The CHKS is a modular, anonymous assessment recommended for students age 10 (grade 5) and above. It is focused on the five most important areas for guiding school and student improvement:

• student connectedness, learning engagement/motivation, and attendance;

• school climate, culture, and conditions;

• school safety, including violence perpetration and victimization/bullying;

• physical and mental well-being and social-emotional learning; and

• student supports, including resilience-promoting developmental factors (caring relationships, high expectations, and meaningful participation).

To participate in this state-subsidized survey, CDE minimally requires that districts administer a Core Module of key questions in grades 7 and 9 in order to ensure comparable data across all schools. Detailed demographic data are collected from secondary-school students to help determine the characteristics and representativeness of the sample and identify the needs of vulnerable subgroups.

For districts that survey annually, a shorter Mini-Core Module is available for alternate years.

Supplementary modules cover a wide variety of areas in more detail, including:

• school climate;

• social-emotional and physical health;

• behavioral health and substance use; and

• other risk behaviors.

It is recommended that the supplementary School Climate Module be administered along with the Core Module for a truly comprehensive assessment of school climate and pupil engagement, particularly to guide Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) efforts.

Please click the drop down arrow for your child's school and select the appropriate survey.