Transition to Middle School (B): parents of entering 7th - 9th graders

PEN was founded by parents, for parents with the primary purpose of connecting parents with one another and with accurate information about the Pasadena public schools so they would consider their public school options. Because of PEN, school communities are stronger, parents are more engaged, and schools throughout the Pasadena Unified School District are improving. As our first cohort of PEN families has entered middle school, we see the need to develop a more comprehensive Transition to Middle School Program for you. Please take 15 minutes to answer the questions below so we can develop a program that meets your needs and the needs of other parents in our community.

Survey B is for parents of students entering 7th, 8th, and 9th grade only. If you are the parent of a student entering 5th or 6th grade, please take Survey A.

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* 1. What grade(s) will your child(ren) be in this school year (2012-13)? [Note: if you are taking this survey, you should have at least one child in 7th, 8th or 9th grade this year.]

6th Grade or lower

7th Grade

8th Grade

9th Grade

10th Grade or higher

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* 2. What middle school(s) does/did your child(ren) attend?

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* 3. Before your child enrolled in a PUSD middle school, which of these statements best describes how you felt about the transition?

We were confident in our decision to attend a PUSD middle school.

We had some concerns.

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* 4. Prior to your student entering middle school, to what extent were you concered about the following:

	Very	Somewhat	A little	Not at all
Academic Rigor	Academic Rigor Very	Academic Rigor Somewhat	Academic Rigor A little	Academic Rigor Not at all
Class size	Class size Very	Class size Somewhat	Class size A little	Class size Not at all
Demographics of student body	Demographics of student body Very	Demographics of student body Somewhat	Demographics of student body A little	Demographics of student body Not at all
Discipline	Discipline Very	Discipline Somewhat	Discipline A little	Discipline Not at all
Enrichment/elective opportunities	Enrichment/elective opportunities Very	Enrichment/elective opportunities Somewhat	Enrichment/elective opportunities A little	Enrichment/elective opportunities Not at all
Extracurricular/after school activities	Extracurricular/after school activities Very	Extracurricular/after school activities Somewhat	Extracurricular/after school activities A little	Extracurricular/after school activities Not at all
Facilities	Facilities Very	Facilities Somewhat	Facilities A little	Facilities Not at all
Parent Involvement	Parent Involvement Very	Parent Involvement Somewhat	Parent Involvement A little	Parent Involvement Not at all
Quality of teaching	Quality of teaching Very	Quality of teaching Somewhat	Quality of teaching A little	Quality of teaching Not at all
Safety	Safety Very	Safety Somewhat	Safety A little	Safety Not at all
Social environment	Social environment Very	Social environment Somewhat	Social environment A little	Social environment Not at all
Exposure to anti-social behaviors (ie: “sexting,” drugs, drinking, smoking, cutting, etc.)	Exposure to anti-social behaviors (ie: “sexting,” drugs, drinking, smoking, cutting, etc.) Very	Exposure to anti-social behaviors (ie: “sexting,” drugs, drinking, smoking, cutting, etc.) Somewhat	Exposure to anti-social behaviors (ie: “sexting,” drugs, drinking, smoking, cutting, etc.) A little	Exposure to anti-social behaviors (ie: “sexting,” drugs, drinking, smoking, cutting, etc.) Not at all
Child might get in with a “bad” crowd	Child might get in with a “bad” crowd Very	Child might get in with a “bad” crowd Somewhat	Child might get in with a “bad” crowd A little	Child might get in with a “bad” crowd Not at all
The predominant values at the school might not be the same as our family’s values	The predominant values at the school might not be the same as our family’s values Very	The predominant values at the school might not be the same as our family’s values Somewhat	The predominant values at the school might not be the same as our family’s values A little	The predominant values at the school might not be the same as our family’s values Not at all
Limited curriculum might not prepare my child for high school	Limited curriculum might not prepare my child for high school Very	Limited curriculum might not prepare my child for high school Somewhat	Limited curriculum might not prepare my child for high school A little	Limited curriculum might not prepare my child for high school Not at all
Lack of instructional and classroom resources	Lack of instructional and classroom resources Very	Lack of instructional and classroom resources Somewhat	Lack of instructional and classroom resources A little	Lack of instructional and classroom resources Not at all
Not enough opportunities for me to be involved in my child’s school in a way that will support my child’s school experience	Not enough opportunities for me to be involved in my child’s school in a way that will support my child’s school experience Very	Not enough opportunities for me to be involved in my child’s school in a way that will support my child’s school experience Somewhat	Not enough opportunities for me to be involved in my child’s school in a way that will support my child’s school experience A little	Not enough opportunities for me to be involved in my child’s school in a way that will support my child’s school experience Not at all

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* 5. Now that your child has been in a PUSD middle school, how concerned are you, if at all, about each of the following:

	Very	Somewhat	A little	Not at all
Academic Rigor	Academic Rigor Very	Academic Rigor Somewhat	Academic Rigor A little	Academic Rigor Not at all
Class size	Class size Very	Class size Somewhat	Class size A little	Class size Not at all
Demographics of student body	Demographics of student body Very	Demographics of student body Somewhat	Demographics of student body A little	Demographics of student body Not at all
Discipline	Discipline Very	Discipline Somewhat	Discipline A little	Discipline Not at all
Enrichment/elective opportunities	Enrichment/elective opportunities Very	Enrichment/elective opportunities Somewhat	Enrichment/elective opportunities A little	Enrichment/elective opportunities Not at all
Extracurricular/after school activities	Extracurricular/after school activities Very	Extracurricular/after school activities Somewhat	Extracurricular/after school activities A little	Extracurricular/after school activities Not at all
Facilities	Facilities Very	Facilities Somewhat	Facilities A little	Facilities Not at all
Parent Involvement	Parent Involvement Very	Parent Involvement Somewhat	Parent Involvement A little	Parent Involvement Not at all
Quality of teaching	Quality of teaching Very	Quality of teaching Somewhat	Quality of teaching A little	Quality of teaching Not at all
Safety	Safety Very	Safety Somewhat	Safety A little	Safety Not at all
Social environment/friends	Social environment/friends Very	Social environment/friends Somewhat	Social environment/friends A little	Social environment/friends Not at all
Exposure to anti-social behaviors (ie: “sexting,” drugs, drinking, smoking, cutting, etc.)	Exposure to anti-social behaviors (ie: “sexting,” drugs, drinking, smoking, cutting, etc.) Very	Exposure to anti-social behaviors (ie: “sexting,” drugs, drinking, smoking, cutting, etc.) Somewhat	Exposure to anti-social behaviors (ie: “sexting,” drugs, drinking, smoking, cutting, etc.) A little	Exposure to anti-social behaviors (ie: “sexting,” drugs, drinking, smoking, cutting, etc.) Not at all
Getting in with a “bad” crowd	Getting in with a “bad” crowd Very	Getting in with a “bad” crowd Somewhat	Getting in with a “bad” crowd A little	Getting in with a “bad” crowd Not at all
The predominant values at the school are not the same as our family’s values	The predominant values at the school are not the same as our family’s values Very	The predominant values at the school are not the same as our family’s values Somewhat	The predominant values at the school are not the same as our family’s values A little	The predominant values at the school are not the same as our family’s values Not at all
Limited curriculum that doesn’t prepare my child for high school	Limited curriculum that doesn’t prepare my child for high school Very	Limited curriculum that doesn’t prepare my child for high school Somewhat	Limited curriculum that doesn’t prepare my child for high school A little	Limited curriculum that doesn’t prepare my child for high school Not at all
Lack of instructional and classroom resources	Lack of instructional and classroom resources Very	Lack of instructional and classroom resources Somewhat	Lack of instructional and classroom resources A little	Lack of instructional and classroom resources Not at all
Not enough opportunities for me to be involved in my child’s school in a way that will support my child’s school experience	Not enough opportunities for me to be involved in my child’s school in a way that will support my child’s school experience Very	Not enough opportunities for me to be involved in my child’s school in a way that will support my child’s school experience Somewhat	Not enough opportunities for me to be involved in my child’s school in a way that will support my child’s school experience A little	Not enough opportunities for me to be involved in my child’s school in a way that will support my child’s school experience Not at all

Other (please specify)

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* 6. How would you rank your child(ren)’s overall experience in a PUSD middle school?

Excellent

Good

O.k.

Lacking

Please comment/explain.

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* 7. What were the major factors that you considered when evaluating whether to attend a PUSD middle school? Check all that apply.

His or her friends/school mates were going to the same school

Class size

My child’s academic standing (either advanced or struggling)

My child’s California Standards Test scores

District leadership

Level of parent involvement

Size of the peer group available for my child to make new friendships

Demographics of the other students at the school

Academic Rigor

Enrollment in a signature program

Cost of private school

Accepted to a specific school or program through Open Enrollment

School facilities

Elective opportunities

After school/extracurricular opportunities

Richness of the curriculum

Belief in the value of public education

How I felt after a school tour

Other (please specify)

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* 8. What is one thing you wish you had known about middle schools that you didn’t know?

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* 9. What is one thing you wish you had known about middle school students that you didn’t know?

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* 10. Understanding PEN’s mission and beliefs, how could PEN have helped you with your student’s transition to middle school?

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* 11. What would you like elementary school parents to know about your middle school?

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* 12. One good thing about my middle school is...

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* 13. The biggest challenge at my middle school is...

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* 14. If you could change one thing about your middle school, what would it be?

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* 15. Based on your experience, can parent engagement have a significant impact during middle school?

Yes

Comments?

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* 16. Please indicate in which areas how you’ve engaged with your child’s middle school, and also which areas of engagement can have a significant impact.

	I have been engaged at this level at my child's middle school.	I believe that parent engagement at this level can have a significant impact.
Supporting your student at home	Supporting your student at home I have been engaged at this level at my child's middle school.	Supporting your student at home I believe that parent engagement at this level can have a significant impact.
Volunteering at school	Volunteering at school I have been engaged at this level at my child's middle school.	Volunteering at school I believe that parent engagement at this level can have a significant impact.
School/home communications	School/home communications I have been engaged at this level at my child's middle school.	School/home communications I believe that parent engagement at this level can have a significant impact.
Decision-making and leadership committees	Decision-making and leadership committees I have been engaged at this level at my child's middle school.	Decision-making and leadership committees I believe that parent engagement at this level can have a significant impact.
Joining parent organizations	Joining parent organizations I have been engaged at this level at my child's middle school.	Joining parent organizations I believe that parent engagement at this level can have a significant impact.
Bringing resources to the school	Bringing resources to the school I have been engaged at this level at my child's middle school.	Bringing resources to the school I believe that parent engagement at this level can have a significant impact.
Attending school site events	Attending school site events I have been engaged at this level at my child's middle school.	Attending school site events I believe that parent engagement at this level can have a significant impact.

Other (please specify)

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* 17. If you have not been engaged at your child’s middle school, or have not been able to engage effectively, what factors have limited or inhibited your engagement?

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* 18. Do you know families who left PUSD after elementary school?

Yes

If yes, why (to the best of your knowledge) did they leave?

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* 19. Are you considering, or have you ever considered, leaving PUSD?

Yes

If yes, why?

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* 20. Do you know about the Linked Learning (aka College & Career Pathways ) high school programs offered in PUSD?

Yes

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* 21. Do you know what “A-G requirements” means? (Please be honest and don’t google before answering!)

Yes

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* 22. Do you have any additional comments?

The following questions are for statistical purposes only.

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* 23. What is the racial/ethnic make-up of the adults in your household?

Caucasian

African American

Latino

Asian American

Multi-racial

Other (please specify)

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* 24. What is your family income?

Less than $50,000

$50,000-$99,000

$100,000-$149,000

$150,000 - $200,000

$200,000-250,000

Over $250,000

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* 25. What is the highest level of formal education you have achieved?

Some high school

High school diploma

Some college

Associate’s Degree

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Advanced degree