Instruments
Accuplacer
Accuplacer is College Board’s suite of online tests in reading, writing, and math used for placing college students in coursework that is appropriate for their preparation level. In 2016, Accuplacer was redesigned to align with the content assessed by the SAT exams as well as with the skills important for college readiness.
The Accuplacer suite includes:
1. The Reading test focusing on four domains: information and ideas, rhetoric, synthesis, and vocabulary;
2. The Writing test focusing on two domains: expression of ideas and standard English conventions;
3. The Math test that is aligned with state college and career readiness standards;
4. The WritePlacer and WitePlacer ESL tests evaluating students’ essay writing;
5. The Accuplacer ESL test that helps place ESL and EFL students in appropriate language courses.
All Accuplacer tests except for the WritePlacer are multiple choice.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: College Readiness
Grades: Post secondary
ACT Engage
ACT’s Engage assessments measure motivational, skill, social engagement, and self-regulatory constructs related to academic performance in college.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: College Readiness
Grades: 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
CIRP Freshman Survey (TFS)
Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) developed the Freshman Survey for collecting data on incoming college freshmen. The CIRP Freshman Survey focuses on the following domains: established behaviors in high school, academic preparedness, admissions decisions, expectations of college, interactions with peers and faculty, student values and goals, student demographic characteristics, and concerns about financing college.
Year developed: 1966.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: College Readiness
Grades: Post secondary
My Class Inventory Short Form (MCI-SF)
The My Class Inventory-Short form, adapted from the longer form version of the My Class Inventory contains 25 yes or no questions written at a low reading level suitable for children. The MCI-SF asks respondents about their perceptions of five different dimensions of their actual classroom environment: Satisfaction, Friction, Competitiveness, Difficulty (with classroom work) and Cohesiveness.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: School Climate
Grades: 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade
Classroom Climate Scale
The Classroom Climate Scale was created to gauge elementary students' perceptions of school climate. It measures four key dimensions of school climate to help teachers improve school climate and classroom management. It builds on a previous school climate measure used in Chilean public schools by giving the survey robust psychometric qualities.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: School Climate
Grades: 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
College Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (CASES)
The College Academic Self-Efficacy Scales (CASES) measures college students’ self-reported academic self-efficacy. CASES asks respondents to rate their confidence in various college activities such as note-taking, asking questions, writing, and class attendance. CASES has 33 items using a 5-points Likert scale ranging from 0 “very little confidence” to 4 “quite a lot of confidence”.
Year developed: 1988.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: College Readiness
Grades: Post secondary
College Readiness for Global Campus Survey
The College Readiness for Global Campus Survey was developed by Lee et al. (2019) to explore the college readiness of US and international undergraduate students. College readiness measures of the College Readiness for Global Campus Survey focus on two domains: academic readiness and sociocultural readiness. The academic readiness domain includes academic competencies such as critical thinking, problem-solving, computing skills, note-taking, presentation and test-taking skills, reading, writing, and mastery in subject areas. The sociocultural readiness domain includes 11 sociocultural competencies: collaboration and teamwork, commitment to learning, understanding college and career paths, responsibility, academic integrity, communication, creativity, independence, help-seeking, balancing multiple demands, and multicultural competence. The survey uses Likert-type questions ranging from 1 “none” to 5 “excellent”.
Year developed: 2019.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: College Readiness
Grades: Post secondary
College Survival and Success Scale
The College Survival and Success Scale (CSSC) measures noncognitive college readiness. First designed in 2006 and in the 2nd edition since 2011, the subscales that CSSC assesses include:
- Commitment to education.
- Self- and resource-management skills.
- Interpersonal and social skills.
- Academic success skills.
- Career planning skills.
Items are Likert-type, with response options ranging from “a lot like me” to “not like me.”
Year developed: 2006 (2nd edition since 2011).
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: College Readiness
Grades: 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Comprehensive School Climate Inventory (CSCI)
The Comprehensive School Climate Inventory (CSCI) is a nationally-recognized and empircally validated school climate survey that provides an in-depth profile of your school community’s particular strengths, as well as areas for improvement. With the CSCI, you can quickly and accurately assess student, parent/ guardian, and school personnel perceptions in order to get the data that you need to make informed decisions for lasting improvement. The CSCI measures thirteen essential dimensions of a healthy school climate in five broad categories: Safety, Teaching and Learning, Interpersonal Relationships, Social Media, Institutional Environment, as well as two distinct dimensions for personnel only.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: School Climate
Grades: 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Delaware School Climate Survey
The Delaware School Climate Survey-Student Version is a brief survey that measures student feelings about school climate across several subdomains (which include Social and Emotional Competencies, Classroom Management Techniques, Bullying, and Engagement). Parent/Guardian and teacher versions of the Delaware School Climate Survey are also available for implementation.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: School Climate
Grades: 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
U. S. Department of Education School Climate Survey (EDSCLS)
The EDSCLS national benchmark study questionnaires designed for students, instructional staff, and non-instructional staff/principal cover 3 domains and 13 topics. The ED School Climate Surveys (EDSCLS) are a suite of survey instruments that were developed for schools, districts, and states by NCES. This NCES effort extends activities to measure and support school climate by ED’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students (OSHS). Through the EDSCLS, schools nationwide have access to survey instruments and a survey platform that allows for the collection and reporting of school climate data across stakeholders at the local level. The surveys can be used to produce school-, district-, and state-level scores on various indicators of school climate from the perspectives of students, teachers, non-instructional school staff, principals, and parents/guardians. NCES has also developed psychometric benchmarks to enable meaningful comparisons between student subgroups, and between schools.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: School Climate
Grades: 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) 3rd edition
The Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) measures college students’ learning and study strategies. It can be used for screening to identify students at risk of poor academic achievement and for diagnostics to examine strengths and weaknesses and provide focused remediation.
Now in its third edition, LASSI includes 60 items mapping onto ten scales (Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient in parentheses for every scale): Anxiety (.87), Attitude (.76), Concentration (.85), Information Processing (.81), Motivation (.77), Selecting Main Ideas (.86), Self Testing (.80), Test Strategies (.77), Time Management (.80), and Using Academic Resources (.76).
Year developed: LASSI 1st edition: 1987, LASSI 2nd edition: 2002; LASSI 3rd edition: 2016
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: College Readiness
Grades: Post secondary
Meriden School Climate Survey-Student Version (MSCS-SV)
The Meriden School Climate Survey-Student Version is a 47-item survey of students’ perception of adult support at school, school safety, respect for differences, adult support at home, including academic support, student aggression toward others, and peer support.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: School Climate
Grades: 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Online Learning Readiness Scale (OLRS)
Developed by Hung et al. (2010) and validated on a sample of Taiwanese college students, the Online Learning Readiness Scale (OLRS) explores five dimensions of readiness to study online: self-directed learning, learner control, motivation for learning, computer/Internet self-efficacy, and online communication self-efficacy.
Year developed: 2010.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: College Readiness
Grades: Post secondary
Perceptions, Expectations, Emotions, and Knowledge about College (PEEK)
Perceptions, Expectations, Emotions, and Knowledge about College (PEEK) is a diagnostic instrument focused on student ideas, attitudes, beliefs, and expectations of college. PEEK’s 30 items use a 5-point rating scale (from “not at all likely” to “extremely likely”) to assess students’ academic, personal, and social expectations. Such measurement could potentially assist students in forming more precise perceptions of their college surroundings and potentially prevent disengagement and dropout from college.
Year developed: 1995.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: College Readiness
Grades: 12th Grade, Post secondary
Readiness and Expectations Questionnaire (REQ)
The Readiness and Expectations Questionnaire (REQ) is a researcher-designed instrument for measuring first-year postsecondary students’ expectations and preparedness for studying in college (Jansen et al., 2013; Jansen & van der Meer, 2007).
In the domain of student expectations, the REQ focuses on the expectations to be inducted by teachers, be involved in research or be told about research activities, that university will be similar to high school, and that they need time-management skills.
In the college readiness domain, the REQ measures students’ perceived readiness in information processing, collaborative learning, time management, and writing.
Year developed: 2006.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: College Readiness
Grades: Post secondary
School Climate Survey
The School Climate Survey (SCS), comprised of 40 question items, is utilized to assess children’s perceptions of the quality of their school’s climate by measuring the prevalence of behaviors within the school that correspond to specific interpersonal and intrapersonal character traits. All items are responded too using a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (almost always).
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: School Climate
Grades: 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
School Implementation Climate Scale (SICS)
The School Implementation Climate Scale (SICS) assesses the school’s climate with regard to the strategic implementation of evidence-based practices (EBP). The scale examines seven constructs: focus on EBP, educational support for EBP, recognition for EBP, rewards for EBP, use of data to support EBP, existing supports to deliver EBP, and integration of EBP. SICS items are Likert-scale ranging from 0 (“not at all”) to 4 ("very great extent").
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: School Climate
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade
School Implementation Leadership Scale (SILS)
The School Implementation Leadership Scale (SILS) quantifies implementation leadership focusing on behaviors supporting or inhibiting the implementation of evidence-based practices in schools. SILS subscales examine proactive leadership, knowledgeable leadership, supportive leadership, perseverant leadership, communication, vision, and availability to support the implementation of evidence-based practices. SILS uses five-point Likert-scale items with responses ranging from 0 (not at all) to 4 (to a very great extent.)
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: School Climate
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade
Student Athlete Pre-Screening Questionnaire (SA-PSQ)
The Student Athlete Pre-Screening Questionnaire (SA-PSQ) is a tool for evaluating the college readiness of student athletes. It is derived from the CollegeCareerReady™ School Diagnostic, which assesses four key areas of college readiness, including cognitive strategies, content knowledge, learning skills and techniques, and transition knowledge and skills. The SA-PSQ measure is predictive of college GPA and probation status, and it has also been shown to account for a distinct variation in college readiness knowledge and skills beyond typical demographic factors and academic preparation variables such as high school GPA and SAT scores (Lombardi et al., 2012).
Year developed: 2012.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: College Readiness
Grades: Post secondary
Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 (TSIA2)
The Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 (TSIA2) was introduced in 2021, replacing the previous version utilized since 2013. As per the Texas State Legislature mandate, all students entering Texas public higher education institutions must undergo TSIA2 or qualify for one of its exemptions. The TSIA2 evaluates students' readiness for college-level coursework by testing them in English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) and Mathematics.
In ELAR, TSIA2 focuses on two key areas: reading and writing. The reading portion assesses comprehension and analysis of literary, informational, and argumentative texts, including paired passages. Meanwhile, the writing portion evaluates skills in revising and editing sentences, paragraphs, and early drafts of essays.
In mathematics, TSIA2 focuses on four key areas: quantitative reasoning, algebraic reasoning, geometric and spatial reasoning, and probabilistic and statistical reasoning.
Students taking the TSIA2 begin by completing College Readiness Classification (CRC) tests in ELAR and mathematics, comprising multiple-choice questions. If students fail to meet the college readiness benchmarks on these CRC tests, they proceed with the multiple-choice diagnostic tests in ELAR and Mathematics. These diagnostic tests present an additional chance for the students to demonstrate their preparedness for college-level coursework. They also highlight students' strengths and weaknesses in specific content areas, thus facilitating their placement into suitable courses and enabling them to receive the necessary remedial support and interventions.
Year developed: 2021 (TSIA2 replaced TSIA introduced in 2013).
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: College Readiness
Grades: Post secondary
The Abbreviated School Climate Survey
The Abbreviated School Climate Survey (ASCS), an abbreviated version of the 100-item School Climate survey developed by the Developmental Studies Center (now known as the Center for the Collaborative Classroom), is a 34-item assessment of school climate that includes 7 of the 11 subscales from the original assessment. The subscales include: positive behavior, negative behavior, classroom and school supportiveness, autonomy and influence, safety at schools, enjoyment of school, and school norms and rules).
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: School Climate
Grades: 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade
Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI)
The Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI) is an instrument measuring to what extent school personnel use (or need) school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS). The three tiers in TFI are 1) universal SWPBIS features, 2) targeted SWPBIS features, and 3) intensive SWPBIS features. The scoring of each item in TFI ranges from 0 to 2 (0 not implemented, 1 partially implemented, 2 fully implemented.)
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: School Climate
Grades: 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
UChicago Consortium 5Essentials Survey
The 5Essentials Survey from the University of Chicago's Consortium on School Research is an improvement framework and diagnostic survey tool used to assess a school's strengths while highlighting areas and opportunities for improvement across five essential factors for school improvement (Effective Leaders, Collaborative Teachers, Involved Families, Supportive Environment, and Ambitious Instruction).
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: School Climate
Grades: 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Virginia Secondary School Climate Survey/Authoritative School Climate Survey
The Virginia Secondary School Climate Survey also known as the Authoritative School Climate Survey is administered to students and teachers/staff to assess disciplinary structure and student support, two school climate factors that are thought to inlfluence school climate outcomes such as student engagement and prevalence of testing and bullying in school.
Category: Schooling
Sub-Category: School Climate
Grades: 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade