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Beyond GPA: Toward More Comprehensive Assessments of Students’ School Experiences

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Abstract

The purpose of this report is to induce dialogue regarding positive education, specifically how monitoring quality of life (QOL) issues among youth can contribute to preparing youth for life.We advocate for the inclusion of youth school satisfaction and perceived school climate assessments into regular student assessment protocols. First, the health and academic challenges facing schools today are reviewed, followed by the theoretical underpinnings of school satisfaction.Then the report highlights missing assessment data and the importance of monitoring school satisfaction along with perceived school climate. Current data collection mandates used in there report pertain specifically to Ohio, where the primary report was funded. Student reports of satisfaction with their school experience, coupled with measures of school climate, are salient indicators of student well-being associated with behavior and academic performance in school. Nevertheless, the model and monitoring system proposed in this report needs additional research to test its usefulness.

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Acknowledgement

This project was funded by the Ohio Department of Mental Health through Federal appropriations funding from US Department of Health and Human Services # DHHS 4 H79 SM56823.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA

    Keith J. Zullig

  2. Northern Kentucky Health Department, Healthy Start, 610 Medical Village Drive, Edgewood, KY, 41017, USA

    Thomas M. Koopman

  3. Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    E. Scott Huebner

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  1. Keith J. Zullig
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Zullig, K.J., Koopman, T.M. & Huebner, E.S. Beyond GPA: Toward More Comprehensive Assessments of Students’ School Experiences. Child Ind Res 2, 95–108 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-008-9029-z

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