Getting Started with Student Surveys

The Students Surveys are an important part of the IsPOD program. Students in grades 3-8 should complete the surveys two times per year – once in the fall and once in the spring.

Get Ready to Administer the Student Surveys

Check for site access ahead of time: Make certain you can access the IsPOD website at www.ispod.info.

Check for Student Names: Try to access a few student surveys before-hand. Going through the process will help you provide better instructions to your students and will allow you to spot check for student access.

Get a preview: Print a copy of the survey first and preview the questions. Some teachers find it helpful to read the questions to younger students as they complete the survey. To download a copy of the student survey, go to www.ispod.info and under the Teachers tab, select Student Survey.

Enlist Help: Ask your Technology Lab teacher or Homeroom teachers to help administer the surveys. If you are seeking their assistance, you may wish to print a copy of the survey and these instructions for them as a reference.

Set up lab time to complete the surveys

Plan ahead but don’t schedule your lab time too early: Every semester, it takes a few weeks for us to load student names into the database. Your best bet is to schedule time in the lab after October 1st for the fall semester and after April 1st for the spring semester. The surveys may be ready before that, but as a general rule of thumb, those dates should work.

The fine art of searching for Student Names: Before you get your students into the computer lab, it helps to understand how the student search works. If you know how the search works, you’re better prepared to help students find their names once they’re in the lab. Keep the following points in mind:

 Be Exact – The Search functionality for the Student Surveys requires an EXACT match to the student’s NCWISE data.

 Spelling Counts – If the student’s last name is misspelled, the search results will not yield the student’s name.

 The Search feature does not look for “close matches” or “partial matches” – If a student’s last name is Smythe, searching for ‘Smith’ or ‘Smyth’ will not return the student’s name.

 Hyphenated last names, suffixes and special characters can be tricky – With hyphenated names, suffixes (Jr or III) and special characters (St. James or D’Salvo), it’s difficult to know what to enter for an exact match. Some trial and error may be required. Your best rule of thumb here is to look at your NCWISE roster and enter the student’s name exactly as it appears, and work from there.

Go Take the Survey with your students

The first rule of Student Surveys: Always access the Student Survey from our website, www.IsPOD.info. Internet searches for the survey may lead you sites that do not provide an access point.

The Steps:

1. Go to www.ispod.info.

2. Click the Student Survey button in the Quick Access section.

3. Select the District from the dropdown list and click Continue to advance to the next screen.

4. Select the School from the dropdown list and click Continue to advance to the next screen.

5. Enter the student’s Last Name and Grade Level, and then click Continue to Survey.

 A list of students matching the entered criteria will display. The list may contain one student, multiple students, or no students.

 If multiple students match the criteria, use the first name date of birth information to determine the correct student.

 If no students match the criteria entered, the screen will appear as follows. Use the information in the “Missing Students” section for your next steps.

6. Click the Take Survey link and complete the survey questions.

7. Don’t forget to SUBMIT. It’s the last step of the survey.

Missing Students - What to do if a name cannot be matched:

 If you think the student’s name may have been typed into the search incorrectly: Try entering the name again. You’ll likely have to click the Refresh button if you use the Back arrow to navigate back to the search screen.

 If a student’s name is still missing:

Submit a Help Desk ticket at www.ispod.info. Under the Help tab, select Help-Desk. Please allow 48-72 hours for data entry before asking the student to attempt to access the survey again.

And finally, the fine print:

Student survey responses are private and confidential. Data are collected and analyzed by The North Carolina Center for Health Statistics. Responses for individual students are not accessible by NCAAHPERD staff, and no individual student data is ever published in the data reports.