Teacher Survey

Teacher and Leader Evaluation Systems Study:

Spring 2013 Teacher Survey

Paperwork Burden Statement

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 1850–0890. The time required to complete this voluntary information collection is estimated to average 30 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, DC 20202–4537. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to: Melanie Ali, U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Room 502B, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20208-5500.

Dear Teacher:

The Teacher and Leader Evaluation Systems Study is a groundbreaking national study designed to test innovative teacher feedback systems, a principal feedback system, and a student growth feedback system. Your participation is important and appreciated, but you do have the right to skip any question that you do not wish to answer. Below are answers to some general questions concerning your participation.

What is the purpose of this survey?

The purpose of this survey is to obtain background information on the teachers within the study as well as information about their experiences with receiving feedback from observations and student achievement results, their experiences providing feedback to their principal, their professional development and professional growth areas, future career plans, data use, collaboration, and attitudes and beliefs related to teaching.

Who is conducting this survey?

The Teacher and Leader Evaluation System study was commissioned by the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences and the study survey is administered by American Institutes for Research.

Why should you participate in this survey?

Policymakers and educational leaders rely on findings from studies like the Teacher and Leader Evaluation System study to inform their decisions. The current study will fill a critical gap in the research on the effects of evaluation systems.

Will your responses be kept confidential?

Your responses are protected from disclosure by federal statute (P.L. 107-279, Title I, Part E, Sec.183). All responses that relate to or describe identifiable characteristics of individuals may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purposes, unless otherwise compelled by law.

How will your information be reported?

The information you provide will be combined with the information provided by others in statistical reports. No individual data that link your name or email address with your responses will be included in the statistical reports.

Thank you for your cooperation in this very important effort!

Certification

1. Which of the following describes the teaching certificate you currently hold in THIS state?

Mark (X) only one box.

• Regular or standard state certificate or advanced professional certificate

• Certificate issued after satisfying all requirements except the completion of a probationary period

• Certificate that requires some additional coursework, student teaching, or passage of a test before regular certification can be obtained

• Certificate issued to persons who must complete a certification program in order to continue teaching

• I do not have any of the above certifications in THIS state (If you marked this option, please skip to Question 3.)

2. Which of the following grade ranges does this certificate apply to?

Mark (X) all that apply.

• Early childhood, preschool, and any of grades K–5

• Any of grades 6–8

• Any of grades 9–12

Education and Preservice Training

3. Have you earned any of the following degrees, diplomas, or certificates?

Please check Yes or No in each row.

	Degree	Earned
a.	Bachelor’s degree	 Yes  No
b.	Master’s degree	 Yes  No
c.	Educational specialist, professional diploma, or certificate of advanced graduate studies (at least one year beyond master’s level)	 Yes  No
d.	Doctorate or professional degree (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D., M.D, L.L.B, J.D, D.D.S.)	 Yes  No

Experience

4. Including the current year, how many years of teaching experience do you have in each of the following settings?

Include the current year.

Record whole years, not fractions or months.

a.	Teaching in total			Years
b.	Teaching in your current district			Years
c.	Teaching in your current school			Years

Current Teaching Position

5. In which grades are ALL of the STUDENTS you have taught during the 2012-2013 school year?

Mark (X) all that apply.

 Prekindergarten	 3rd	 7th
 Kindergarten	 4th	 8th
 1st	 5th	 9th
 2nd	 6th	 Ungraded

6. This school year, what subjects have you taught?

Check all that apply.

• Early childhood or pre-K, general

• Elementary grades, general

• English and Language Arts

• Mathematics

• Science (e.g., biology, chemistry, earth sciences)

• Social Studies (e.g., history, government)

• Special Education

• Other (please specify):____________________________________________

Observations and Feedback

7. During the 2012-13 school year, has anyone conducted any type of classroom observation of your teaching (e.g., formal, informal, or formative observations; walkthroughs)?

• Yes → Please go to question 8

• No → Please go to question 17

8. During the 2012-13 school year, for how many of the classroom observations (e.g., formal, informal, or formative observations; walkthroughs) did you receive some form of feedback?

Please consider “feedback” to include oral feedback, written feedback, or a rating of any kind.

• I received feedback on ALL of my classroom observations → Please go to question 9

• I received feedback on SOME of my classroom observations → Please go to question 9

• I did not receive feedback on any classroom observation → Please go to question 17

9. Who conducted the observations of your teaching (e.g., formal, informal, or formative observations; walkthroughs) for which you later received feedback?

Check all that apply.

• Principal

• Assistant or vice principal

• Coach or mentor

• Other teacher(s) in your school

• Non-coach/-mentor observer(s) not based at my school

10. Please fill in the following information about each observation* of your teaching (e.g., formal, informal, or formative observations; walkthroughs) so far during the 2012–13 school year for which you later received some form of feedback.

*For example, if you have had four classroom observations during the 2012-13 school year, please enter four rows of information – one row for each classroom observation.

	A. Approximate date of observation	B. Approximately how many minutes did the observation last?	C. Based on the observation of your teaching, which of the following forms of feedback did you receive: Please check all that apply. Please select “Rating” if the feedback you received was in the form of a rating, such as “satisfactory”, or a rating on a numeric scale (e.g., 1-4).	D. If you received oral feedback, approximately how many minutes did it last?
1st observation	O Fall 2012	____________ minutes	O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer D)	____________ minutes
	O Winter 2012-13		O Written narrative
	O Spring 2013		O Rating(s)
			O Other (specify): ___________________
2nd observation	O Fall 2012	____________ minutes	O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer D)	____________ minutes
	O Winter 2012-13		O Written narrative
	O Spring 2013		O Rating(s)
			O Other (specify): ___________________
3rd observation	O Fall 2012	____________ minutes	O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer D)	____________ minutes
	O Winter 2012-13		O Written narrative
	O Spring 2013		O Rating(s)
			O Other (specify): ___________________
4th observation	O Fall 2012	____________ minutes	O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer D)	____________ minutes
	O Winter 2012-13		O Written narrative
	O Spring 2013		O Rating(s)
			O Other (specify): ___________________
5th observation	O Fall 2012	____________ minutes	O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer D)	____________ minutes
	O Winter 2012-13		O Written narrative
	O Spring 2013		O Rating(s)
			O Other (specify): ___________________
6th observation	O Fall 2012	____________ minutes	O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer D)	____________ minutes
	O Winter 2012-13		O Written narrative
	O Spring 2013		O Rating(s)
			O Other (specify): ___________________
7th observation	O Fall 2012	____________ minutes	O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer D)	____________ minutes
	O Winter 2012-13		O Written narrative
	O Spring 2013		O Rating(s)
			O Other (specify): ___________________

11. For the observations for which you have received feedback during the 2012-13 school year (e.g., formal, informal, or formative observations; walkthroughs), please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement.

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	I had a clear sense of what kinds of things the observers were looking for when they observed my teaching.	1	2	3	4

[NOTE: Depending on how respondents complete item 9, a conditional logic will be applied for items 12a through 12d.That is, if respondents select either “Principal” or “Assistant or vice principal” to item 9 they will receive item 12a; if respondents select “Coach or mentor” they will receive item 12b; if respondents select “Other teacher(s) in your school” they will receive item 12c; if respondents select “Non-coach/-mentor observer(s) not based at my school” they will receive item 12d.]

12. For the observations for which you have received feedback during the 2012-13 school year (e.g., formal, informal, or formative observations; walkthroughs), please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements.

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	The administrative staff at my school who observed my teaching were well qualified to evaluate it.	1	2	3	4
b.	The coach or mentor who observed my teaching was well qualified to evaluate it.	1	2	3	4
c.	The other teacher(s) at my school who observed my teaching were well qualified to evaluate it.	1	2	3	4
d.	The non-coach/-mentor observer(s) not based at my school who observed my teaching were well qualified to evaluate it.	1	2	3	4

13. During the 2012–13 school year, was an evaluation rubric or protocol referenced in any of the feedback?

• Yes

• No

14. Thinking back on all of the observations for which you received feedback during the 2012-2013 school year (e.g., formal, informal, or formative observations; walkthroughs), typically, how soon after the observation did you receive the feedback?

		N/A	Same day	Within a week	Between one and two weeks	Between two and four weeks	More than four weeks
a.	Oral feedback	0	1	2	3	4	5
b.	Written narrative	0	1	2	3	4	5
c.	Rating	0	1	2	3	4	5
d.	Other (please specify)	0	1	2	3	4	5

15. Thinking back on all of the feedback you received during the 2012-2013 school year based on a classroom observation (e.g., formal, informal, or formative observations; walkthroughs), please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements.

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	I received feedback that is a fair assessment of my performance.	1	2	3	4
b.	I received feedback that was easy to understand.	1	2	3	4
c.	I received feedback that provided specific ideas about how I could improve my performance.	1	2	3	4
d.	The feedback made me more reflective about my teaching.	1	2	3	4
e.	In the long run, students will benefit from the feedback I received.	1	2	3	4

[NOTE: A conditional logic will be applied for item 16.That is, if respondents indicated within 10c that they had received a rating then they will receive item 16.]

16. For the majority of ratings that you have received as part of the feedback from classroom observations during the 2012-13 school year (e.g., formal, informal, or formative observations; walkthroughs), please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements.

		Don’t Know	Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	The rating system does a good job distinguishing effective from ineffective teaching.	0	1	2	3	4
b.	The rating system is fair to all teachers, regardless of their personal characteristics or those of the students they teach.	0	1	2	3	4
c.	The rating system IGNORES important aspects of my teaching.	0	1	2	3	4
d.	I have a clear idea of what the rating system views as “good instruction.”	N/A	1	2	3	4
e.	The way my teaching is being rated accurately reflects the quality of my teaching.	N/A	1	2	3	4

Student Achievement Information

17. Which of the following types of student achievement information* did you receive?

*Student achievement information refers to information based on standardized test results for the students you taught during the 2011-12 school year.

Please check all that apply.

• I did not receive any student achievement information based on standardized test results (if selected, please go to 20)

• Data on individual students that I taught (e.g., individual student scale scores, proficiency levels, or percentile rank)

• Average data for classes of students that I taught (e.g., average scale score for the class, percent proficient for the class, average percentile rank for the class)

• Value -added scores for me based upon the students that I taught (i.e., scores that represent the contribution that I made to my students’ achievement growth on standardized tests)

• Other (please specify):__________________________________________

18. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements about the student achievement information* you received this year.

*Student achievement information refers to information based on standardized test results for the students you taught during the 2011-12 school year.

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	The information is easy to understand.	1	2	3	4
b.	The information is a good measure of how well students learned what I taught last year.	1	2	3	4
c.	The information is a fair assessment of my performance.	1	2	3	4
d.	The information accurately reflects the quality of my teaching.	1	2	3	4
e.	The information IGNORES important aspects of my performance as a teacher.	1	2	3	4

19. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements about the student achievement information* you received.

*Student achievement information refers to information based on standardized test results for the students you taught during the 2011-12 school year.

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	The information as an indicator of teacher effectiveness is fair to all teachers, regardless of the personal characteristics of the students they teach.	1	2	3	4
b.	The information as an indicator of teacher effectiveness is fair to all teachers, regardless of the prior achievement of the students they teach.	1	2	3	4

Attitudes and Beliefs

20. Please indicate the extent to which you think each of the following has the potential to influence your teaching practice.

		Not at All	To a Minimal Extent	To a Moderate Extent	To a Great Extent
a.	Feedback on your teaching based on classroom observations	1	2	3	4
b.	Information on student growth based on student test scores	1	2	3	4

21. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements.

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	Teachers at this school are recognized for exemplary classroom practices.	1	2	3	4
b.	Teachers at this school are recognized for exemplary student achievement gains.	1	2	3	4
c.	I am willing to try new teaching strategies to overcome challenges in the classroom.	1	2	3	4
d.	There are teaching strategies available that are more effective than my current practices.	1	2	3	4

22. How important is each of the following to you personally?

		Not at All Important	Somewhat Important	Moderately Important	Very Important
a.	Recognition or praise for effective classroom practices	1	2	3	4
b.	Recognition or praise for gains in student achievement	1	2	3	4
c.	Getting opportunities to participate in conferences related to teaching	1	2	3	4
d.	Taking on leadership roles within your school	1	2	3	4

23. How would you rate yourself as a teacher relative to other teachers in your district, in terms of improving student achievement?

Please select one option for each row.

Please select “NA” for “Math Instruction” if you do not teach mathematics.

Please select “NA” for “Reading/ELA Instruction” if you do not teach Reading or English language arts.

	N/A	Very Poor (Bottom 5%)	Poor (6–25th Percentile)	Fair (26–50th Percentile)	Good (51–75th Percentile)	Very Good (76–95th Percentile)	Exceptional (Top 5%)
Math Instruction	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
Reading/ELA Instruction	0	1	2	3	4	5	6

24. Please indicate the extent to which you would you like to improve on the following (Part 1), and whether you discussed the topic with someone who provided you feedback on your teaching (Part 2):

		Part 1	→	→	→	Part 2
		No improvement needed	Improve a little	Improve a moderate amount	Improve a large amount	During the 2012–13 school year, did you discuss the topic with someone who provided feedback on your teaching?
a.	Content knowledge (e.g., how to multiply fractions, how children acquire vocabulary)					 Yes  No
b.	Content-specific teaching techniques (e.g., how to teach ratios or sentence structure)					 Yes  No
c.	Classroom organization (e.g., routines for material distribution)					 Yes  No
d.	Instructional dialogue (e.g., how to elicit students’ thinking)					 Yes  No
e.	Student engagement (e.g., how to increase classroom participation)					 Yes  No
f.	Emotional support for students (e.g., how to demonstrate sensitivity to student concerns)					 Yes  No
g.	Data use (e.g., how to use student data to differentiate instruction)					 Yes  No
h.	Lesson planning (e.g., how to align lesson plans to curriculum standards)					 Yes  No
i.	Behavior management (e.g., resolving issues related to problem behavior)					 Yes  No
j.	Other (please specify):					 Yes  No

Lesson Planning

25. During the 2012–13 school year, approximately how many hours during a typical week have you spent engaged in the following activities?

Please include time spent during school hours and outside of school hours.

Planning lessons individually			Hours per week
Planning lessons in meetings with other teachers			Hours per week
Searching for materials and lessons (e.g., online)			Hours per week

Professional Growth of Others

26. In the past month, approximately how many hours have you spent coaching or mentoring other teachers?

Please include time spent during school hours and outside of school hours.

Acting as a formal coach or mentor in my school
Informally coaching or mentoring teachers in my school

Professional Development

[NOTE: A conditional logic will be applied for item 27.That is, if respondents indicated “None” in every row, they will skip to item 31.]

27. During the 2012–13 school year, what was the total number of hours* you have spent on each of the following professional development activities?

*For each activity, estimate the total number of hours you spent.

Please assume that 1 credit hour of college coursework equals 8 hours.

Round up to the nearest whole hour.

Please do NOT count the same hours in more than one row.

a.	Attending professional development workshop(s) and institute(s) related to teaching.	 None	or				Hours
b.	Taking course(s) related to teaching, such as a college course that extended over several weeks.	 None	or				Hours
c.	Receiving scheduled or structured coaching or mentoring related to teaching.	 None	or				Hours
d.	Observing model teachers providing instruction.	 None	or				Hours
e.	Other (please specify: e.g., participating in networks or collaborations supporting professional development related to teaching, participating in committees or task forces related to teaching):	 None	or				Hours

28. Thinking back to all of the professional development activities during the 2012–13 school year that you mentioned in item 27, to what extent have the following topics been covered?

	Professional Development Topics	Not Covered at All	Covered to a Small Extent	Covered to a Moderate Extent	Covered to a Large Extent
a.	Content knowledge (e.g., how to multiply fractions, how children acquire vocabulary)	1	2	3	4
b.	Content-specific teaching techniques (e.g., how to teach ratios or sentence structure)	1	2	3	4
c.	Classroom organization (e.g., routines for material distribution)	1	2	3	4
d.	Instructional dialogue (e.g., how to elicit students’ thinking)	1	2	3	4
e.	Student engagement (e.g., how to increase classroom participation)	1	2	3	4
f.	Emotional support for students (e.g., how to demonstrate sensitivity to student concerns)	1	2	3	4
g.	Data use (e.g., how to use student data to differentiate instruction)	1	2	3	4
h.	Lesson planning (e.g., how to align lesson plans to curriculum standards)	1	2	3	4
i.	Behavior management (e.g., resolving issues related to problem behavior)	1	2	3	4
j.	Other (please specify):	1	2	3	4

29. Thinking back to all of the professional development activities during the 2012–13 school year that you mentioned in item 27, please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements.

	Overall, my professional development experiences this year have:	Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	Been closely aligned with areas in which I need to improve my teaching.	1	2	3	4
b.	Been focused on practices that I am expected to demonstrate in my classroom.	1	2	3	4
c.	Addressed the needs of the students in my classroom.	1	2	3	4
d.	Supported the improvement of my teaching.	1	2	3	4

[NOTE: A conditional logic will be applied for items 30c and 30d. That is, if respondents indicated at least 1 hour of professional development for 27a or 27b, then they will receive 30c; if respondents indicated at least 1 hour for 27c, then they will receive 30d.]

30. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements.

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	I am satisfied with the selection of workshops, institutes, and course offerings that have been available to me this year.	1	2	3	4
b.	I am satisfied with the workshops, institutes, and course offerings in which I have participated this year.	1	2	3	4
c.	I am satisfied with the scheduled or structured coaching and mentoring activities in which I have participated this year.	1	2	3	4

Data Use

31. This year, to what extent have you used student data from state, local, and/or other standardized assessments for each of the following purposes?

		Did Not Use Data for This at All	Used Data to a Small Extent	Used Data to a Moderate Extent	Used Data to a Large Extent
a.	Tailoring instruction to individual student’s needs	1	2	3	4
b.	Developing recommendations for tutoring or other educational support services for particular students	1	2	3	4
c.	Assigning or reassigning students to groups within my class(es)	1	2	3	4
d.	Identifying topics requiring more (or less) emphasis in instruction	1	2	3	4
e.	Identifying areas where I need to strengthen my content knowledge or teaching skills	1	2	3	4
f.	Reflecting on and discussing teaching and learning with other teachers	1	2	3	4

Collaboration/Collegiality

32. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements.

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	Teachers at my school collaborate well with one another.	1	2	3	4
b.	There is an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect in my school.	1	2	3	4
c.	Teachers at my school support each other in their efforts to improve teaching.	1	2	3	4
d.	I feel accepted and respected as a colleague by staff members at my school.	1	2	3	4
e.	There is someone at my school whom I can turn to if I need help with improving my teaching.	1	2	3	4
f.	Teachers in this school regularly discuss ways to improve teaching and learning.	1	2	3	4
g.	Teachers in this school share and discuss student work with other teachers.	1	2	3	4

Career decisions

33. Please indicate if you did any of the following during the 2012–13 school year:

Please mark all that apply.

• Requested a change in my assignment within this school

• Requested a transfer to another school in this district

• Applied for a teaching job in another district

• Applied for a nonteaching job in this or another district

• Applied for a job outside teaching

• None of the above

34. If you could go back to your college days and start over again, would you become a teacher or not?

Mark (X) only one box.

• Certainly would become a teacher

• Probably would become a teacher

• Chances about even for and against

• Probably would not become a teacher

• Certainly would not become a teacher

35. How long do you plan to remain in teaching?

Mark (X) only one box.

• As long as I am able

• Until I am eligible for retirement benefits from this job

• Until I am eligible for retirements benefits from a previous job

• Until I am eligible for Social Security benefits

• Until a specific life event occurs (e.g., parenthood, marriage)

• Until a more desirable job opportunity comes along

• Definitely plan to leave as soon as I can

• Undecided at this time

Feedback on Principal Performance

36. During the 2012–13 school year, did you provide input on the performance of your school’s principal?

• Yes (If yes, please go to question 37)

• No (If no, please go to question 40)

37. During the 2012–13 school year, did you provide input on the performance of your principal through a survey/questionnaire?

• Yes (If yes, please go to question 38)

• No (If no, please go to question 40)

38. Did you feel that the information you provided in the survey/questionnaire was anonymous?

• Yes

• No

39. Please indicate whether you provided input on your principal’s performance in the following areas:

Please mark all that apply.

The principal’s role in...

• Setting the learning goals set for students

• Making curriculum or instructional decisions

• Identifying professional development opportunities

• Engaging parents and other community members

• Student behavior management

• Administrative management

• Other (please specify)____________________________________

Principal Leadership

40. Over the course of the 2012-13 school year, how much time has your principal spent in your classroom observing your instruction?

Hours, and

Minutes

41. Please mark the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

	The principal at my school...	Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	Makes clear to the staff his or her instructional expectations	1	2	3	4
b.	Communicates a clear vision for our school	1	2	3	4
c.	Sets high standards for teaching	1	2	3	4
d.	Understands how children learn	1	2	3	4
e.	Sets high standards for student learning	1	2	3	4
f.	Encourages teachers to implement what they have learned from their professional development	1	2	3	4
g.	Actively tracks student academic progress	1	2	3	4
h.	Actively monitors the quality of teaching in this school	1	2	3	4
i.	Ensures a safe environment for students and staff members	1	2	3	4
j.	Actively creates opportunities for teachers to collaborate with other teachers	1	2	3	4
k.	Actively creates opportunities for teachers to observe other teachers’ instruction	1	2	3	4

42. Please mark the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	It's OK in this school to discuss worries and frustrations with the principal	1	2	3	4
b.	The principal takes a personal interest in the professional development of teachers	1	2	3	4
c.	The principal is aware of areas in which I would like to improve	1	2	3	4
d.	The principal is responsive to teachers’ input.	1	2	3	4
e.	The principal places the needs of children ahead of personal interests	1	2	3	4

You are done with the survey. Thank you.