Frequently Asked Questions

This page contains many frequently asked questions about the Operations Report Card (ORC). If you have a question that is not answered here, please check the technical material available on this site. If you still have unanswered questions, please contact orc@chps.net for more information.

I know some of my results may not be very good, and I’m concerned that parents and other stakeholders will complain about them. Why should I participate in the Operations Report Card?
Is it true that many schools will find themselves capable of improvement in one or many areas that the Operations Report Card assesses. This should not dissuade you from participating in the program. Low results may actually help to provide the impetus necessary to achieve real improvement. If you have a problem in your school, the ORC can help identify it and provide you with viable solutions for improving the situation. When the results are publicized, the response from parents and other stakeholders can be used to identify which areas are most important. Additionally, a lower score can often be improved by undertaking simpler measures than would be required with a high starting score. This will make it easier to achieve recognition for improvement from CHPS.

No one in my school is complaining, so there must not be any problems, right?
Wrong! Just because word hasn’t reached you about any problems does not mean there aren’t any. The occupant survey and data collection forms that are part of the ORC can help you identify issues that you didn’t even know existed.

Resources at my school or district are already scarce. Identifying new problems that will cost money to fix does not seem like a very good idea. Why should I participate?
Especially in financially difficult times, it is vital to ensure that your resources are being dedicated to the areas most in need of them. The ORC can help you identify what opportunities for improvement exist so that you can take action according to your district priorities. Your suggested improvements will not be made public, so there will not be pressure to complete any specific tasks.

What information about my school or district will be made public?
Only the report card. Any suggested improvements or detailed report card information will not be publicized by CHPS, but may be at the school or district’s discretion. CHPS may, however, use any of your information in an aggregated format without any identifying information. Your permission will be asked before publishing anything besides the report card associated with your school.

I’m concerned about anonymity and the occupant survey. How will the information you collect be used?
Participants will be asked for their room number or other space identifier so that you can link their responses directly to the assessments that happen in conjunction with the data collection forms. Room ID’s are optional, however, so participants may choose to remain anonymous if they so decide. If a user does not provide identifying information, you will not be able to make a connection between a single survey and a particular user. Only in exceptional circumstances will CHPS access the files to connect participants to their responses.

I do not want my results made public. Can I protect them?
Unfortunately not. Keep in mind, however, that your results will only be available to registered users of the CHPS website. One of the goals of the Operations Report Card is to compile a comprehensive database of school conditions nationally. Additionally, making all results public encourages transparency in the system, which CHPS advocates as a method of increasing public awareness of the important connection between the physical conditions in the school and student performance.

How will CHPS use the information that I provide or that the school collects as part of the ORC?
CHPS will maintain a list of schools that have signed up for the ORC on our public website. This list will only include the district and school names and locations. All other information that will be made public (discussed previously) will be accessible in the Members Only portion of the website. It will be shared only with other CHPS members (including CHPS Registered schools and districts).

I cannot commit to reevaluating my school in the future. Is there still value in completing the ORC a single time?
While the most value can be wrought from your investment by repeating the ORC assessment on a regular basis, the snapshot provided by a single evaluation can still be very valuable. You can still learn how your school is currently performing in each of the five evaluation areas. Additionally, you will be able to identify which areas of your school will most benefit from any improvements, even if you choose not to evaluate how effective those improvements may be by repeating the ORC program.

To encourage you to repeat the ORC on a regular basis, CHPS offers discounts to schools and districts after they complete the program for the first time. Additionally, very low performing schools are entitled to one free re-test within a year of their initial report card generation.