Teacher Survey

Dear Teacher,

The U.S. Department of Education has contracted with SRI International, the Urban Institute, and Berkeley Policy Associates to conduct a five-year study of the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF), which was designed to provide financial support to local education agencies, nonprofit organizations, or state education agencies to implement innovative performance pay systems for primary and secondary school teachers and principals.

This survey is intended to help us learn about educators’ perceptions of, and experiences with, performance pay in general and the Teacher Incentive Fund. You are receiving this survey because your school is participating in one of the programs listed below.  However, when completing this survey, if your school is implementing more than one performance pay program, please respond based on your experiences in ALL performance pay programs in which you currently participate.

Alaska	Alaska Teacher and Principal Incentive Project
Arizona	Amphitheater Unified’s Project EXCELL!
California	Lynwood Unified’s Quest for Success
Colorado	Denver Public School’s ProComp
	Eagle County School District’s Performance-Based Compensation Program
	Harrison School District’s REAL program
	Weld County’s Fort Lupton Teacher Incentive Fund
District of Columbia	D.C. Public Schools’ TEAM program
Florida	Hillsborough County Public Schools’ POWER program
	Miami-Dade County’s Project RISE
	Orange County’s REAP program
Illinois	Chicago Public Schools’ Chicago TAP program
Louisiana	Algiers Charter Schools Association’s Teacher Advancement Program (TAP)
Massachusetts	Edward W. Brooke Charter School’s Teacher Excellence Incentive Project
Maryland	Prince George's County’s FIRST program
North Carolina	Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s LEAP program
	Cumberland County’s Teacher Incentive Fund
	Guilford County’s Mission Possible program
New Mexico	Northern New Mexico’s Performance-Based Compensation Program
New York	Center for Educational Innovation’s (CEI-PEA) PICCS program
Ohio	Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo’s OTIF program
Oklahoma	Beggs SMART program
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia’s Teacher and Principal Incentive Fund Project
	Pittsburgh’s PULSE program
South Carolina	Florence County and Lauren’s School District’s SCTAP+
	South Carolina Department of Education’s TAP
South Dakota	South Dakota Incentive Fund (SDI+)
Tennessee	Memphis City Schools Effective Practice Incentive Community (EPIC) program
Texas	Dallas ISD Performance Pay Program
	Houston’s Project ASPIRE
	School of Excellence in Education’s TAPASA program
	University of Texas’s Teacher Incentive Fund Program
NATIONAL	National Charter School Consortium’s Effective Practice Incentive Community (EPIC)

We appreciate your contribution to our study, and your responses will provide invaluable insight into the implementation of performance pay systems across the country. Your responses will be kept confidential. For reporting purposes, your responses will be combined with those of other educators in your performance pay program, and no survey response will be reported at the individual level.

The survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. If you prefer to complete this survey online, please follow this link: [INSERT LINK] and enter participant code {X]. If you have any questions about this survey or the national study, please contact:

Dr. H. Alix Gallagher, SRI International

Phone: (650) 859-3504

Fax: 650-859-3375

Email: alix.gallagher@sri.com

This survey is authorized by the U.S. Department of Education (P.L. 20 U.S.C. 1221e-1) and the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002.  These laws require that the survey sponsor treat all information you provide as confidential.  The information you provide will be used only for research and statistical purposes by the survey sponsor, its contractors, and collaborating researchers for the purpose of analyzing data and preparing scientific reports and articles.  Any information publicly released (such as statistical summaries) will be in a form that does not personally identify you.  Your response is voluntary. 

According to the Paperwork reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1875-0256. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 15-20 or minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202-4537.

OMB NO.: [to be filled in]

EXPIRATION DATE: [to be filled in]

National Study of the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF)

Teacher Survey

This survey is intended to help us learn about educators’ experiences with performance pay in their school or district as part of the national evaluation of the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF). Performance pay programs are designed to provide additional compensation—often referred to as incentives—based on meeting certain established criteria. You are receiving this survey because your school is participating in a performance pay program.

1. Please indicate all grades in which you currently provide instruction. Mark all that apply.

PreK	K	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
													

2. What are your primary teaching assignments? Mark all that apply.

 Elementary, all subjects

 Special Education (self-contained or resource)

 Reading/English Language Arts

 Science

 Mathematics

 Social Studies or History

 Foreign language

 Visual or Performing Art(s)

 Physical Education

 Other  Please specify ___________________________________________________

3. Including the 2010-11 academic year, how many years have you worked as a teacher?

Mark one box per row.

	1 year	2-3 years	4-5 years	6-9 years	10-19 years	20+ years
Total years						
Years in your present district						
Years in your present school						

4. Have you ever taught in a school or district that did not have a performance pay program?

 Yes

 No

4. Is participation in the performance pay program in your school or district mandatory? Mark only one box.

 Yes

 No

• Don’t know

4. How well do you understand the following aspects of the performance pay program in your school or district? Mark one box per row.

	Not at all	Somewhat	Very well
Goals of the program			
Activities for which you can earn incentive pay			
How incentive amounts are calculated			
When incentive payments are distributed			
How your work as a teacher is evaluated for the program			

4. For which of the following activities can a teacher earn additional pay under the performance pay program in your school or district? Mark one box per row.

	Yes	No	Don’t know
Teaching Assignment
Teaching in a “hard-to-staff” school (e.g., schools serving large proportions of economically disadvantaged or low-performing students)			
Teaching mathematics			
Teaching science			
Teaching special education			
Raising Student Achievement
Raising student achievement school-wide			
Raising student achievement in a teacher’s classroom			
Classroom Practice
A teacher’s classroom practice, as measured by formal evaluation			
Other components of the performance pay program
Attending professional development			
Participating in graduate level courses, or earning a Master’s degree or additional certification (may include tuition reimbursement)			
Taking on additional responsibilities (e.g., being a master teacher, chairing a committee, mentoring another teacher)			
Sharing effective practices with other teachers and educators			
Earning National Board Certification			
Other  Please specify_____________________________________________			

4. Thinking about all of the possible activities that are compensated through incentives in your performance pay program, what is the maximum amount that a teacher can currently earn in addition to base salary?

Mark only one box.

 Less than $1000

 $1,000 - $1,999

 $2,000 - $3,999

 $4,000 - $5,999

 $6,000 - $7,999

 $8,000 - $9,999

• $10,000 - $11,999

• $12,000 - $14,999

 $15,000 or more

 Don’t know

4. Some programs award a fixed incentive amount to everyone who meets certain criteria. In other performance pay programs, either the number of awards is limited or the amount of the award varies based on how many people attain it. Which of the following applies to the performance pay program in your school or district? Mark all that apply.

 All teachers or schools achieving performance benchmarks receive the incentive award, and the amount of the award is set in advance.

 The number of award recipients is set in advance (e.g., only the 5 highest-performing schools win an award).

 The amount of the award varies based on how many teachers or schools attain the performance standard.

 Don’t know

4. Thinking about the way(s) you receive information about the performance pay program in your school or district, indicate how helpful each of the following sources of information have been for you personally.

Mark one box per row.

	Did not receive information	Not at all helpful	Somewhat helpful	Very helpful
Written communication from the school or district				
Formal meetings or professional development				
Other teachers or staff				
The media				
Other  Please specify __________________________				

4. Thinking about the past 12 months, what support have you received to help you earn an incentive award? Mark one box per row.

	Yes	No
Mentoring or coaching		
Professional development		
Observations, evaluation, or feedback from my peers		
Administrator evaluation and feedback		
Other  Please specify __________________________		

4. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the supports (professional development, coaching, evaluation and feedback) that were available to you in the past 12 months?

Mark one box per row.

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
I have sufficient support available to me.				
The support available to me is of high quality.				
Our performance pay program influences the type of support I seek out.				
The support I received impacted the way I teach.				
The support I received helped me earn an incentive award.				

4. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the performance pay program in your school or district? Mark one box per row.

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
The performance pay program is clearly communicated to educators.				
The performance pay program encourages teachers to work harder than in prior years to get more pay.				
Our school has less chance of earning an award because of the characteristics our student population.				
The incentive program omits important aspects of teaching that should be considered.				
The program does a good job of distinguishing effective from ineffective teachers at my school.				
The criteria to receive an incentive are fair.				
The performance pay program contributes to greater collegiality and professionalism among the staff in my school/district.				
The performance pay program has helped establish common goals for student learning and teacher instruction at my school.				
Changes in student achievement are attributable to the performance pay program.				
Performance pay leads some teachers to focus too much on test-taking and not the broader curriculum.				
Our performance pay program helps schools attract effective teachers.				
Our performance pay program helps schools retain effective teachers.				
Performance pay positively affects the status of the teaching profession.				
Teachers at my school are more comfortable with frequent observations of their teaching because of the performance pay program.				
The prospect that teachers can earn additional compensation leads some teachers to engage in unethical behavior.				
Leadership at my school is more effective now that the principal participates in a performance pay program.				
q. Performance pay negatively affects the morale of teachers who did not receive an incentive award.				
Parents and the school community believe the performance pay program is important.				
The performance pay program is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.				

4. Including this year, how many years have you participated in a performance pay program? Mark only one box.

 None, I have never participated in a performance pay program  SKIP TO QUESTION 20

 1 year (e.g., this is my first year)  SKIP TO QUESTION 18

 2 - 3 years

• 4 - 5 years

• More than 5 years

• Don’t know

4. What was the total amount of the performance bonus you received LAST year, for 2009-10? Mark only one box.

 None, I did not participate in the performance pay program in 2009-2010  SKIP TO QUESTION 18

 None, I did not receive a performance bonus last year  SKIP TO QUESTION 17

 Less than $1000

 $1,000 - $1,999

 $2,000 - $3,999

 $4,000 - $5,999

 $6,000 - $7,999

 $8,000 - $9,999

• $10,000 - $11,999

• $12,000 - $14,999

 $15,000 or more

 Don’t know

4. Did you receive the correct compensation LAST year, for 2009-10, based on the criteria of the performance pay program and your personal performance? Mark only one box.

 Yes

 No

 Don’t know

4. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements about your participation in the performance pay program? Mark one box per row.

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
The performance pay system is fair.				
I can increase my earnings through the performance pay program.				
I am better compensated as a teacher with a performance pay program.				
The size of the possible award is large enough to motivate me to earn it.				
The formal evaluation I received was fair.				
I have altered my instructional practices as a result of the performance pay program.				
I was already working as effectively as I could before the implementation of the performance pay program.				
I experience personal satisfaction earning an award.				
I understand why I did or did not receive an incentive.				

4. Are you CURRENTLY, in 2010-11, participating in the performance pay program in your school or district?

Mark only one box.

 Yes

 No  SKIP TO QUESTION 20

 Don’t know

4. Thinking about this academic year (2010-11), what is the likelihood that you will earn an award for each of the following? If the performance pay program in your school or district does not provide incentives in one of the categories, please check “Not applicable”. Mark one box per row.

	Not at all likely	Somewhat likely	Very likely	Not applicable
Teaching in a hard-to-staff school				
Teaching a specific subject				
Raising student achievement school-wide				
Raising student achievement in my classroom				
Classroom practice, as measured by formal evaluation				
Other components of the performance pay program (e.g., professional development, additional responsibilities, additional certification)				

4. How strongly do you agree or disagree about effects of the performance pay program? Mark one box per row.

		Strongly disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
I am more satisfied with teaching because of performance pay.					
The stress and disappointments involved in teaching at this school are greater due to performance pay.					
My job satisfaction has increased due to performance pay.					
I am more satisfied with my overall level of compensation due to performance pay.					
I receive more useful feedback from my evaluations due to the performance pay program.					
	I receive more support through professional development due to the performance pay program.				
	I feel increased pressure to perform due to performance pay.				
	I have less freedom to teach the way I would like to teach due to performance pay.				

4. Has the performance pay program affected your choice of what to teach or where to teach?

Mark only one box.

 Yes

 No  SKIP TO QUESTION 23

4. How has the performance pay program affected your choice of what to teach or where to teach?

Mark all that apply.

 I stayed in my school because of the performance pay program.

 I changed schools to get into the performance pay program.

 I changed my primary subject of instruction to earn performance pay.

 I applied to my school to get into the performance pay program.

 I applied for positions in another school or district to try to leave the performance pay program.

4. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements about your school?

Mark one box per row.

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
Teachers trust and respect one another.				
School administrators respect and support the teachers in their work.				
Teachers are involved in making decisions at this school.				
Parents and the community respect teachers at this school.				
Most educators believe that all the students at this school can do well academically.				
School administrators set high standards for teaching.				
School administrators know what is going on in teachers’ classrooms.				

4. Indicate how often most teachers at your school do each of the following activities. Mark one box per row.

	Never	A few times this year	Once or twice a month	Once or twice a week	Almost every day
Share ideas, strategies, and methods on teaching and learning					
Share and discuss student work					
Observe each other’s classroom instruction					
Discuss student assessment data with other teachers to make instructional decisions					

4. What is the highest degree you hold? Mark only one box.

 Associate’s degree

 Bachelor’s degree

 Bachelor’s degree plus some graduate credit

 Master’s degree

• Master’s degree plus some additional graduate credit

 Doctorate or professional degree

 Other  Please specify __________________________

4. What is your age (in years)? Mark only one box.

 Less than 25

 25 - 30

 31 - 40

 41 - 50

 51 - 65

 65 or over

4. What is your current base salary (before taxes and deductions)? Mark only one box.

 Less than $20,000

 $20,000 - $29,999

 $30,000 - $39,999

 $40,000 - $49,999

 $50,000 - $59,999

 $60,000 - $69,999

• $70,000 - $79,999

 $80,000 - $89,999

• $90,000 or more

4. Please indicate today’s date (MM/DD/YYYY): //

4. Please share any other information that could help us better understand the performance pay program in your school or district.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMPLETING THIS SURVEY.

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