Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) Results
How School Climate Surveys Can Help WCDSB Prioritize Student Success
At the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB), student success is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that students thrive when they are nurtured in safe, inclusive, and supportive environments. In alignment with provincial guidelines, the WCDSB regularly seeks input from students about their school experiences. This survey coincides with the Ministry of Education’s requirement for Ontario school boards to administer School Climate Surveys every two years to students, parents/guardians, and staff. These surveys provide valuable insights into the student experience and anonymously help us assess the overall culture within our schools.
Introducing the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI)
The MDI is a unique self-report questionnaire that engages students from Grades 4 to 12, asking them about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences both in school and within the broader community. Designed to offer a comprehensive view of how children are doing in key areas of their lives, the MDI focuses on five critical dimensions of development:
- Social and Emotional Development
- Physical Health and Well-Being
- Connectedness
- Use of Out-of-School Time
- School Experiences
These dimensions are closely connected to overall well-being, health, and academic success. By focusing on these areas, the MDI helps identify strengths and areas for improvement within the school environment.
Children’s voices are vital. The MDI is founded on the belief that children deserve to be heard, and their input should inform the environments they live in. By asking them about their feelings, relationships, and daily lives, we gain valuable insights into their well-being that might otherwise go unnoticed. This firsthand information helps guide evidence-based decisions, shaping programs, practices, funding, and policies that promote children’s social and emotional health.
It’s important to note that the MDI does not assess individual children. Instead, it offers a snapshot of how groups of students are faring across important areas of development in both school and community settings. The MDI serves as a tool for exploring how communities support children and is meant to spark conversation, rather than act as a definitive assessment tool.
Exploring How the WCDSB Utilizes the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI)
At the WCDSB, we utilize tools such as the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) not as a means to rank schools, but to amplify student voices, ensuring that each school has the supports necessary to foster student well-being and success.
The insights gathered from the MDI allow us to tailor our approach to meet the unique needs of each school community. Developed to address the lack of population-level data on the health and well-being of children in middle childhood, the MDI goes beyond academic performance by giving children a voice and an opportunity to share their experiences both inside and outside of school.
This focus on the ‘whole child’ enables us to better understand and support their social, emotional, and physical development. Moreover, we collaborate with community partners to address these needs, ensuring that our students have access to a broad range of resources and support systems that contribute to their holistic development.
Understanding the MDI Results
MDI results are used to track trends at a population level, such as within a school or district, rather than providing individual assessments. Each school’s results are reviewed independently, recognizing that each community has its unique strengths and challenges. District-wide results are also examined to better understand broader trends and opportunities for growth.
The 2024 MDI survey results at the school level will be released on each school website on September 16, 2024.
For further information, please contact communications@wcdsb.ca.
