College Survival & Success Scale 2nd Edition

We’re sorry.  This assessment has been discontinued
and is no longer available.

The College Survival & Success Scale 2nd Edition  measures a student’s ability to get the most from post-secondary education and training and use it to build a successful future.

The College Survival & Success Scale 2nd Edition (CSSS) measures a student’s ability to get the most from postsecondary education and training and use it to build a successful future. While more students are trying to further their educations, nearly half fail to graduate with a degree. The CSSS is designed to help them identify potential pitfalls to their educational success and implement strategies to overcome them. The CSSS covers five scales important for staying in and doing well in college, according to research:

1) Commitment to Education
2) Self- and Resource-Management Skills
3) Interpersonal and Social Skills
4) Academic Success Skills
5) Career Planning Skills.

This 60-item assessment gauges the skills, habits, motivations, and attitudes needed to survive and succeed in college. In addition, the CSSS includes dozens of helpful suggestions for improving college survival and success, plus writing space for “My Success Plan.” Self-scoring and self-interpreting, the CSSS features five easy steps and a friendly writing style and takes just 20 minutes to complete.

What It Was Best Used For

• Evaluating Student Readiness: Assessing a student’s commitment to higher education, resource management, and social or interpersonal traits before an organization invests time and money into their training.

• Guiding Academic Counseling: Providing advisors and high school counselors with clear metrics to build individualized study habits, success plans, and career directions for students.
• Boosting Program Retention Rates: Helping colleges and training facilities flag at-risk students early to deploy targeted seminars and individualized counseling.

It was fully legal for use in Canada.

This edition features revised and updated items, improved validity, and additional tips for succeeding at college. The items modified from the first edition illustrate changes in society, college life, and the use of technology. Additional journaling prompts are provided for Section 4 of the assessment. Step 5 was modified to activate students’ thinking about how they will commit to making changes to ensure their college survival and success.

The CSSS makes a great discussion tool and helps individuals learn what college will be like, to understand expectations in college, and to prepare for the college experience and the college environment. It also helps high schools, colleges, and other programs take action to improve college retention rates by increasing student awareness of the college experience, by opening up discussion, and by individualizing their services, seminars, and counseling to better meet the specific needs of their students.