PERTS Copilot Student Survey

The extent to which students are experiencing learning conditions that matter for student engagement and learning.

The full survey consists of 18 items spanning six “learning conditions.” It takes students 5–10 minutes to complete, but can be made shorter. The survey is customizable, allowing educators to focus on the particular learning conditions they feel are relevant to their contexts and to choose only the survey items relevant to those learning conditions. The survey is designed for students in grades 6–12.

Through the PERTS Copilot-Elevate platform, educators receive a confidential report with data overall and disaggregated by student demographic characteristics.

Research has shown that the six learning conditions measured by the PERTS Copilot survey matter for student engagement and success:

1. Affirming cultural identity: Students feel more connected to and motivated in classes that affirm their background.
2. Classroom belonging: Students need to feel a sense of community, mutual support among peers, and affirmation to feel safe and connected.
3. Feedback for growth: Students need supportive feedback that helps them recognize their own potential to grow.
4. Meaningful work: Students need to understand how schoolwork is relevant to their own lives and goals.
5. Student voice: Students take ownership of their learning through sharing their knowledge and perspectives in the classroom.
6. Teacher caring: Students need to feel valued and respected in the learning environment.

(For further information, including summaries of and links to the research base behind these learning conditions, see: Copilot-Elevate Measures Summary.)

The results of the PERTS Copilot survey provides students’ perspectives on the extent to which they are experiencing these learning conditions. Importantly, Copilot survey data reports help educators surface differences in how students from different racial, ethnic, and gender groups experience learning conditions, allowing educators to take additional steps to understand and mitigate disparities.

Researchers have empirically analyzed the relationship between the Copilot survey items and student outcomes as well as between the use of the Copilot survey and student outcomes.

A 2019 PERTS study found that teachers using Copilot were able to improve learning conditions over time and that better learning conditions were linked to “higher and more equitable achievement.”ⁱ

Findings included that “over 80% of teachers improved one or more classroom learning conditions when they leveraged Copilot over multiple cycles of inquiry and action” and that “students who experienced positive learning conditions in a class were 30% more likely to earn an A or B in that class.”ⁱⁱ These benefits were even more pronounced for students of color.

PERTS also linked better learning conditions to better social and emotional learning outcomes, finding that “when learning conditions improved, students were 86% more likely to experience a higher sense of belonging, 24% more likely to develop a growth mindset, and 2x more likely to report they ‘tried their very best’ in class.”ⁱⁱⁱ

ⁱ Gripshover, S., & Paunesku, D. (2019). How can schools support academic success while fostering healthy social and emotional development? PERTS, Stanford University.

ⁱⁱ Gripshover & Paunesku, 2019.

ⁱⁱⁱ Gripshover & Paunesku, 2019.

When used as part of an improvement or inquiry cycle, educators typically administer the survey once every two to six weeks.

To take the survey, students need access to an internet-enabled device such as a laptop, tablet, or smartphone. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.

Before the survey can be administered, users need to create a Copilot account through the PERTS website and do some basic work to set up their roster and select the survey items they are using (more information about setting up and administering the survey can be found through the PERTS support page under About Copilot Elevate).

PERTS recommends using surveys as part of “multiple cycles of inquiry and action” to allow educators to engage in ongoing feedback and practice. Educators start a cycle by collecting feedback from their students through the survey to understand how students are experiencing learning conditions.

Following survey administration, educators are emailed a confidential report with disaggregated data for their class. After reflecting on survey results, educators can create an action plan and test strategies to improve student experiences. PERTS has developed a Baseline Meeting Guide for teams of educators to use to reflect on survey results and identify learning conditions to target for improvement. The PERTS platform pairs survey measures with evidence-based strategies that teachers can try to improve learning conditions.

At the close of the cycle, educators can administer the survey again to understand if strategies have shifted student experience so they can continue to make adjustments to their practice. Cycles typically last two to six weeks.

While educators can use the survey individually, the PERTS Copilot platform also enables a group of educators to collaborate as part of a joint project, sharing access to the same tasks, learning modules, and aggregated group data.

Copilot survey reports contain graphs reflecting the percentage of students responding positively to survey questions (i.e., responding “Agree” or “Strongly Agree” to positively worded questions on a 7-point scale). Responses are organized by learning condition. Only teachers can see their individual survey data.

An example of a graph for an individual survey item over time:

Copilot survey reports also automatically disaggregate data by gender and race-ethnicity group (students are asked what racial and ethnic groups they identify with the first time they take the survey). Educators can also specify a “target group” of students in order to understand the experiences of groups of students who may experience support differently (for example, English language learners or students who are members of multiple intersecting demographic groups).

To balance the need for student confidentiality with the importance of providing disaggregated data about opportunity gaps, reports group together students who self-identify as Black, Latinx, Native American, and/or Pacific Islander; and students who identify as White or Asian (the PERTS Copilot FAQs contains more information on the national statistics on disparities in academic and disciplinary outcomes that informed this grouping). When fewer than five students are in a disaggregated category, responses are hidden to protect confidentiality.

An example of responses to a survey item, disaggregated by a target group specified by the user, race, and gender:

• PERTS stresses the importance of introducing students to the survey to build buy-in on its purpose and to emphasize the confidentiality of individual students’ responses (the PERTS document Communication with Students: Maximize Survey Participation & Cultivate Authentic Feedback offers some best practices).
• In addition to introducing students to the purpose of the survey, PERTS recommends debriefing survey results with students. Debriefing demonstrates that educators value and are paying attention to survey responses, encourages students to take the survey seriously, and can counteract survey fatigue.

• PERTS recommends that students take the survey in no more than four classes to prevent survey fatigue.
• It can be hard for some teachers to see survey responses from their students indicating shortcomings of the learning environment. Teachers benefit from using the survey in a context in which they are supported to view the data as opportunities for their own learning and growth.

The PERTS website includes many resources to support survey users, including:

• Research about how each learning condition affects engagement and equity
• Best practices for communicating with students about the survey to promote authentic feedback
• Strategies and activities that help educators cultivate each learning condition in their classrooms
• Resources for using the Copilot survey as part of a series of improvement cycles. These include a Baseline Meeting Guide to help teams reflect on survey results, identify and learn about target learning conditions, explore research-based strategies to try, and record intended practice changes and learning
• An extensive support page with details about setting up and administering the survey

Districts or schools wanting to use the Copilot survey on a larger scale (beyond small teams of educators) can contact PERTS to learn more about support options.