Student Census – Question Guide

This question will help us understand more about the many languages Limestone students speak. The 2020 Student Census showed that students speak 74 different languages. Answers to this question help us with translation and to make school better for students and families who speak different languages.

Tips for First Language:

• The list is set to show the first 10 options, but there are 90 on the list.
• We put these options at the top of the list so they are easy to find:  “I am not sure,” “I do not understand the question,” and “I prefer not to answer.”
• To find languages after “Bengali” at the bottom, you need to use the search bar.
• • Please use the search bar first. (If you add another language that’s already on the list, we’ll have duplicates.)
• Once you have searched and selected a language, you need to close the search bar to pick another.
• You can make as many selections as you want on this question.  To see what you’ve picked, click “Selected.”
• If the language you want to pick isn’t on the list, click “Add another language.” You can type it in.  It will add itself to your list of selected languages.
• If you pick the wrong language, go to “Selected” and un-click the wrong one to take it off the list.

Limestone is working to make school better for Indigenous students as part of Truth and Reconciliation.  If you pick an Indigenous identity (First Nations, Métis, Inuit, or you type something in the box) on the first question, you will get more questions. All of them are optional.

Asking about Indigenous identity is required by the Anti-Racism Data Standards under Standard 13 (Collecting Personal Information about Indigenous Identity).

Notes and tips for Indigenous Identities:

• Pick “Nation not listed above (please specify)” if you are Indigenous but do not describe yourself as First Nations, Métis, or Inuit. You can type the name of your nation into the box.
• If you are Indigenous to somewhere outside of Canada, you can use the “Nation not listed above (please specify)” box. We know that there are students in Limestone who might identify with an Indigenous community somewhere else in the world. We want to hear from you, too, and we hope you use this box.
• If you pick an Indigenous identity, you will get more questions:
• • You can tell us about the nation you belong to, if you want. This would be where you write that you belong to the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, for example. If you picked “Nation not listed above” in the last question, you can skip this because you already typed it in.
  • You will be asked if you are Two-Spirit. This question is here because only Indigenous people can use this word for themselves.
  • If you are in Grade 7 to 12, you will be asked if you identify as Indigiqueer, which is a newer word to describe a specifically Indigenous sexual orientation and/or gender identity, but it is different from Two-Spirit.

People sometimes mix up race and ethnicity, but they are not the same.  An ethnic group is a group of people who share things like the same culture, language, family history, or background. Sometimes people talk about their ethnicity and their nationality (the nation they come from) in the same way, and will choose their nationality for this answer. Some example answers to this question might be Anishinaabe, Irish, Chilean, Tamil, Japanese, or Somali. Many people have multiple ethnicities: you can pick as many ethnicities as apply to you.

Race is different because it can be based on what we look like and how others see us. We can be put into groups based on what other people think: this is called racialization. Ideas and perceptions of race change based on where you are in the world.

When we look at the answers to these two questions, we look at them separately and together. Looking at these answers together is more specific and can help us understand more about differences in experiences within racial groups.

There is one question about ethnicity and one question about race. You can choose as many answers as you want to both questions. You can also type in the box if none of the choices fit you. The choices on the race question were decided by the Anti-Racism Directorate and can’t be changed because they want everyone in Ontario to use the same choices.

Asking about ethnic origin is required by the ARDS under Standard 17 (Collecting Personal Information About Ethnic Origin). Asking about race is required by the ARDS under Standards 14 and 15 (Race Question, Race Categories).  

Notes and Tips for Ethnicity:

• The list is set to show the first 10 options, but there are over 200 on the list.
• We put these options at the top so they are easy to find: “I am not sure,” “I do not understand the question,” and “I prefer not to answer.”
• To find languages after “Algonquin” at the bottom, you need to use the search bar.
• • Please use the search bar first. (If you add another ethnicity that’s already on the list, we’ll have duplicates.)
• Once you have searched and selected an ethnicity, you need to close the search bar to pick another.
• You can make any many selections as you want on this question.  To see what you’ve picked, click “Selected.”
• If the ethnicity you want to pick isn’t on the list, click “Add another ethnicity or cultural background.” You can type it in.  It will add itself to your list.
• If you pick the wrong ethnicity, go to “Selected” and un-click the wrong one to take it off the list.
• This question is important because you can be specific about your cultural background. The next question about race is broader, and it may feel like the categories don’t fit you. When we analyze the data, we put your answers to this question with your answers to the race question to understand your background better.

Notes and Tips for Race:

• The options on this list are chosen for us by the government, and we are not allowed to change them. Please choose the ones that are the best fit for you and remember that you can always type in the box.
• • The last question about ethnicity should have choices that feel more right for you because the categories are more specific and are based on your family’s background and where you come from.
• You can type in the box if none of these are right for you. You can also skip the question.
• You can pick more than one option if you have more than one racial background. You have lots of choices in how you answer this question. In the 2020 Student Census, students who are mixed race answered the question in many ways:
• • Some students made multiple choices that reflected their different racial backgrounds (for example, they chose Black and White).
  • Some students made multiple choices (for example, Black and White), and they also typed into the text box. Most students who did this said they were mixed race or biracial.
  • Some students only typed in the box.
• We were told that last time we did the census, some students couldn’t pick more than one option. That should not happen this time, but if for any reason you can’t make the choices you want, type in the box.
• If you or your ancestors are Arabic-speaking from North Africa (like Algeria, Morocco, or Libya), you can pick “Middle Eastern” and type in the box to be more specific, or you can type in the box. We know that “Middle Eastern” might not fit, but it is the closest option. This is true for many other categories, too.

The list of religions and beliefs for this question is given to us by the government. We added more choices using answers from the 2020 Student Census and information people shared with us during consultations in the 2024-2025 school year.  

Asking about religion is required by the ARDS under Standard 16 (Collecting Personal Information About Religion).

If you pick a religion or belief, you will get another question about wearing religious symbols or clothing. Information from our Human Rights Reporting Tool tells us that students may be targeted for harassment for wearing religious symbols. We are asking this question to understand more about what school is like if you wear religious symbols.

Notes and Tips for Religion:

• Remember that if none of the categories fit you, you can type your religion or belief into the box.
• You can pick an option AND type in the box if you want to be specific. For example, you can pick “Christian” and type in your denomination (like Anglican, Baptist, or LDS).
• If you pick a religion or belief, you will be asked another question about wearing religious symbols at school. Some specific examples of visible religious symbols are:
• • Jewelry:  necklaces or charms with a Star of David, cross or crucifix, ohm, Hamsa, pentacle, etc.; kabbalah bracelets; kara bracelets
  • Head coverings: kippah or yarmulke, hijab, turban, headscarf or kerchief
  • There are two ways to say “no” to this question:
  • • Choose “No, I’m not comfortable” if you would wear a symbol of your religion or belief, but you are not comfortable doing that at school for any reason. You can type in why you feel that way, if you want.
    • Choose “No” if you simply do not wear any symbols for other reasons (for example, you don’t want to, or your religion does not encourage it)

Students of any gender can face barriers in school. Gender Identity is a protected ground under the Ontario Human Rights Code, and asking about gender identities is encouraged under Standard 12 of the ARDS (Collecting Personal Information to Better Understand Systemic Racism).

We ask about gender identity and transgender identity in separate questions so we can analyze the information separately and together, like we do with the race and ethnicity questions. Putting the information from these two questions together helps us be more specific. We also ask these separately so that you have more choices in how you answer.

Notes and Tips on Gender Identity:

• You can answer the gender identity question without answering the transgender question, and the other way around.
• If none of the options fit you, you can type it in.
• We are asking about transgender identity in the next question, and then we will put the information together. This is why you don’t see choices like trans boy or trans girl on the list.

Notes and Tips on Transgender Identity:

• This question doesn’t have a type-in box. If you want to be more specific about your transgender identity, you can type it in the Gender Identity question.

Gender identity and gender expression are different, and it is important for us to understand how each can affect students’ experiences at school. Gender identity is how we experience our gender: our internal sense of being a boy, girl, both, neither, or anywhere on the gender spectrum. Gender expression is how we show our gender to others through how we dress and act. Everyone expresses their gender. “Masculine,” “feminine,” and “androgynous” are some common ways to describe gender expression. Being “gender non-conforming” is when someone’s gender expression is different from what others expect.

Gender expression is a protected ground under the Ontario Human Rights Code, and asking about gender expression is encouraged under Standard 12 of the ARDS (Collecting Personal Information to Better Understand Systemic Racism). Research shows that students who are gender non-conforming report more harassment and violence at school.[1] Research also shows that gender expression might be a better predictor of experiences of gender-based harassment or violence than gender identity or sexual orientation.[2] The 2020 Student Census found that students who are gender non-conforming were almost twice as likely to say they do not experience a positive school climate, compared with students who are gender conforming (Student Census Achievement Report, December 2023, p. 20 & 45).

The gender expression questions ask you to describe how they express their gender most of the time, and how you think others describe your gender expression most of the time. Just like with other questions, we match these answers up with your gender identity answers. Then, we group students together based on whether they are gender conforming or gender non-conforming.

Notes and Tips on Gender Expression

• This question can be tricky. We want to know how you see yourself, but also how others see you, which can be hard to answer. How others see you can affect how you are treated. If you don’t know what to pick:
• • In this question, “feminine” means more like a girl, and “masculine” means more like a boy.
  • The “very” options mean much more like a girl or boy, and the “somewhat” options mean less like a girl or boy.
  • “Equally masculine and feminine” means in-between the two or neither.

Anti-2SLGBTQ+ hate, discrimination, harassment, and bullying are a problem in schools.[3] Sexual orientation is a protected ground under the Ontario Human Rights Code, and asking about sexual orientation is encouraged under Standard 12 of the ARDS (Collecting Personal Information to Better Understand Systemic Racism).  Our Equity Team use the information from this question for their identity-based bullying prevention programs. We also use this information to make sure that policies, practices, and activities include 2LGSBTQ+ students.

There are many answer options for this question. When we report the results, we will group all the answer choices together into one 2SLGBTQ+ category to protect student privacy. You can see how this looks in the reports we wrote for the 2020 Student Census.

Remember that if none of the categories fit, you can type in the box.

This question asks what (if any) issues are affecting your mental health, including substance use. Students can get mental health, substance use, and addictions support at school from trained Limestone staff and community partners. This support includes prevention (stopping something from happening), early intervention (helping someone early on in a problem), and referrals to community services (connecting students with someone else who can help outside of school). With the answers to this question, we can work to make sure the support staff in Limestone and in the community have the training they need to support students. We can use the same information to help teach students more about mental health and substance use, based on what is going on in our school board specifically.

We know that having good mental health and can help your school experience and help you feel more ready to learn. The answers to this question can help us understand more about how mental health, substance use, and addictions issues are related to students’ experiences at school and their achievement.

While mental health conditions are not a code ground on their own, some students may consider their mental health condition a disability, and some may come with special education supports (like an IEP with accommodations). If you have an accommodation based on a mental health condition, you are protected under the Code on disability grounds

Notes and Tips for Mental Health and Substance Use:

• We want to know if these issues affect you. We generally mean things that are happening to you directly, but you can also answer if a family or friend’s issues are affecting you.
• Limestone offers support for students who use substances, which is why we ask about substance use.
• This information – like all other questions – is private and will not be shared with anyone unless we are concerned for your safety.
• • If you type something in the box that makes us concerned for your safety, the law says we must check and see if you are ok. This means using the email address we sent the survey to find out your school and grade and asking an administrator (principal or vice-principal) to check on you.
• Please do not use the survey to ask for mental health support. We will not see your answers right away.
• You can ask for mental health and/or substance use support here.

This question asks about medical, neurological, and psychological conditions. These are different than disability (which we ask about later). Many students who have a condition on the list would not see themselves as having a disability, but their condition(s) may affect how they learn or take part at school, and they may have an accommodation because of it. We only have information about conditions like these in our systems for students who have IEPs: this question helps us get information for everyone else.

Our Educational Services department (who are responsible for special education) help staff in the board to include all students in learning. Information from this question can help Educational Services be very specific in the training and resources they give to staff.

If you have an accommodation because of a medical, neurological, or psychological condition, you are protected under the Code on disability grounds.

Notes and Tips on Conditions:

• If you don’t recognize the choices on this list, chances are you don’t have any of these conditions.
• If you have a condition that is not on the list, you can type it in the box.

Question text

Neurodiversity means everyone’s brain is different. We know that being neurodivergent (having a mind that works differently from what is considered the norm) can be hard in school. Educational Services is working to make school more neuro-affirming: That means celebrating how all human brains are different and doing things to help different types of brains thrive together. To do this, we need to understand more about neurodivergent students’ experiences and achievement.

If you have an IEP with accommodations because you are neurodivergent, you are protected by the Code on disability grounds.

Notes and Tips on Neurodiversity:

• You can say yes to this question even if you do not have a diagnosis.
• If you are not neurodivergent, you are neurotypical. There are definitions for both of these words in the question.

This question asks you if you have a disability or disabilities. You can say yes if you think of yourself as a person with a disability or as disabled. We are asking about IEPs (individualized education plans) and disabilities separately because they are separate things. There are students who have IEPs but do not think of themselves as disabled, and students who think of themselves as disabled but do not have IEPs.

The 2020 Student Census results showed that students with disabilities in Limestone have a bigger chance of having a hard time in school, which the board is working to improve. We have added some extra questions for students with disabilities this year so we can learn more about where the problems in school are and work to solve them.

Notes and Tips on Disability

• If you say “yes” to having a disability, you will get some extra questions to learn more about what school is like for you. Your answers will help us understand more about where the problems in school are.
• (Grades 4-6) One question asks if there are any obstacles at school “because of your disability.” We know that it isn’t disability that creates obstacles: it’s environments and attitudes that don’t include people with disabilities. We wrote it this way to make the question easier to understand.

Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)

This question asks you if you have an IEP and, if you do, if you understand your accommodations (the things the IEP says you should have to do your best in school). If you say yes, you will get more questions later in the survey about how you get your accommodations in school. We know from our student records which students have IEPs, but we don’t know if students know about and understand them. If you and your family know what is on your IEP, it can help you ask for what you need. The results of the 2020 Student Census showed that students with IEPs were more likely to have a hard time at school, and we want to understand if knowing about your IEP makes a difference.  

If you have an IEP with accommodations, you are protected under the Human Rights Code on disability grounds.

Notes and Tips on IEPs:

• If you hover your mouse over the word “accommodations” in the question, it will explain what those are.

This question is about our community and isn’t part of the Human Rights Code. We have a Canadian Forces Base (CFB) in Kingston where lots of parents, caregivers, and other family members work. Students in military families can have a harder time in school for uncommon reasons, like having to move a lot, having a parent away for long time, and not having a lot of support because people don’t understand what it’s like.[4] 

We know that having a family member in the military can have a big effect on families for a long time, so we are asking if any family member that you know or remember well served in the military. “Military” includes every branch, like the Air Force, Army, Navy, including the Reserves. We say a family member “you know or remember well” so that you don’t go too far back into your family history.

This question is different from the others because we are not going to use these results to see how students are doing in school. We will use it to help staff in the board understand more about students who have family members in the military. We may also use the results of this question to help train staff and to pick resources for classrooms.

Notes and Tips for Military Family Member:

• This question won’t be matched up with academic achievement data. We will use it to help staff in the board understand more about students who have family members in the military.
• When we say a “family member,” we mean someone in your family that you know or remember well.
• Click “yes” if someone in your family who you know or remember well served in the military. It does not have to be the Canadian military.

This question is about our community and isn’t part of the Human Rights Code. There are correctional facilities (places where people are in jail for a long time) in our area. When someone is incarcerated (sent to a correctional facility for a long time), it can have a big effect on their families. Students with a family member who is incarcerated might have to move to be near them, have a lot of stress, be treated negatively by people who know about it, and might not have a lot of support in the community because people don’t understand what it’s like.[5] We are asking this question to help staff in the board understand more about students who have an incarcerated family member.

We know that having a family member who is incarcerated can have a big effect on families for a long time, so we are asking you if you have a family member who is or was incarcerated.

This question is different from the others because we are not going to use these results to see how students are doing in school. We will use it to help staff in the board understand more about students who have family members who are incarcerated. We may also use the results of this question to help train staff and to pick resources for classrooms.

Notes and Tips on Incarcerated Family Member:

• This question won’t be matched up with academic achievement data. We will use it to help staff in the board understand more about students who have an incarcerated family member.
• When we say a “family member,” we mean someone in your family that you know or remember well.
• Click “yes” if someone in your family who you know or remember well was or is incarcerated.
• Remember that you can skip this question if you don’t want to answer it.

Just like the last two questions, this one is about an issue in our community and not about the Human Rights Code. Right now, housing (having somewhere safe to live for a long time) is a big issue in our area for many families. Not having somewhere safe to live can make school harder. This question is different from the others because we are not going to use these results to see how students are doing in school. We will use it to help staff in the board understand more about students who are having housing problems. We may also use the results of this question to help train staff and to pick resources for classrooms.

Answering yes to this question might make you worried about how we might use this information and what that might mean for your family. Remember, you do not need to answer the question. If you do answer the question, we have asked it in a way that makes it impossible for us to know what has happened or why. We also have to keep your answers private unless we think you are in immediate danger, and this question doesn’t ask about anything happening right now. Also, remember that we are trying to learn more about groups of students, not you specifically.

Notes and Tips on Housing:

• If you answer “yes” to this question, here are some places you can go for help with housing.
• This question won’t be matched up with academic achievement data. We will use it to help staff in the board understand how many students are having a hard time with housing, and to make sure that staff have information they can share with you if you ask.

There are four questions that ask about things you own and rooms in your home. The answers to these four questions are put together to make categories that help us understand socioeconomic status (SES) in schools.[6] SES means how much money we earn, the kind of education we have, and the types of jobs we do. It helps show what like is like for different groups of people and how we fit into communities.

The categories we make are lower, middle, and higher SES. We use these categories to see what differences there are in students’ experiences and achievement. SES is not a human rights ground on its own, but it is connected to human rights. People with lower SES may not have the same opportunities as people with middle or higher SES. We ask these questions to make sure that students are getting the same opportunities in Limestone.

Notes and Tips for SES:

• There are four questions that ask about things you have in your home or that you own. We put all the answers to these four questions together when we analyze the data to help understand your socioeconomic status.
• Two of the questions about digital devices are very similar. The questions are from a survey that students take around the world called the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), and we need to ask them the same way to get helpful results.

This section of the survey asks about your experiences at school. Each of these questions is connected to something official, like a board plan[7] or a provincial policy. Limestone is working to create positive experiences in schools that help you learn and grow, and these questions ask about the things that can help that happen.[8]

Feelings About School

These questions ask you about your school environment. Being included, feeling you belong, giving and receiving respect, and fair rules are important parts of having a positive school environment. The law says that schools need to check on school environment (which is also called school climate) and work to make it better (Education Act). We also need to make sure that everyone in the school community feels safe, included, welcomed and respected (PPM 119)

Notes and Tips on Feelings About School

These questions ask you about your school environment. Being included, feeling you belong, giving and receiving respect, and fair rules are important parts of having a positive school environment. The law says that schools need to check on school environment (which is also called school climate) and work to make it better (Education Act). We also need to make sure that everyone in the school community feels safe, included, welcomed and respected (PPM 119)

• When we ask if you can express your cultural identity comfortably at school, we mean that you can be yourself at school and share your culture (maybe through your clothes, art, or ways of thinking about or doing things) without feeling like you have to hide anything.
• When we ask if you can express your gender comfortably at school, we mean that you can be yourself at school and show your gender (maybe through your clothes, your hair, your makeup) without feeling like you have to hide anything.

Extracurricular Activities

Having the chance to participate in extracurricular activities like sports and clubs are an important part of school life. We want to understand more about who does or does not do extracurricular activities, and how we can make sure all students have opportunities to participate. We are asking you if you do or plan to do any of the activities on the list this year. We used the results from the 2020 Student Census to understand more about how different groups of students participated in activities, which helped us create special programming.  

Notes and Tips on Extracurricular Activities:

• This question is asking about extracurricular activities that are run by your school, not activities outside of school.
• This question asks if you do or plan to do an activity. If the activity you plan to do hasn’t started yet, you can still stay yes.
• There are four answer options for each activity. You can choose one for each activity on the list:
• • Yes: Choose this if you participate in this activity at school or if you are going to when it starts.
  • I would, but I do not have transportation (before or after school): Choose this if you want to do the activity, but you can’t get there (you can’t get to or from the activity by walking, biking, getting a ride, or taking a bus).
  • No: Choose this if you do not participate in this activity at school.
  • This is not available at my school: Choose this if your school does not have this activity.

Positive Representation at School

All students should be able to see themselves in what they learn, activities they do (PPM 119).  We have learned through previous surveys (both Student Census and School Climate) that many students report that they don’t see themselves in classroom materials and topics. What we can’t tell from previous surveys is which parts of students’ identities are missing, so we have made the question more specific this time.

Each line has a different part of identity on it (for example, your language or your culture), and you can choose how each of those parts of you are represented. Some options only appear if you picked something earlier in the survey. We have added two parts of identity that you may not have seen before: body type and family type (click on Notes and Tips to learn more).

Notes and Tips on Positive Representation:

• Most of the other questions give you an option to say, “I prefer not to answer” or “I don’t understand.” This one doesn’t, because it made the question too big and too hard to read. If you don’t want to answer, or if you don’t understand the question, you can skip parts of it, or all of it.
• There are a lot of options on this question because “identity” is made up of many things. You may not have thought about some of the things we’re asking about yet. If the options don’t make sense to you, that’s ok. You can answer the ones that do and skip the rest.
• When we say, “in a good way,” we mean with respect and in a way that feels good and right to you when you think about that part of your identity.
• You may have different answers for different parts of your identity. Your language might be represented “Always in a good way,” but your culture or ethnicity might be represented “Sometimes in a good way.”
• Pick “Not represented at all” if you have never seen or learned about that part of your identity in school.
• We have added two parts of identity that you may not have seen before: body type and family type:
• • Body type: Body type means the size, shape, and composition of your body. Body type isn’t a human rights ground, but our Human Rights Reporting Tool shows that it is the number one reason for complaints that aren’t about human rights. Bullying, harassment, and negative treatment around body type can last a long time. One way to help prevent bullying about body type is to learn about body diversity: that all bodies are different and that no one should be made fun of because of their body. This part of the question will help us understand more about how we can help people learn about body diversity and anti-bullying.
  • Family type: Our families are an important part of who we are, and all families are different. We are asking this question to see if you see families like yours represented at school (for example, in the books you read in class). We are not asking you to tell us who is in your family or who you live with.

This question asks you how often you learn about Indigenous perspectives in school. Limestone is working to make school better for Indigenous students as part of truth and reconciliation.   Schools also help all students learn about Indigenous teachings and perspectives. To do this, the Indigenous Education Team helps teachers introduce Indigenous perspectives to their classes and helps students receive teachings from Elders and traditional knowledge keepers. We are asking this question to make sure all students have a chance to learn about Indigenous perspectives.

Notes and Tips on Indigenous Education and Reconciliation:

• For high school students: The question about Elders and knowledge keeper asks how often they come to your class. Think about your classes overall when you answer this question.

This question asks how often you learn about people with different backgrounds. School boards need to give students opportunities to learn about different histories, cultures, and perspectives (PPM 119). Where the question about positive representation was about seeing yourself in what you learn, this question is about learning about people who are different from you.

Notes and Tips for Inclusive Education

• Think about what you learn in general, not just one class or subject. You could have learned about a topic in one lesson or done a whole unit on it, or maybe you learned about it on your own as part of a special project.
• Pick “Never” if you don’t remember ever learning about that topic at school.
• Pick “Sometimes” if you have learned about the topic in some classes or in some subjects, but not all, or maybe you only learned about it one time in one lesson.
• Pick “Often” if you learn about topics like this all the time, in many or most of your classes or subjects.

This question asks you about the adults at your school. Having good relationships with caring adults at school can help you feel safe and included and can help you do well in school and life.  Building supportive relationships that help students do well in school are part of the board’s Strategic Plan, and the Mental Health, Substance Use, and Addictions Strategy.[9]

Notes and Tips for Interactions with Adults

• An adult can be any staff member who works at your school. This includes teachers, EAs, office staff, custodians, principals and vice principals, Student Services or support staff (like a School Support Counsellor or an Adolescent Care Worker) and more.

This question asks you about your schoolwork and class participation. We are asking these questions to help learn more about to help all students succeed and how we can best meet students’ special education needs.

Notes and Tips on Learning Support

• If you said yes to having an IEP earlier in the survey, you will get a question asking if your teachers know you have an IEP. We can’t know which teachers you mean when you answer this question, so we mean your teachers in general.
• • You might pick “Agree” if, generally, most do, or “Strongly Agree” if all do.
  • You might pick “Neutral” if some do and some don’t.
  • You might pick “Disagree” if, generally, most don’t, or “Strongly Disagree” if none do.
• If you said yes to understanding what your accommodations are earlier in the survey, you will get a question asking if you get your accommodations without asking. Again, we can’t know which teachers or accommodations you mean when we ask this question, so we mean in general.
• • You might pick “Agree” or “Strongly Agree” if you get them most or all of the time without asking.
  • You might pick “Neutral” if you sometimes get them without asking and sometimes don’t.
  • You might pick “Disagree” or “Strongly Disagree” if you always have to ask.
• “My work is usually assessed fairly” means that you think the grades you get on your assignments, or the comments you get on your learning goals, are fair and based on your work and effort.
• “I can participate in class in a way that meets my ability” means that the work you get in class isn’t too hard or too easy.
• “Teachers give me chances to show my learning in different ways” means that you sometimes get a choice in how you show your teacher what you have learned (for example, choosing between giving a presentation or writing an essay).

Attendance is an important part of doing well in school. School boards across Ontario are paying close attention to student attendance as part of the Student Achievement Plan. This question is here to help understand why students are late or absent from school so we can respond to these issues. This question has a long list of reasons, and a box to type in if there is another reason you want to share.

Notes and Tips on Reasons Absent or Late

• There are a lot of choices on this list. Many of them were on the last survey, but we added new ones based on what students and staff suggested based on their experiences. Remember that you can type in the box if you have any to add.
• If you have never been late or absent, pick “None of these apply to me.”

A lot of the work we do with this survey is about finding problems in school so we can try to solve them, but we also think it is important to ask about positive things. The last two questions on the survey ask you what you think your greatest strength is and what your favourite part or parts of the school day are.[10]

Notes and Tips on Greatest Strength

• Sometimes, it’s hard to know what we are good at. If you feel that way, this question may be hard to answer, and that’s ok. You can think about what someone who knows you well would say about your greatest strength to make a choice.
• Remember you can pick more than one, and type in the box.

Notes and Tips on Best Part of the School Day

• Remember that if none of the choices on the list fit you, or if we missed something, you can type in the box.