Student CFL Overview

What is the Conditions for Learning Survey? 

• The Iowa Department of Education (Department) has included Conditions for Learning as part of the plan under the federal education law, Every Student Succeeds Act   (ESSA), for identifying schools for improvement and support. 
  • The score also contributes to the overall score that is used to assign state school ratings.
• All Iowa public schools will use the Conditions for Learning Survey (Survey) to improve safety, student engagement and the overall learning environment so that all Iowa students have optimum conditions for learning. 
• Improving skills such as solving problems, working out conflict, and working with other people in a group has led to double-digit increases on achievement test scores, improved classroom behavior and improved attitudes. 

Who takes the Survey?

• All public schools in Iowa will use an online survey to assess Conditions for Learning in grades 3-12.
• Two versions of the Survey will be administered to students; one for students in grades 3-5, which has been adapted to be age appropriate for the lower grades, and one for students in grades 6-12. 
• Nonpublic schools are not required to participate. 

Is the Survey required by everyone?

• Individual student participation in the Survey is highly encouraged, but no student is required to complete it. Students may skip any questions they feel uncomfortable answering and may stop taking the Survey at any point during the administration.
• Parental consent for students to participate is passive - parents or guardians may sign a Written Refusal form indicating that their child(ren) should not participate in the Survey.
• Parents and guardians should be notified at least two weeks prior to the Survey administration in their child’s school, and given the opportunity to review the Survey. 

How do students take the Survey?

• The Survey is available annually in the spring during the month of April. The window opens on the first weekday of the month, and closes on the last weekday of the month.
  • The survey period this year is April 1- 30, 2024. 
• The Department is excited to partner with Panorama Education to administer the Survey online. Panorama also provides the state’s MTSS data system, Student Success.
• All students will use the following link: http://surveys.panoramaed.com/ia.
  • Students will use their 10-digit state student ID number (access codes) to take the Survey.
  • Written instructions for finding state student IDs can be found in this one-pager, and a demonstration is available in this video.   
• All responses are confidential, and no student responses will be identifiable by their student ID. 
• The Survey will take students approximately 20 minutes to complete. Responses are saved when students click the blue Submit button. 
• The Survey is available in English and Spanish translations, and the online Survey platform is compatible with most screen readers. Schools may provide translators or interpreters, and other accommodations typically given to students who need them. 

Can principals track participation in their school?

• Once the Survey is launched, district and building users can see response rates for a specific school by signing into Student Success (log in through A&A account from the Iowa Education Portal). They can also download a list of which students have and have not completed surveys, as demonstrated in this video. 
  • In order to access the response rate dashboard, you must have access to Student Success, the Iowa MTSS data system.
  • The school or district’s Student Information System (SIS) manager should follow the instructions linked in Step 2 of the Quick Start: Access to Student Success and Fastbridge for LEA Users document to assign an MTSS building or district user role.
  • In EdPortal, these roles will show in a profile as Pano_Bldg_User and Pano_Dist_User. 
• There will be two types of access to the response rate dashboard.
  • State-Wide and District-Wide Access: State-level administrators and district administrators can view both the district’s response rates and completion lists, and the response rates and completion lists for all schools.
  • School-Level Access: School Leaders will have access to their own school’s response rates. 
• No school personnel will have access to individual student Survey data in Student Success during or after the Survey. 

Is the Survey confidential?

• The Survey is confidential. No school, district, or Department staff will have access to identifiable individual student survey data.
• The information from the Survey does not provide student-level results (all data are aggregated), but does provide information that may be used by a school building to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and serves as a foundation on which to build an action plan for improving the learning environment for all students. 

What response rate should we aim for?

• We encourage schools to aim for 100% participation to ensure the voices of all students are represented and heard. 
• At least 50% participation of a school’s roster is needed to create a score for the Iowa School Performance Profiles. Schools that do not participate or have less than 50% participation will receive a zero score for the CfL measure on the School Profile.

Who can we contact for help?

• For questions about the Survey, results data, or other general topics, contact [e-mail]. 
• For technical questions about how to access the Panorama Student Success system via the Iowa Education Portal or information about the Panorama survey platform or participation monitoring, contact [e-mail].