Can I modify questions asked in the board assessment?
The questions asked in the board assessment are standardized and based on best practices of high-achieving boards that we've observed over time. The questions themselves cannot be modified, but you can choose which sections (topics) you want to cover in your board's assessment.
If you wish to create a customized survey, we recommend using the Survey Builder Tool. Here is a link for a tutorial on the New Survey Builder.
Who should take the assessments?
BoardOnTrack recommends that all board members and the CEO take the assessments. Taking the assessments serves as a valuable learning tool. The collective results are designed to help the board and CEO have an honest conversation about the strengths and areas to improve the governance of the organization.
The assessments can be used as part of your new trustee orientation program and as a professional development tool for your board.
How often should we take the assessments?
We recommend that you take the assessments once a year. This annual snapshot will let you see places where you are improving and areas where you might have slipped. An optimal time to take them is the spring or before the end of the school year. The data generated can be used to help set board development goals for the new school year and can inform the focus of key committees.
Can everyone see my score?
No, only you will see your score on the board assessments unless you are the CEO. The CEO’s results are displayed for all to see. We have done this intentionally to assist the board and the CEO in having an honest conversation about where things stand and where they should improve. Individual trustee scores are rolled into the total board score.
The final assessment is an individual trustee appraisal. The Board Chair will have access to this information and may share it with the chair of the governance committee.
How are the assessments scored?
BoardOnTrack has created national governance standards that articulate what an exceptional charter school board does in 10 key areas. Each key area (e.g Board Meetings, Academic Oversight, etc.) has a series of questions. These questions are weighted and are aligned with our capability maturity model called the Path to Excellence. The rating is scale is from 1 to 5 with a Level 5 being "the high bar". The assessments tally the combined results from each trustee and show you how the full board is ranking their performance.
We have some brand new trustees, should they take the assessments?
Yes! The assessment choices are "Yes", "No" or "I Don't Know". If you are a brand new trustee you might find that you check "I Don't Know" on many of the questions. But not to worry, this will give you an important baseline to know where you need to ask for orientation or training on key topics. BoardOnTrack will serve up helpful articles in the recommendations section that you can use to create your own personal professional development plan.
We are a founding/charter starter board. Should we take the assessments?
Yes! The assessment choices are "Yes", "No" or "I Don't Know". If you are a new board you might find that you check "I Don't Know" on many of the questions. But not to worry, this will give you an important baseline to develop a board development plan. Many founding boards have found that taking these assessments during the charter application phase can help give the team a shared vision of excellence, help you write key sections of the charter application, and help prep for the charter interview. Once you take the assessments you will be served up helpful articles and resources that will help you improve your governance.
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