Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Survey Sel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Plymouth-Canton board reviews fall Panorama student survey; district, students flag drop in growth mindset
Summary
District staff presented results from the 2024 fall Panorama student survey showing generally average scores across many social-emotional learning measures but a notable decline in growth mindset; board members asked for trend data and more student input before the spring administration.
Jonathan Flukes, director of data assessment, research and evaluation, presented the Plymouth‑Canton Community Schools’ results from the 2024 fall Panorama student survey at the Jan. 13 board meeting, saying the survey is intended to inform district and school improvement planning.
The district-wide review showed strengths in supportive relationships, self-management and teacher–student relationships in several grade bands, Flukes said, but he flagged a “largest decrease” in growth mindset scores in the 3–5 and 6–12 reports and recommended further inquiry. “The growth mindset, we saw that the largest decrease, in the 3 to 5 and the 6 to 12 survey,” Flukes said.
Why it matters: The survey is used twice annually to guide building improvement plans and professional learning. Board members said they want to know whether the decline reflects changes in the two-year survey instrument (Panorama simplified vocabulary this year), student understanding of questions, or real shifts in student perceptions that warrant instructional or programmatic responses.
District staff said the Panorama vendor shortened and simplified items this fall to improve accessibility and that some wording changes (for example, renaming “grit” to “perseverance”) could affect results. Flukes said Panorama staff will meet with student representatives so students can describe how they interpreted items and whether wording affected answers.
Board questions focused on interpretation and use: Treasurer Kehoe and other board members asked for multi-year trend data and for the district to track cohorts longitudinally rather than only year-to-year fall-to-fall comparisons. Flukes said the Panorama platform retains trend data and the district will provide multi-year charts for board review before spring reporting.
Several board members also raised concerns about the K–2 teacher-perception portion of the survey (teachers report on young students because the children cannot self‑report). The district said teachers’ perceptions are not reported student-by-student externally; results are reported in the aggregate and used as one of multiple indicators in building improvement plans.
Next steps: The district will (1) request Panorama input on whether the item changes could have driven the growth‑mindset decline, (2) host Panorama staff with student voice representatives so students can explain how they answered, and (3) provide multi-year trend data to the board ahead of the spring Panorama administration. Superintendent Monica Merritt said the results feed directly into schools’ MICIP (Michigan Integrated Continuous Improvement Process) planning.
Board members and staff emphasized that Panorama data are one input among many and that schools use the survey to form goals and follow-up actions, not as standalone judgments about individual students.
