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ASC is a rapid and effective way to "take the pulse" of the school community and measure connectedness.

The Assessment of School Climate (ASC) is a statistically reliable research process designed to examine the climate of a school/district and identify areas both supporting and interfering with academic and emotional growth. The school/district climate (or connectedness) influences critical constituent behaviors such as communication, problem solving, and accountability - factors that affect students/parents/employees change and adherence to the mission.

The survey addresses four aspects of the school climate:

Empathy: How accurately do people listen to one another? Can people perceive the pain/joy others are experiencing? If so, is either an appropriate verbal or action response given to demonstrate empathetic understanding? How well do people pay attention to the message delivered through body language?

Accountability: To what extent do people in the organization see themselves and others following through on commitments? Are they motivated and do they take responsibility? Do they consider the consequences of the decisions made? Do they recognize their ability to influence and/or control? Do they accept ownership for actions/decisions in which they participated? Do they demonstrate endurance? Can they be cheerleaders for themselves?

Respect: Do people appreciate the value of each individual? Do people acknowledge the contributions of individuals? Do people esteem differences? Do people solicit others' opinions/expertise? Is respect observed at all levels? Are personal/professional boundaries recognized/respected?

Trust: Do people have a sense of faith and belief in the organization and its leaders? Do individuals squander time watching their backs - instead of doing their best? Do people have assurance that others will follow through on agreements? Are people willing to delegate various responsibilities? Is there demonstrable integrity? Are there specific principles created/followed by all? (The Trust factor is composed of questions selected from the other three areas.)

The ASC can effectively be used to create buy-in for re-examination of mission/goals/objectives, for refinement of purpose, for changes/growth, plus the opportunity to focus on developmental efforts/benchmarks and to measure improvements. The survey quickly provides a snapshot of perceptions, presented in a series of graphs such as the one below. In the ASC report a narrative description explains each graph and provides considerations for action.

Depending on whether the survey is on an individual, elementary school, high school, or district level, a variety of different divisions/subdivisions can be examined. Subgroups can be created based first on faculty/students, and parents. In addition, subgroups such as departments, geographic locations, and/or administrative or support levels can be compared to identify areas of agreement or disagreement. Additional reports on specific groups help target development and management efforts to move away from “one size fits all” intervention. Critical questions are identified to pinpoint specific strengths and concerns.

The confidential assessment is completed online by all or selected employees. The survey takes 10-20 minutes to complete. The whole process, from announcement to results, can be completed in less than two weeks.

Additional questions can instantly be added to the survey to check the effects of the school's ongoing initiatives or to measure a specific area of concern (e.g., how people feel about the math program). The measure is designed for frequent use to keep a “finger on the pulse” of the organization. The ASC is rapid, low-cost, and effective. It can also be used as a supplement to state testing requirements.

ASC was developed by Six Seconds' team of emotional intelligence (EQ) experts led by Anabel Jensen, Ph.D. and Joshua Freedman. Drawing on the authors' extensive backgrounds in EQ, the tool examines areas where emotionally intelligent and emotionally unintelligent behavior often affects performance and school culture.