS) can help you assess the current status of your CC! implementation, and plan for continuous improvement. CCIS was created by the Research Institute for Studies in Education (RISE) at Iowa State University. This 4-year research study identified key areas of evaluation as listed below.
Who: Data is collected and reported for individual schools.
Objective: Evaluate the depth of your CC! implementation and identify areas for improvement.
How: The CCIS is an online survey taken by either the individual most responsible for CC! implementation or your CC! team or committee, resulting in a single report per school. We recommend that a school complete at least one year of CC! implementation before taking the survey. The survey can then be taken annually. A consultation to review data and next steps is available for an additional fee.
The survey measures your CC! implementation in seven key areas:
- Leadership and Planning
- Staff Development and Support
- Program Integration
- Teaching and Learning
- Data Collection and Analysis
- Safe and Supportive Climate
- Family and Community Partnerships
CHARACTER COUNTS! Culture of Excellence and Ethics Assessment (CEEA)
Who: Data is collected and reported for individual schools
Objective: The CEEA will help you analyze the following components of your culture and climate:
Student learning and development/staff teaching practices
- student safety and well-being
- learning/teaching for excellence
- integrity, responsibility, and citizenship
Staff professional capacity and community
- trust and support
- professional growth and collaboration
- collective responsibility for goals and objectives
Community connectedness and partnership (optional)
- communication and participation
- partnership for student learning
- partnership for student social development
How: The CEEA is an online survey taken by students and staff, with an optional parent assessment available for an additional fee. Schools receive a summary report comparing student and staff perceptions on student learning and development and staff teaching practices, and staff perceptions of staff professional capacity and community. Schools that elect to take the report annually, receive reports comparing data from year 1 to year 2 so that growth and improvement can be easily tracked. Consultation to review data and next steps is available for an additional fee to target areas in need of improvement.
Recognized as a valid and reliable instrument by the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools experts, the assessment is also included in the federal School Climate and Survey Compendium.
Sample Assessment/Survey
Secondary
- Student CEEA Survey
- Faculty/Staff CEEA Survey
- Use “TestM” or “TestH” to log in into both student and staff survey to view its content.
Elementary
- Student CEEA Survey (grades 4-6)
- Faculty/Staff CEEA Survey
- Use “TestE” to log into both student and staff surveys to view its content.
Parent
- Parent CEEA Survey (all levels)
- Use “TestM” or “TestH” to log into the survey to view its content.