Equity Toolkit Self Assessments

Taking Self-Assessments

The self-assessment is designed to include questions for each section, which can help identify the best place to start in using the Equity Toolkit. Reflect on each statement, and respond with Always, Frequently, Occasionally, Rarely or Never. Your responses can help determine which section to prioritize or start with. For example, you might consider beginning with the section where you most frequently responded with "Never or Rarely". 

 

 

Understanding Self

Understanding Self is a key component to understanding the root causes of a range of inequities at the school and district levels – inequities that prevent members of the school community from feeling safe, like they belong or have value. Reflect on the statements below and respond with Always, Frequently, Sometimes, Rarely, or Never.

• I am aware of my own social identities (e.g., race and ethnicity, socio economic status, ability, language, sexuality, etc.).
• I actively listen to the viewpoints of those with a social identify different than my own.
• When students and families from my school or district share their concerns about practices, policies, or procedures, I investigate the impact of those practices, policies, or procedures on the historically marginalized populations in my school or district. 
• I recognize when my cultural upbringing impacts the beliefs I hold about historically marginalized communities.
• Part of the vision for my school(s) stems from a desire to equip all students with everything they need to excel.
• I believe a student’s competency is more than their assessment score.
• Students from marginalized populations are just as likely as students from non-marginalized populations to demonstrate positive learning behaviors.
• I believe that students need to learn about the experiences of various cultures in order to have a high-quality education.
• I am open to learning about how students and families with different cultural and social identities than my own experience my school(s).
• I am open to challenging my assumptions about different cultures. 
• I believe in forming relationships with all students and families to create an inclusive learning environment and increase participation and engagement.
• I strive to provide opportunities for all students. 

Scoring:

Because we are all on this learning journey and can never “arrive,” we strongly encourage you to read the entire Understanding Self section from start to finish in the pages that follow.  However, if you find it more helpful to start with content that aligns to your scores, please see the guidance below.

• If most of your answers were “Always” and “Frequently,” the section on Intersectionality is an optimal place to start. 
• If most of your answers were “Occasionally,” consider reviewing the tables and questions in Challenge 2. 
• If most of your answers were “Rarely” and “Never,” we recommend starting at the beginning of Understanding Self as the most helpful entry point.

Understanding Others

Understanding Self is a key component to understanding the root causes of a range of inequities at the school and district levels – inequities that prevent members of the school community from feeling safe, like they belong or have value. Reflect on the statements below and respond with Always, Frequently, Sometimes, Rarely, or Never.

• I seek opportunities to learn about the cultural practices in our school community, including staff, families, and students.
• I strive to understand how inequity in my school(s) relates to inequities in society. 3. I strive to be aware of groups that have been historically excluded in our school.
• I strive to be aware of groups that have been historically excluded in our district.
• I strive to be aware of groups that have been historically excluded in our community.
• I perceive culture as an asset and strength.
• I actively work to avoid the trap of “knowing what is good” for someone else.
• I strive to understand how cultural identity can influence learning and success.
• I strive to understand the inequities that exist within my school.
• I strive to understand inequities that exist within my district.
• I strive to understand the inequities that exist within my community.
• I strive to notice the structural barriers that contribute to the exclusion of groups.
• I work to build my capacity to effectively lead diverse school communities.
• I strive to understand why students are underperforming and/or not taking advantage of existing opportunities.
• I strive to implement change that benefits my school(s) underrepresented families.
• I worry about my school’s learning community getting distracted by things like race, faith, attire, or hairstyles so I try to remove anything that highlights differences from the school’s environment. (Never is positive) Reverse score this item.
• I strive to understand how inequities impact all students that I serve.
• I strive to build relationships with all students and families to create an inclusive learning environment.

Scoring:

Because we are all on this learning journey and can never “arrive,” we strongly encourage you to read the entire Understanding Others section from start to finish in the pages that follow.  However, you can also start with the content that aligns to your scores.

• If most of your answers were “Always” and “Frequently,” the section covering Community and Family Engagement is an optimal place to start.  
• If most of your answers were “Rarely” and “Never,” we recommend starting at the beginning of Understanding Others with "Identifying Systemic Barriers".

Understanding Context

Understanding Context is a key component to understanding the root causes of a range of inequities at the school and district levels – inequities that prevent members of the school community from feeling safe, like they belong or have value. Reflect on the statements below and respond with Always, Frequently, Sometimes, Rarely, or Never.

• I strive to serve all students in my school community based on their individual needs.
• I strive to understand the structural inequities in my school and how that impacts students I serve.
• I strive to understand the structural inequities in my district and how that impacts students I serve.
• I strive to understand inequities that exist within the larger educational system.
• I strive to understand inequities that exist within society as a whole.
• I strive to address inequities in my school.
• I strive to address inequities in my district.
• I strive to address inequities that exist within the larger educational system.
• I strive to address inequities that exist within society as a whole.
• I understand how to best serve all students in my school community(ies) based on their needs.
• I see the structural inequities in my school/district and the methods and beliefs through which those inequitable practices are upheld.
• I believe that inequities in school are a reflection of larger inequities in the educational system and society as a whole.
• I don’t think there is much I can do when addressing inequities in my school or district.

Scoring:

Because we are all on this learning journey and can never “arrive,” we strongly encourage you to read the entire Understanding Context section from start to finish in the pages that follow.  However, you can also start with the content that aligns to your scores.

• If most of your answers were “Always” and “Frequently,” the section covering Colorado Demographics/Data is an optimal place to start.  
• If most of your answers were “Occasionally,” “Rarely,” and “Never,” we recommend starting at the beginning of Understanding Others with “Naming Our Current Reality.”

Implementation

Implementation is a key component to understanding the root causes of a range of inequities at the school and district levels – inequities that prevent members of the school community from feeling safe, like they belong or have value. Reflect on the statements below and respond with Always, Frequently, Sometimes, Rarely, or Never.

• When designing school policies, I strive to remove barriers to participation for our diverse school communities.
• When complaints of discrimination come to me, I take immediate action to review those concerns.
• When addressing complaints of discrimination, I take immediate action to prevent further occurrence.
• I believe it is my duty to advocate for all students despite potential opposition.
• When making decisions that affect school communities, I create conditions for underrepresented groups to participate fully in the input process.
• I strive to include the strengths of all cultures in my school community.
• I have a vision of what equity looks like in my google for all student groups.
• I know how to make my vision of equity for all student groups a reality.
• I define short- and long-term goals and expectations that reflect a systemic approach towards a culturally responsive learning environment.

Scoring:

Because we are all on this learning journey and can never “arrive,” we strongly encourage you to read the entire Implementation section from start to finish in the pages that follow.  However, you can also start with the content that aligns to your scores.

• If most of your answers were “Always” and “Frequently,” you may find the Establishing Partnership and Inviting Investment a helpful next step. 
• If most of your answers were “Occasionally,” “Rarely”, or “Never,” we recommend starting at the beginning of Implementation and starting at Entry Point 1 or Entry Point 2.  

Reflection and Evaluation

Implementation is a key component to understanding the root causes of a range of inequities at the school and district levels – inequities that prevent members of the school community from feeling safe, like they belong or have value. Reflect on the statements below and respond with Always, Frequently, Sometimes, Rarely, or Never.

• I regularly reflect on what I’ve learned during Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (CLD) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) trainings, in order to improve outcomes for those students who are historically marginalized.
• I seek feedback about how I can improve as a leader from others who do not share my social identity or cultural background.
• The amount of time, effort, and energy I put into improving my school/district to meet needs of students, families, and teachers are the same - whether they share my social identity or not.

Scoring:

Because we are all on this learning journey and can never “arrive,” we strongly encourage you to read the entire Reflection and Evaluation section from start to finish in the pages that follow.  However, you can also start with the content that aligns to your scores.

• If there were prior sections in the toolkit where most of your answers were “Never” or “Rarely” you may want to pay special attention to barriers of success related to the Reflection & Evaluation section.