Subgrantee District Survey

NETI

The National Evaluation of Title III Implementation

____________________________________________________

Draft Subgrantee Survey

October 20, 2009

Prepared By: Prepared For:

American Institutes for Research U.S. Department of Education

Contract No. ED-04-CO-0025/0017

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB number. The valid OMB control number of this information collection is XXXX-XXXX. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 45 minutes. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimates(s) or suggestion for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, 20202-4651. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to:

Policy and Program Studies Service, Office of the Deputy Secretary, US Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202.

Notification Letter for Districts Participating in the Subgrantee Survey

NETI

The National Evaluation

of Title III Implementation

Dear [District Title III Coordinator],

I am writing to inform you that your district has been selected to participate in a survey of Title III-funded districts as part of the National Evaluation of Title III Implementation. Your participation, along with that of districts across the country, will ensure that local perspectives on Title III and English language acquisition and enhancement are represented.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, this study is designed to provide Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, other policymakers, and educators with important information about states’ and districts’ implementation of Title III provisions, as of 2009-10. Thus, it will inform the next reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

The survey will be conducted using an on-line form and will require approximately 45 minutes to complete. In the next few days, you will be receiving an e-mail from the National Evaluation of Title III Implementation that provides a Web address to access the form as well as instructions for completing the form. The Department of Education has indicated that responding to the survey is required under the terms of your Title III subgrant. You and your district’s identities will be protected; immediately after we receive the survey, your name and the district’s name will be dissociated from the data. Your responses will be used to summarize findings in an aggregate manner (across groups of subgrantees), or will be used to provide examples of program implementation in a manner that does not associate responses with a specific site or individual.

Thank you very much for your cooperation. We truly appreciate your willingness to provide the time and expertise needed for the success of this important study.

Sincerely,

Howard Fleischman, National Evaluation of Title III Implementation

Survey Director

CC:

Jennifer O’Day, Ph.D., National Evaluation of Title III Implementation, Principal Investigator

James Taylor, Ph.D., National Evaluation of Title III Implementation, Project Director

The National Evaluation of Title III Implementation is funded by the Policy and Program Studies Service (PPSS) of the US Department of Education and conducted by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) with its partners the Windwalker Corporation and edCount, LLC.  The valid OMB control number of this information collection is XXXX-XXXX.

Instructions for Completing the Subgrantee Survey

NETI

The National Evaluation

of Title III Implementation

Dear [District Title III Coordinator],

Earlier, I sent you a letter indicating that your district had been selected to participate in a nationally-representative survey of Title III-funded districts as part of the National Evaluation of Title III Implementation. The purpose of this e-mail is to provide information on who should complete the survey and how it can be accessed on the Web.

This survey form is to be completed by the individual in the school district most knowledgeable about services being provided to English language learners (ELLs) under Title III. If the Title III subgrantee is a consortium of school districts, please complete the survey describing the school district with the greatest number of ELLs in the consortium. If the subgrantee is a charter school, please complete the survey describing the school (substituting "school" for "district").

The survey can largely be completed without reference to school district or Title III records. The two exceptions are that the survey requests information on: (1) the total number of students that are served by the school district in the current (2009-2010) school year; and (2) the total number of English language learners (ELLs) that are served by the district in the 2009-2010 school year. Thus, you should assemble that information before beginning the survey. For all other quantitative information requests, the survey requests only “best estimates” on such topics as ELL language groups, immigrant status, and Title III budget allocations.

The survey is available on-line at [insert web link]. The link is specific to your district/school. Instructions for completing the survey are provided at the beginning of the survey form. The survey is comprised of 32 questions and is estimated to require approximately 45 minutes of your time.

If you have any questions about the survey or are having problems with the on-line form, please contact Marisa Pelczar at marisa.pelczar@windwalker.com or 703-970-3525.

Please complete the survey by [date]. Thank you very much for your help providing the critical local perspective in this important national evaluation.

Sincerely,

Howard Fleischman

Survey Director

National Evaluation of Title III Implementation

The National Evaluation of Title III Implementation is funded by the Policy and Program Studies Service (PPSS) of the US Department of Education and conducted by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) with its partners the Windwalker Corporation and edCount, LLC.  The valid OMB control number of this information collection is XXXX-XXXX.

NETI

The National Evaluation of Title III Implementation

DRAFT Title III Subgrantee Survey

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ BEFORE ANSWERING

Instructions:

• Unless otherwise stated, please complete all items by using data from the 2009-2010 school year.

• Question 1 is the only item for which highly accurate quantitative data are required. For other items that ask for estimates, please feel free to provide them, as estimates are preferred over no answer. In order to answer these questions, however, you may wish to have program records (e.g., language groups, prior ELL enrollments, Title III budget) and a calculator available.

• The survey uses the term “English language learners” (ELLs). The federal legislation refers to these students as limited English proficient (LEP).

• If the district/school does not serve both elementary and secondary grades, please skip items referring to unserved grade ranges.

• You may enter the survey using your URL link as many times as you need to, as long as you click the “Save” button on any page before exiting (i.e., you do not need to click the “Save” button on every page).  However, on the last page of the survey, there is a dark blue “Submit” button.  You should not click this button until you are absolutely certain that you have completed all relevant items, because clicking the “Submit” button eliminates your ability to re-enter using your link.

• In order to navigate within the survey, you should use the dark blue “Next” and “Back” buttons at the bottom of each page.  You should not use your Web browser’s forward and back arrows, as this will cause a loss of data that you have entered.

A. ELL Population

1. During the 2009-2010 school year, please indicate:

1. the total number of students in the school district _________

2. the total number of ELLs in the district __________________

2. Approximately what percentage of ELLs in your district are in each of the following language groupings?

a. Spanish ____________%

b. Other European languages

(French, Russian, Greek, etc.) ____________%

c. Asian-Pacific languages (Chinese

languages, Hmong, Hindi, Tagalog, etc.) ____________%

d. Native American languages ____________%

e. Other languages (Arabic, Haitian Creole

African languages, etc.) ____________%

Total 100%

3. Please estimate the percentages of the ELLs in your district who are:

a. born in the U.S. _________% b. not born in the U.S. and in first year at a U.S. school _________%

c. not born in the U.S. and in second or third year at a

U.S. school _________%

d. not born in the U.S. and in fourth or more year at a

U.S. school _________%

Total 100%

4. Please estimate the percentage of ELLs in your district who have had interrupted schooling (i.e., have missed two or more years of formal schooling since age 6). (Select one)

a. 0-5% ____

b. 6-10% ____

c. 11-20% ____

d. More than 20% ____

5. Please estimate how the total number of ELLs in your district has changed in the past five years since September 2004. (Select one)

a. The number has increased by more than 50% ____

b. The number has increased by 25% to 50% ____

c. The number has increased by 5% to 25% ____

d The number has been stable (-5% to 5%) ____

e. The number has decreased by more than 5% ____

6. Approximately what percentage of ELLs are new to your district this year? (Do not include students in the lowest grade served by the district.) (Select one)

a. 0-10 % ____

b. 11-25% ____

c. 26-50% ____

d. 51-100% ____

B. ELL Identification, Placement, and Exit

7. Which of the following factors does the district use to identify, place, and exit students regarding ELL services? (Select Yes or No in each of the three columns in each row.)

		To identify students as ELLs	To place students into specific ELL services	To exit students from ELL status
a.	State English language proficiency (ELP) test	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
b.	Other English oral proficiency tests	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
c.	Other English literacy tests (including writing samples)	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
d.	State academic content area tests	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
e.	Other standardized achievement tests in English	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
f.	Native language oral proficiency tests	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
g.	Native language literacy tests	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
h.	Standardized achievement tests in native language	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
i.	Class grades	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No

7. (cont) Which of the following factors does the district use to identify, place, and exit students regarding ELL services? (Select Yes or No in each of the three columns in each row.)

		To identify students as ELLs	To place students into specific ELL services	To exit students from ELL status
j.	Progress tests (also called “interim,” “benchmark,” or “diagnostic” tests)*	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
k.	Teacher judgment	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
l.	Home language survey	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
m.	Parental input/choice	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
n.	Years in the U.S.	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
o.	Years in the ELL service program	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
p.	Grade level	Yes No	Yes No	Yes No

* (footnote at bottom of page) By progress tests we mean required tests administered periodically (e.g., every six weeks) to monitor your students’ progress. We do not mean the annual state assessment nor the tests or quizzes teachers decide to administer on their own.

8. For an individual ELL, how often are the following reviewed (by someone other than the regular classroom teacher)? (Select one in each row.)

		Less than once a year	Once a year	Twice a year	More than twice a year
a.	Placement in specific ELL services (e.g., ESL classes, sheltered instruction)	1	2	3	4
b.	Readiness for exit or redesignation from ELL status	1	2	3	4

C. ELL Services

9. Approximately what percentage of ELLs in the district participate in each of the following types of ELL services at the elementary level? (Select one in each row.)

		0%	1-50%	51-99%	100%
a.	English language development for ELLs (e.g., English as a second language instruction) within or outside the regular classroom	1	2	3	4
b.	Instruction in the language arts of the native language	1	2	3	4
c.	Instruction in content areas (math, science, social studies) involving significant (at least 25%) use of the native language	1	2	3	4
d.	Instruction in content areas using English but specially designed for ELLs (e.g., sheltered instruction, SIOP)	1	2	3	4
e.	Two-way immersion programs involving both ELLs and native English speakers	1	2	3	4
f.	Special instruction for newcomers to U.S. schools	1	2	3	4

10. Approximately what percentage of ELLs in the district participate in each of the following types of ELL services at the secondary level? (Select one in each row.)

		0%	1-50%	51-99%	100%
a.	English language development for ELLs (e.g., English as a second language instruction) within or outside the regular classroom	1	2	3	4
b.	Instruction in the language arts of the native language	1	2	3	4
c.	Instruction in content areas (math, science, social studies) involving significant (at least 25%) use of the native language	1	2	3	4
d.	Instruction in content areas using English but specially designed for ELLs (e.g., sheltered instruction, SIOP)	1	2	3	4
e.	Two-way immersion programs involving both ELLs and native English speakers	1	2	3	4
f.	Special instruction for newcomers to U.S. schools	1	2	3	4

11. Approximately what percentages of ELLs in the district receive no ELL services due to:

a. Parental choice _________%

b. Lack of service availability _________%

c. Services provided by other programs (e.g., special education) _________%

12. Which of the following types of services are available to former ELLs at the elementary and secondary levels in the year following their exit from ELL status ?

Elementary Secondary

Yes No Yes No

a. Tutoring services 1 2 1 2

b. An academic counselor or support teacher 1 2 1 2

c. A peer counselor or English proficient “buddy” 1 2 1 2

d. Monitoring of academic performance

by district/school 1 2 1 2

D. Title III Accountability for ELLs

13. Do you have a clear understanding of the district’s target(s) for meeting annual measurable achievement objectives (AMAOs) under Title III for 2009-2010?

Yes No

a. Target(s) for meeting AMAO 1 – Making progress in English 1 2

b. Target(s) for meeting AMAO 2 – Attaining English proficiency 1 2

c. Target(s) for meeting AMAO 3 – Meeting proficiency targets

in the content areas for the LEP subgroup 1 2

14. Did the district meet its annual measurable achievement objectives (AMAOs) under Title III in the last school year (2008-2009)?

Don’t

Yes No Know

a. AMAO 1 – Making progress in English 1 2 3

b. AMAO 2 – Attaining English proficiency 1 2 3

c. AMAO 3 – Meeting proficiency targets in the

content areas for the LEP subgroup 1 2 3

15. Is the district currently designated as having missed its annual measurable achievement objectives (AMAOs) under Title III:

Don’t

Yes No Know

a. for two consecutive years? 1 2 3

b. for four consecutive years? 1 2 3

E. Improvement Initiatives

16. Since September 2008, has the district implemented any of the following actions to improve services to ELLs? (Select one in each row.)

		Action implemented as a direct response to the district’s Title III AMAO status	Action implemented for other reasons	Action not implemented
a.	Developed an improvement plan	1	2	3
b.	Notified parents of ELLs whether the district met its AMAOs in 2008-2009	1	2	3
c.	Adopted new curriculum for English language development	1	2	3
d.	Increased instructional time spent for ELLs (including after-school and summer programs)	1	2	3
e.	Increased the alignment of English language development instruction with state ELP standards	1	2	3
f.	Increased teacher professional development on ELL issues	1	2	3
g.	Added an instructional specialist to assist teachers of ELLs	1	2	3
h.	Increased progress testing of ELLs	1	2	3
i.	Increased use of needs-based grouping or differentiated instruction for ELLs	1	2	3
j.	Increased common planning time for teachers of ELLs	1	2	3
k.	Increased involvement activities targeted at parents of ELLs and the community	1	2	3

17. To increase the alignment of English language development instruction with state ELP standards, has the district done any of the following since September 2008? (Select one in each row.)

Yes, to Yes, No

increase for other

alignment reasons

a. Made changes in texts/curriculum materials 1 2 3

b. Mandated district-wide curricula 1 2 3

c. Adopted new instructional/pacing guides 1 2 3

d. Made changes in assessment measures or methods 1 2 3

e. Provided teacher training on ELP standards 1 2 3

f. Provided teacher training on instructional methods 1 2 3

F. Record-Keeping and Use of Data on ELLs

18. Are the following variables concerning individual ELLs included in a district-wide student database?

Yes No

a. Current ELL status 1 2

b. ELL status in previous school years 1 2

c. ELL services received in current year 1 2

d. ELL services received in previous years 1 2

e. Native language 1 2

f. Years living in U.S. 1 2

g. Experienced interrupted schooling 1 2

h. Academic achievement of former ELLs 1 2

i. English language proficiency test scores 1 2

j. State content area test scores 1 2

k. Identity of ELL’s mainstream teachers 1 2

l. Identity of ELL’s specialist teachers 1 2

19. Are the following variables concerning teachers of ELLs included in a district-wide database?

Yes No

1. Qualifications (e.g., degrees, certifications, endorsements) of mainstream
   classroom teachers of ELLs) 1 2

2. Qualifications of specialist teachers (ESL, ELD, bilingual,
   and LIEP teachers) 1 2

20. Does the district use the following testing data in any of these ways?

(Select Yes or No in each of the three columns in each row)

			To group ELLs for instruction	To detect gaps in the curriculum for ELLs	To plan professional development for teachers of ELLs
a.	State English language proficiency (ELP) test		Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
b.	State academic content area tests		Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
c.	Other district-wide language proficiency assessments		Yes No	Yes No	Yes No
d.	Progress tests (also called “interim,” “benchmark,” or “diagnostic” tests)		Yes No	Yes No	Yes No

21. Does the district examine student testing data for ELLs broken down in any of the following ways?

Yes No

a. By grade 1 2

b. By level of English language proficiency

(e.g., beginning, developing) 1 2

c. By native language 1 2

d. By years in ELL services 1 2

e. By type of ELL services or program 1 2

G. District Capacity

25. Please estimate the percent of district Title III, Part A subgrant funds (including immigrant funds if you receive them) that were used for each of the following for last school year (2008-2009)?

a. Instructional staff (e.g., teachers, aides) _________%

b. Instructional support staff (e.g., counselors,

social workers, library staff) _________%

c. Instructional materials, equipment, and technology _________%

d. Professional development _________%

e. Parent involvement _________%

f. School and district administration _________%

Total 100%

23. How many full time equivalent (FTE) positions at the district-level are dedicated to Title III and ELL issues (including district-level coaches, specialists, etc.)?

___________ FTEs

24. How many district-level personnel have Title III and ELL issues as their primary responsibility?

___________ individuals

25. In this year (2009-2010), does the district have any teachers serving ELLs who… (Select one in each row.)

Yes, Yes,

more less than
than 10% 10%
No

a. are not fully certified for their positions? 1 2 3

b. are not highly qualified? 1 2 3

c. have not demonstrated English language fluency? 1 2 3

26. During this year (2009-2010), has the district had difficulty in recruiting or retaining the following types of staff for serving ELLs? (Select one in each row.)

Yes, had No N/A
difficulty difficulty

a. English language development teachers (ESL, etc.) 1 2 3

b. Teachers with language skills in ELLs’ native languages

(for bilingual classes, etc.) 1 2 3

c. Mainstream elementary classroom teachers with

training in serving ELLs 1 2 3

d. Secondary content area teachers with training

in serving ELLs 1 2 3

e. Counseling staff with training in serving ELLs 1 2 3

27. Since September 2008, has the district used any of the following to recruit, hire, train, support, or retain teachers who are highly qualified and knowledgeable about the instruction of ELLs? (Select one in each row.)

		Yes	No
a.	Financial incentives to recruit ELL teachers such as increased starting salaries, signing bonuses, or housing incentives	1	2
b.	Financial incentives such as coursework stipends or paid release time to support advanced coursework or training related to the instruction of ELLs	1	2
c.	Partnerships with teacher preparation programs that include coursework related to instruction of ELLs	1	2
d.	An alternate route (“fast-track”) program to help teachers become certified or add ELL endorsements	1	2
e.	Policies of assigning teachers who are best able to address the needs of ELLs to schools with many ELLs	1	2
f.	Teacher induction programs focusing on instruction of ELLs	1	2
g.	Programs of sustained mentoring or coaching or co-teaching focusing on the instruction of ELLs	1	2
h.	Collaborative learning activities (e.g., common planning time, teacher work groups, teacher networks) for teachers who work with ELLs	1	2

28. Since September 2008, did the district receive technical assistance (TA) from any source (from the state, regional education labs, universities, etc.) concerning ELLs on the following topics? Was the TA sufficient to meet the district’s needs?

		Did the district receive TA on this topic?	If yes, was the TA sufficient to meet the district’s needs?
a.	Administering Title III and other funds to support the needs of ELLs	Yes No	Yes No
b.	Developing an improvement plan focused on ELL issues	Yes No	Yes No
c.	Effective English language development approaches	Yes No	Yes No
d.	Effective content area instructional approaches for ELLs	Yes No	Yes No
e.	Instruction of recently arrived ELLs in secondary schools	Yes No	Yes No
f.	Alignment of curriculum and instruction with state English Language Proficiency standards	Yes No	Yes No
g.	Assessment of ELLs (including testing accommodations)	Yes No	Yes No
h.	Use of data on ELLs	Yes No	Yes No
i.	Strategies for the involvement of parents of ELLs	Yes No	Yes No
j.	ELL program administration (assigning students to services, scheduling services, etc.)	Yes No	Yes No
kj.	Effective teacher training for teachers of ELLs	Yes No	Yes No

29. To what extent is each of the following a challenge to meeting the needs of ELLs in your district? (Select one in each row.)

		Not a challenge	Minor challenge	Moderate challenge	Major challenge
a.	Insufficient funding for ELL improvement	1	2	3	4
b.	Lack of district-level staff expertise on ELL issues	1	2	3	4
c.	Lack of access to outside expertise on ELL issues	1	2	3	4
d.	Lack of political support for ELL improvement	1	2	3	4
e.	Shortage of qualified applicants for specialist ELL teacher positions (ESL, ELD, bilingual education, or LIEP)	1	2	3	4
f.	Lack of expertise among mainstream teachers to address the needs of ELLs	1	2	3	4
g.	Lack of proven curricula and programs for ELLs	1	2	3	4

H. State Content Area Assessments

30. Were the following accommodations provided to any ELLs in the district taking state content area tests in English language arts and/or mathematics in 2008-2009?

Yes No

a. Extended time 1 2

b. Additional breaks offered between sessions 1 2

c. Bilingual glossaries or dictionaries 1 2

d. English glossaries or dictionaries 1 2

e. Directions or questions read aloud in English 1 2

f. Directions translated or read in native language 1 2

g. Simplified English test/more visuals 1 2

h. Side-by-side bilingual version of the test 1 2

i. Native language test 1 2

j. Dictation of answers or use of a scribe 1 2

k. Test taker responds in native language 1 2

l. Testing in small groups/separate rooms 1 2

31. Did the district meet all of its adequate yearly progress (AYP) targets (across all students and subgroups) under Title I of NCLB based on 2008-2009 test scores? (Select one)

Yes ….1

No ….2

No, but under appeal ….3

Not yet notified ….4

Don’t know ….5

32. Is the district currently identified for improvement or corrective action under Title I of NCLB?

Yes ….1

No ….2

Don’t know ….3

33. If there is anything else you would like to tell us about Title III implementation in your district, please enter your comments here.

Thank you for your participation in this survey!

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