FAQs

The MI Student Perception Survey is a tool to help provide a holistic picture of student experience at school. Topics covered include students’ perceptions of their engagement, belonging and social-emotional learning. The survey is designed to capture feedback from students, uplifting student voice to help guide district and school improvement planning, including classroom instruction, support services and facilities improvements.

More globally, measuring these areas paints a broader picture of school quality – beyond what is currently available through test scores. While academic outcomes are important, these indicators help to better represent the multi-faceted functions of public schools.

The Student Perception Survey was developed by Michigan Superintendents in 2019 to address the need for a common measure to provide a holistic picture of student experience. This led to the development of the MI Student voice Perception Survey which was administered in 20 school districts across the state in 2022. There has been significant growth in participation year over year, and in Spring 2025, 127 districts from across the state administered the survey, capturing valuable insights from more than 87,000 students.

A subcommittee of members and Kent ISD staff drafted the survey instrument. The Survey subcommittee also partnered with local and national education researchers in its development. To note, none of the questions were written locally by subcommittee members. Each question is derived from nationally recognized student perception and culture surveys. The committee prioritized and selected the types of questions to be included.

When the survey questions were first assembled in 2019, we involved other research organizations to review the questions. In addition, we conducted cognitive interviews to ensure that all students in grades 5 -12 understood the questions that are administered in the survey. In spring of 2021 we pilot tested the survey. BASIS Policy Research and American Institutes for Research (AIR) helped with the final process of assembling questions that were aligned to measure Engagement, SEL and Belonging and removed questions that had poor alignment with the three domains – a standard process in survey development. The survey has since been administered annually in the spring. There is a technical committee that reviews how survey questions are working between survey administrations and makes recommendations on whether questions should continue to be part of the survey.

The MI Student Voice Perception Survey is designed for students in grades 5-12. Exemptions should only be for those with significant exceptionalities. The survey is optional and not required, and students may also skip any questions they do not wish to answer.

Completion of the Student Perception Survey takes approximately 10 minutes. Participants are not required to complete each question. 

The MI Student Perception Survey is administered each spring. Districts select the administration window of their choice during that time frame.  

The MI Student Voice Perception Survey is administered online, at school using Qualtrics CoreXM software through a designated online web-link. The survey may be completed on a computer, tablet or mobile device. Surveys will be available in multiple languages, including:  Arabic, Bengal, Dari, Karen, Kinyarwanda, Mandarin, Pashto, Persian (Farsi), Somali, Spanish, Swahili and Tigrinya.

It is very easy to administer the survey. After a district signs up and chooses their customizations, they will receive a link. Students will use this link to access the district’s questions. To encourage full participation, we strongly suggest the MI Student Perception Survey be administered during school hours. 

The intent of the MI Student Voice Perception Survey is to gauge student perceptions of their experiences at school. Questions about drug or alcohol use, intimate relationships, political or religious affiliations, or other personal information are not included in the survey.

Survey participation must adhere to local district policies. Participating districts are provided with a sample parental communication and opt-out form. This is known as passive consent. Parents who do not want their child to participate may opt out. Parents are not required to opt in for the survey.

Yes. The MI Student Voice Perception Survey does not identify individual students or classrooms.

Optional demographic questions help identify the needs of diverse groups of students.

Once the survey is completed and submitted, districts receive both a Domain-level report (summary level) and a Question-level report (deep-dive) for their district and each building within their district.

The Qualtrics XM software includes “ballot stuffing prevention,” bot detection and other fraud prevention to ensure that only students in your districts complete the survey. Additional information on fraud and survey protection measures within Qualtrics can be found here and here.

Kent ISD has formulated guiding questions on leveraging survey data across three domains: Social-Emotional Learning, Student Engagement, and Belonging. This valuable resource is disseminated to all participating districts through an administrative Toolkit. Currently, several school districts integrate survey results with existing systems like MICIP to craft their data narratives, illustrating how the data contributes to school improvement.

Two administrators participated in a Mental Health Summit in Lansing, Michigan, in November 2024, demonstrating how they are addressing mental health by applying data from the MI Student Voice Perception Survey to inform and improve school quality and supports in their districts. See presentation for more information. Other districts have been sharing best practices at various workshops and breakout sessions at educational meetings and conferences.

As the survey administration extends to various districts, there is a continuous learning process from the experiences of others in utilizing survey results. It's crucial to emphasize that each district maintains ownership of its data; explicit consent is required before sharing it with any external entity. The data is also employed at a consortium level to disseminate statewide results.

Data is be stored locally on Kent ISD’s servers in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kent ISD’s data privacy policy can be foundhere andhere. Qualtrics is the survey platform adopted for administration and school districts will not have access to student responses unless requested. Qualtrics’ data privacy policy can be foundhere. Data will be retained for the length of the project. Each district owns their own data and therefore has the right to request that it be deleted at any time.

No. Results will not be used for any school, district or staff accountability purposes.

The Parent/Guardian Perception Survey and Educator Perception Survey were pilot tested in Spring 2024 and are now fully operational. The MI Student Voice suite of surveys – Student, Educator and Parent/Guardian – is designed to provide a more holistic view of the student experience. Collectively, these tools allow for a deeper understanding of the school environment from multiple perspectives.

The MI Student Voice Perception Survey originated with funding from a grant provided by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund (MHEF). Following a successful pilot, significant year-over-year growth, and expansion to a suite of surveys, the Michigan State Legislature has allocated dedicated line-item funding to support the MI Student Voice initiative. Kent ISD remains deeply committed to advancing this work as a shared standard for assessing student experiences statewide. To sustain and expand these efforts, Kent ISD will continue pursuing additional grant opportunities.

Different surveys are designed to achieve specific goals, and it is not uncommon for them to overlap or include similar questions, especially when measuring the same factors. The MI Student Voice Perception Survey is specifically developed to assess three factors: social and emotional learning, student engagement, and sense of belonging. These factors are measured using questions that are highly reliable and theoretically grounded, ensuring sound validity. Importantly, these three domains are strongly connected to academic performance. The survey has undergone peer review by experts from BASIS Policy Research and the American Institutes for Research. Additionally, the MI Student Voice Perception Survey is offered at no cost, with free reporting included.

Other surveys may focus on areas such as behavioral and emotional health or school climate. School districts often administer multiple surveys to meet diverse objectives. The data collected from these surveys helps districts implement evidence-based policies. The more triangulated and comprehensive the data, the clearer and more accurate the insights for the school district.

The MI Student Voice Perception Survey measures students’ perceptions in three key areas: social and emotional learning, student engagement, and sense of belonging. Research indicates a strong connection between these areas and academic performance. For instance, the social and emotional learning questions in the MI Student Voice Perception Survey are aligned with the CASEL framework for social and emotional learning. According to Taylor et al. (2017), implementing SEL programs is linked to enhanced social and emotional competence, academic performance, and overall well-being. 

In contrast, the MiPHY survey focuses on assessing student health risk behaviors and associated risk and protective factors both in and out of school. These two surveys are intended to complement each other and should not be used as substitutes.

To learn more about the MI Student Voice Perception Survey and the MI Student Voice initiative, visit the website: www.MIStudentVoice.org.