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Belonging survey shows mostly steady results; committee discusses focus groups to probe subgroup responses
Summary
Secondary belonging survey (PSSM) results were largely consistent with prior years; board members recommended targeted focus groups to understand lower responses among some subgroups and discussed alternating the district’s PSSM and Pennsylvania Youth Survey every other year.
Upper Dublin School District staff presented results of the district’s secondary belonging survey (the Psychological Sense of School Membership, PSSM) to the education committee May 7 and described largely stable year‑to‑year averages across student subgroups. Administrators said the district has been aggregating results by subgroup since 2023 and that the survey covers students in grades 6–12.
The presentation showed response counts comparable to prior years and category breakdowns by race and ethnicity, gender, LGBTQIA identification, English language learner status, special education, gifted education and school attendance. Staff said the PSSM uses an 18‑statement instrument scored 1–5; higher averages indicate greater sense of belonging. Committee members asked for more detailed understanding of why particular subgroups reported lower scores on some items.
Several board members recommended convening student focus groups or listening sessions — particularly with LGBTQIA students, special education students, and students identifying as Hispanic or Black — to gather qualitative context that the numeric data do not provide. Staff said they had already shared the results with the district equity and empowerment steering committee and student leaders, and proposed running targeted conversations with student groups, counselors, and principals to elicit reasons behind the numbers.
The committee also discussed whether to alternate the PSSM with the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS), which is administered every other year and focuses on mental health, drugs, bullying and suicide risk. The equity group had mixed views: some members preferred an every‑other‑year cadence to allow the district to implement interventions and measure change, while others favored keeping annual pulses on student perceptions. Staff said the committee could define a threshold for “statistically significant” change to inform cadence decisions.
