This Is Us!

Student Identity Survey

At the Near North District School Board, we are committed to creating safe and positive spaces that respect and celebrate diversity for all our students.

The Near North District School Board conducted its first a Student Census survey “This is Me” in the 2018/2019 school year for all students kindergarten to grade 12.  The survey was conducted during the month of May 2019.  Parents/Guardians of students in kindergarten to grade 6 were asked to complete the survey on their child’s behalf.  Students in grade 7-12 were asked to complete the survey online while at school.

Out of a possible 5,309 respondents, 687 (13%) of parents and guardians of students in Kindergarten to Grade 6 completed the survey on behalf of their child.

Of the 4,482 students in Grades 7-12, 66% (2949) took part in the survey.

Overall 37% of our families and students Kindergarten to Grade 12 participated in the Student Identity Survey (3636 respondents).

What is this survey all about?

As part of this vision, the Ministry of Education’s Education Equity Secretariat approached Ontario school boards to pilot a student identity survey. The information gathered would help guide us to best support school experiences for our students.

The survey findings will help the board and our schools to:

• Better understand our student populations and school communities
• Identify and respond to barriers to student success, inclusion and well-being
• Enhance the creation and distribution of programs and services

We recognize that in order to know and honour best who our students are, based on the many ways they identify themselves, we needed to hear from them who they are.  Community agencies and advisory groups were consulted during the initial phase of our work.  Board-wide student information based on identity categories provided by the Ministry of Education and aligned with the Anti-Racism Data Standards were collected on a voluntary basis.

The survey results will be used along with other types of data (e.g., demographic, school program, services and achievement to: better understand and respond to the diverse student populations and communities; identify and respond to barriers to student success; enhance the creation and distribution of programs and services.  For example, it is our aim to use the data to examine areas within our board to implement culturally responsive teaching practices, which in turn improves student engagement.  Furthermore we can use the information when working with our community partners to examine student support resources both in the community and at school.

The student survey is confidential, while not anonymous.  Individual student information will not be shared. Personal information is collected under the authority of the Education Act, RSO 1990, c. E-2, and in compliance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, RSO 1990, c. M-56 and aligns with the​ ​Ontario Education Equity Action Plan​, with funding from the Education Equity Secretariat. The personal information collected will be used for educational, and research purposes only.

Questions about the collection or use should be directed to your Principal of your School or Project Lead Karen Waller, Near North District School Board, 963 Airport Road, P.O. Box 3110, North Bay, PIB 8H1, telephone (705) 472-8170 or (800) 278-4922 or thisisme@nearnorthshools.ca.

Confidentiality

The Near North District School Board (NNDSB) Student Survey is confidential.

No student is identified in our reporting. All responses will be stored in a secure, confidential database that will be accessed by authorized DDSB research staff to identify and summarize board trends. Individual student responses will not be analyzed and board trends will only include findings where there are 15 or more students.

Results

Key findings from the student survey report include:

Below is a summary of our findings for the Identity questions provided by the Ministry and aligned with the ARD Standards for K-6:

• First Language(s) Learned: 88% selected English as one of the first languages they learned to speak as a child. French (5%), Chinese (<5%), and Indigenous Language (<5%) were the next largest responses shared.
• Indigenous Identity: 10% of respondents identified as First Nations, Métis, and or Inuit.
• Ethnic/Cultural Origins: The 10 largest responses for ethnic/cultural origins shared were: Canadian (28%), English (18%), Scottish (17%), French (16%), German (10%), Dutch (6%), Ukrainian <5%), Ojibwe (<5%), Welsh (<5%), British (<5%).
• Racial Background: 87% selected White as part of their racial background followed by Indigenous (9%) and South Asian (<5%)
• Religion, Creed, Spiritual Affiliation or Belief: 33% of respondents selected Christian as part of their religious or spiritual beliefs, while 39% of respondents selected "No religious or spiritual affiliation”.
• Gender Identity: (49%) selected Boy while (49%) selected Girl as part of their gender identity.
• Disability: 15% of the respondents considered their child to be a person with a disability. Of this group, the most frequently selected response was Learning Disability (52%) and Autism (25%).

Below is a summary of our findings for the Identity questions provided by the Ministry and aligned with the ARD Standards for 7-12:

• First Language(s) Learned: 93% selected English as one of the first languages they learned to speak as a child. The next largest responses for languages were French (13%), Spanish ( 2%), and German at (2%).
• Indigenous Identity: 16% of respondents identified as First Nations, Métis, and or Inuit.
• Ethnic/Cultural Origins: The 10 largest responses for ethnic/cultural origins shared were: Canadian (62%), English (18%), Irish (14%), French (13%), Scottish (12%), German (10%), Italian (25%), Dutch (4%), Polish (3%), American (3%).
• Racial Background: 84% selected White as part of their racial background followed by Indigenous (13%) and Black (3%)
• Religion, Creed, Spiritual Affiliation or Belief: 21% of respondents selected “Christian” as part of their religious or spiritual beliefs, while 45% of respondents selected “No religious or spiritual affiliation".
• Gender Identity: 47% selected Man/Boy while (45%) selected Girl as part of their gender identity, while 3% selected a gender diverse identity.
• Sexual Orientation: Only Grade 7-12 students responded to this question. Of those who responded, 75% selected “Straight/Heterosexual” and 16% selected an LGBTQ2S+ sexual orientation.
• Disability: 18% of the respondents considered themselves to be a person with a disability. Of this group, the most frequently selected response was Learning Disability (57%) and Mental Health (44%)

 

1. Read the full report on the Student Survey
2. View the Student Survey Infographic K-6
3. View the Student Survey Infographic 7-12
4. Access the Public Open Data File for the Student Survey

 

Resources

The following resources would help families understand aspects of the Student Survey in greater detail:

• FAQs
• Student Surveys: K-6 Survey, 7-12 Survey