March 5th, 2024

The summary report of the 2022-2023 Safe, Caring and Inclusive School Survey is now available!

All school boards in Ontario are required to seek feedback from students using school climate surveys at least once every two years (Education Act). The WRDSB uses the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) as our Safe Caring and Inclusive School (SCIS) survey. The MDI is a voluntary, self-reporting questionnaire. It asks children in Grade 4 through 12 about their thoughts, feelings and experiences in school and in the community.

The responses to the SCIS survey are voluntary and anonymous. Only aggregate data is published in order to protect the confidentiality and privacy of student respondents.

2022-2023 Safe, Caring and Inclusive School Survey Summary Report

In support of our commitment to transparency and accountability, we are pleased to share the summary report for the results from the 2022-23 school year. In this latest SCIS survey, we heard from more than 26,000 WRDSB students.

Student Well-being

The MDI consists of measures relating to children’s physical health and social and emotional development that are of critical importance during the middle years:

  • Optimism
  • Happiness
  • Self-Esteem
  • Absence of Sadness
  • General Health

Learn more about the MDI.

Scores from these five measures are combined to create an overall well-being score. This is known as the MDI Well-Being Index.

Read more about Student Well-being.

Promoting Students’ Overall Well-being

Well-being Assets

“Assets are positive, everyday influences and resources that are known to protect children against vulnerability and promote positive well-being during the middle years.”
- MDI Research Brief

There are four key assets that promote a child’s positive development and well-being. They are:

  • Positive adult relationships
  • Peer relationships
  • Nutrition and sleep
  • After-school activities

Read more about Promoting Students’ Overall Well-being.

Increasing Positive Development and Well-being

To strengthen relationships between students and staff, we are focused on building staff capacity and providing professional learning. We aim to foster the creation of school environments that are:

  • Safe
  • Caring
  • Inclusive

In support of this goal, the 2023-2024 Board Improvement and Equity Plan (BIEP) plans to provide job-embedded learning for educators on mentally healthy classrooms.

Read more about Increasing Positive Development and Well-being.

Building Capacity and Supporting Student Mental Health and Well-being

As we move forward, we continue to incorporate actions to support increasing student mental health and well-being as reported through the SCIS/MDI survey as part of the WRDSB BIEP.

Our strategies include:

  • Building student and family knowledge and understanding of mental wellness and well-being
  • Building staff capacity to support and enhance student well-being

Read more about Building Capacity and Supporting Student Mental Health and Well-being.

About the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI)

The MDI is a research-based survey which uses a strengths-based approach. It assesses five areas of development that link to well-being, health and academic achievement. These areas are:

  • Social and Emotional Development
  • Physical Health and Well-being
  • Connectedness
  • Use of After School Time
  • School Experiences

Read more: 2022-2023 Safe, Caring and Inclusive School Survey Report