With perspective from Tanya Taylor, Levy County Public Schools (FL)

Imagine a classroom where every student  believes in themselves. That was the vision guiding Florida’s Levy County Public Schools. AVID strategies had already helped build strong instruction, but leaders wanted students to see themselves as capable learners. To get there, they needed a way to measure what matters most: student agency.

“We realized our next step was empowering students to take ownership of their learning, not just participate in it,” said Tanya Taylor, AVID District Director and Director of Career & Technical Education.

For Levy County, AVID’s student agency survey became the missing link between skill and aspiration.

“It gives you the truth you can’t see from achievement data alone,” explained Taylor. “It tells you what students feel, believe, and internalize, which ultimately drives their performance. . . . [t]he Student Agency Survey gave us a consistent way to measure what we value: persistence, confidence, belonging, and students’ belief that their effort impacts their success.”

What the Data Can Reveal

Levy County district leaders used the Student Agency Survey data to better understand where students might need additional support, and after surveying students across multiple schools over 3 years, they identified two notable patterns that offered valuable insights into students’ experiences:

1. Attendance: Students with attendance below 90% reported lower levels of student agency compared to peers with higher attendance.

1. Behavior: Students with more than two discipline referrals also reported lower student agency than those with none.

While their findings didn’t explain why these differences occurred, they suggested that attendance and behavior may be linked to students’ perceived ability to take ownership of their learning. 

Levy County also observed trends across grade levels. Average student agency scores tended to decline as students transitioned into middle school. However, students enrolled in AVID during middle or high school showed smaller declines compared to their peers. This pattern was most noticeable during key transition years, such as Grades 6 and 9, suggesting that intentional support can help sustain confidence and engagement.

The Impact 

Today, Levy County classrooms reflect how the Student Agency Survey supports student learning. “We’re seeing more students take ownership of their learning,” said Taylor. “They’re more confident, more engaged, and more willing to persist through challenges.”

The data tells a nuanced story. Two of the county’s three elementary schools showed year-over-year gains in student agency, with increases of up to 8% from the spring of 2023 to the spring of 2024. But progress doesn’t look the same everywhere or across every indicator.

One campus offers a compelling example. In 2023, only 25% of sixth graders felt comfortable asking classmates for help. Just 1 year later, when they were in seventh grade, 79% said they could rely on peers for support.   This shift highlights how growth can happen in specific areas in schools that intentionally focus on student agency.

Turning Insight Into Action 

Levy County put the data into action with professional learning that addresses agency indicators:

• Feedback that builds confidence.
• Inquiry that increases student voice.
• Writing and discussion structures that promote ownership.
• Gradual release routines that intentionally hand responsibility to students.

The county also incorporated agency objectives into School Improvement Plans districtwide and created Learning Walk tools to highlight practices that promote belonging, confidence, and ownership.

And, its teachers embraced the shift .

“Once teachers saw students’ perceptions in black and white, their mindset shifted from ‘students don’t try’ to ‘students don’t believe they can.’ That changed everything,” Taylor shared.

Understanding Beliefs to Unlock Potential

Levy County’s experience underscores a simple truth: understanding what students believe about learning gives educators a clearer path to support growth. Test scores measure achievement, but the Student Agency Survey reveals students’ confidence, persistence, and sense of ownership.

“It gives leaders and teachers a roadmap for strengthening classroom culture, instructional practice, and student-teacher relationships,” said Tanya Taylor. “And most importantly, it allows students to speak—and allows us to listen.”By pairing data-derived insights with intentional strategies, districts can create classrooms where students feel capable and connected.