MA: VISTA-D
(Views of Instruction, State Standards, Teaching, and Assessment)
January 13, 2016
Thank you for taking this survey. The purpose of this survey is to learn more about your
experiences with several educational reforms currently underway in Massachusetts. ESE
would like your feedback on your district and the state’s programs to support reform efforts
related to the implementation of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, educator
professional growth and development, and personalized and digital learning tools. The survey is
divided into five main modules:
A: State Curriculum Frameworks
B: Educator Growth and Development
C: Role of Evaluation in Supporting Educator Growth and Development
D: Personalized Learning Tools
E: Digital Learning Tools
If you, as superintendent, respond to all modules, the survey should take approximately 40 to 50
minutes to complete. You will be given the option to have a designee from your district staff
complete one or more of the five modules. However, you are asked to respond to a few
questions even if you designate someone else to respond to all of the modules.
If you are unsure about a question, please respond in a manner that most closely reflects your
experiences or seek information from others (e.g., Curriculum Directors) to provide an
answer.
NOTE: To protect confidentiality, no individual survey response will be reported. They will be combined
together with responses from other district administrators in the state and reported only if a sufficient
number of district administrators respond to the question to ensure confidentiality.
QUALIFIER QUESTIONS (REQUIRED TO ANSWER)
Q1.1
Do you, as Superintendent, want to answer all the questions related to the five main modules or do you
wish have someone else in your district office answer questions related to one or more of these
modules? If you wish to assign someone else, please provide the email address of this person and have
them respond to ALL of the content within the module(s) you assign them.
YES
I will complete
the module
Q1.2
NO
I will assign the
module to a
designee(s)
MODULE A: STATE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS
□
□
MODULE B: EDUCATOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
□
□
MODULE C: ROLE OF EVALUATION in
SUPPORTING EDUCATOR GROWTH
and DEVELOPMENT
□
□
MODULE D: PERSONALIZED LEARNING TOOLS
□
□
MODULE E: DIGITAL LEARNING TOOLS
□
□
Please provide email of the person you would like to respond to each of the following:
EMAIL
MODULE A: STATE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS
MODULE B: EDUCATOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
MODULE C: ROLE OF EVALUATION in
SUPPORTING EDUCATOR GROWTH
and DEVELOPMENT
MODULE D: PERSONALIZED LEARNING TOOLS
__________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
MODULE E: DIGITAL LEARNING TOOLS
What grade levels does your district serve?
_________________________________
DEMOGRAPHICS (REQUIRED TO ANSWER)
F1.
What grade levels does your district serve?
PLEASE SELECT EITHER “ALL GRADES K – G12” or INDIVIDUALLY SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.
13
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
F2.
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
All Grades K – G12
Kindergarten
grade 1
grade 2
grade 3
grade 4
grade 5
grade 6
grade 7
grade 8
grade 9
grade 10
grade 11
grade 12
Including the current school year (2015-16), how long have you worked as a district-level and/or
school-level administrator?
Please do not include student practicum
Years
Months
a. Total amount of time as a district-level administrator in
current district
|
|
|
|
|
|
b. Total amount of time as a district-level administrator
|
|
|
|
|
|
c. Total amount of time as a school-level administrator
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. STATE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS
To protect confidentiality, survey responses will not be reported at the individual-level.
This module asks for your views on the alignment, support and implementation of the Massachusetts Curriculum
Frameworks (English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Revised Science and Technology/Engineering) in your
district
A1.1
During the 2015-16 school year, including summer 2015, what activities did your district engage in to
ensure the curricula in the elementary grades, K – 5, are aligned with Curriculum Frameworks?
English
Language Arts
Mathematics
YES
NO
YES
NO
Science and
Technology/
Engineering
YES
NO
a. Selected new curricula that are specifically
aligned with current state standards
□
□
□
□
□
□
b. Reviewed existing curricula for alignment
with current state standards
□
□
□
□
□
□
c.
□
□
□
□
□
□
d. No alignment activities occurred
□
□
□
□
□
□
e. Other (specify)
□
□
□
□
□
□
Modified or developed our own
curricula to ensure that they are
aligned with current state standards
________________________________
A1.2
During the 2015-16 school year, including summer 2015, what activities did your district engage in to
ensure the curricula in the middle school grades, G6 - G8, are aligned with Curriculum Frameworks?
English
Language Arts
Mathematics
YES
NO
YES
NO
Science and
Technology/
Engineering
YES
NO
a. Selected new curricula that are specifically
aligned with current state standards
□
□
□
□
□
□
b. Reviewed existing curricula for alignment
with current state standards
□
□
□
□
□
□
c.
□
□
□
□
□
□
d. No alignment activities occurred
□
□
□
□
□
□
e. Other (specify)
□
□
□
□
□
□
Modified or developed our own
curricula to ensure that they are
aligned with current state standards
________________________________
1
A1.3
During the 2015-16 school year, including summer 2015, what activities did your district engage in to
ensure the curricula in the high school grades, G9 - G12, are aligned with Curriculum Frameworks?
SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW AND SUBJECT
English
Language Arts
Mathematics
YES
NO
YES
NO
Science and
Technology/
Engineering
YES
NO
a. Selected new curricula that are specifically
aligned with current state standards
□
□
□
□
□
□
b. Reviewed existing curricula for alignment
with current state standards
□
□
□
□
□
□
c.
□
□
□
□
□
□
d. No alignment activities occurred
□
□
□
□
□
□
e. Other (specify)
□
□
□
□
□
□
Modified or developed our own
curricula to ensure that they are
aligned with current state standards
________________________________
2
A2. Please indicate the degree to which you think the following are aligned to the state Curriculum Frameworks.
Not at All
Aligned
Somewhat
Aligned
Aligned
Strongly
Aligned
NOT
SURE
a. State-mandated assessments used by your
district
□
□
□
□
□
b. District-mandated summative assessments
□
□
□
□
□
c.
□
□
□
□
□
d. Teacher-created summative assessments
□
□
□
□
□
e. Formative or diagnostic assessments used
district-wide
□
□
□
□
□
f.
□
□
□
□
□
g. English Language Arts textbooks used in
your schools or district
□
□
□
□
□
h. Science and Technology/Engineering
textbooks used in your schools or district
□
□
□
□
□
i.
Mathematics curriculum selected or
developed by your district
□
□
□
□
□
j.
English Language Arts curriculum selected
or developed by your district
□
□
□
□
□
k. Science and Technology/Engineering
curriculum selected or developed by your
district
□
□
□
□
□
l.
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
School-created summative assessments
Mathematics textbooks used in your schools
or district
State-developed or organized professional
development activities for teachers
m. District-developed or organized professional
development activities for teachers
3
A3.
To what extent has each of the following resources you received from ESE helped your district implement
the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks?
Don’t Know if
Very we Received
Helpful
It
Did not
Receive
this
Not
Helpful
a. Curriculum resources aligned to the
state standards
□
□
□
□
□
□
b. Information about how the state
standards change what is expected of
students
□
□
□
□
□
□
c. Information about how the state
standards change what is expected of
our teachers’ instructional practice
□
□
□
□
□
□
d. Professional development for principals
on the state standards
□
□
□
□
□
□
e. Clarification of how instruction is
expected to shift in order to align to the
curriculum frameworks
□
□
□
□
□
□
f. Information about how to implement
strategies to address the instructional
needs of English Language Learners
(ELLs)
□
□
□
□
□
□
g. Information about how to implement
strategies to address the instructional
needs of students with individualized
education programs (IEPs)
□
□
□
□
□
□
h. Other (specify): ______
□
□
□
□
□
□
4
Somewhat
Helpful
Helpful
A4.
Please characterize the level of support provided by your district to schools to help them implement
the state’s Curriculum Frameworks.
No District
Support
Provided
Little District
Support
Provided
Occasional
District Support
Provided
Regular
District
Support
Provided
a. Professional development
□
□
□
□
b. Expertise, or access to expertise, provided to school
leaders
□
□
□
□
c. Expertise, or access to expertise, provided to teachers
□
□
□
□
d. Time for educators to support the implementation of the
state’s curriculum frameworks
□
□
□
□
e. Time for educators (teachers and/or administrators) to
share and learn from the experiences of their peers
□
□
□
□
f. Analyses of student assessment data (e.g., state
assessments, common assessments) to inform the
implementation process
□
□
□
□
g. Materials and other resources needed to support the
implementation process
□
□
□
□
5
A5.
To what extent is each of the following a challenge to your district’s efforts to implement the
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks in your district?
Not a
Challenge
Minor
Challenge
Moderate
Challenge
Major
Challenge
NOT
SURE
a. Lack of support from parents
□
□
□
□
□
b. Inadequate instructional
resources
□
□
□
□
□
c.
Principal turnover
□
□
□
□
□
d. Teacher turnover
□
□
□
□
□
e. Lack of school resources
needed to provide extra help for
struggling students
□
□
□
□
□
f.
Level of difficulty of the
Massachusetts standards
□
□
□
□
□
g. Conflicting state initiatives
□
□
□
□
□
h. Conflicting district initiatives
□
□
□
□
□
i.
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
j.
Insufficient understanding of the
Massachusetts Curriculum
Frameworks by teachers
Insufficient understanding of the
Massachusetts Curriculum
Frameworks by principals
k.
Lack of high quality teaching
□
□
□
□
□
l.
Lack of high quality
administrators
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
m. Amount of time required for
additional district-administered
tests
6
A6. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements.
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
a. The state publicly rewards or recognizes districts for
implementation of Massachusetts Curriculum
Frameworks.
□
□
□
□
b. The district publicly rewards or recognizes principals
based on their schools’ implementation of the
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
□
□
□
□
c.
□
□
□
□
d. There are negative repercussions for districts in my state
that poorly implement the Massachusetts Curriculum
Frameworks.
□
□
□
□
e. There are negative repercussions for principals in my
district if their schools poorly implement the
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
□
□
□
□
f.
□
□
□
□
A7.
The district publicly rewards or recognizes teachers
based on their classroom implementation of the
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
There are negative repercussions for teachers in this
district who poorly implement the Massachusetts
Curriculum Frameworks.
Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements.
Don’t
know
a. The English Language Arts (ELA)
Curriculum Framework sets appropriate
expectations for student learning at each
grade level.
b. The ELA Curriculum Framework positively
affects the degree to which students are
prepared for college and career.
c. The ELA Curriculum Framework makes
learning relevant to students' everyday lives.
d. Teachers have made instructional shifts
over the last year to ensure students meet
the expectations of the state’s current ELA
Curriculum Framework.
e. ELA state assessments provide useful
information about how well students in my
district are mastering the state’s ELA
standards.
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
7
A8.
Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements
Don’t
know
a. The ELA Curriculum Framework clearly
indicates the content (topics and cognitive
demands) teachers should teach.
b. The ELA Curriculum Framework clearly
indicates the content (topics and cognitive
demands) teachers should not teach.
c. Teachers have received guidance from my
district or state that clearly indicates the
order in which they should teach each
content area in the ELA Curriculum
Framework.
d. Teachers have received guidance from my
district or state that clearly indicates how
much time they should spend on each
content area in the ELA Curriculum
Framework.
A9.
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements.
Don’t
know
a. The Mathematics Curriculum Framework
sets appropriate expectations for student
learning at each grade level.
b. The Mathematics Curriculum Framework
positively affects the degree to which
students are prepared for college and
career.
c. The Mathematics Curriculum Framework
makes learning relevant to students'
everyday lives.
d. Teachers in my district have made
instructional shifts over the last year to
ensure students meet the expectations of the
state’s current Mathematics Curriculum
Framework.
e. Mathematics state assessments provide
useful information about how well students in
my district are mastering the state’s
Mathematics standards.
□
8
□
□
□
□
A10.
Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements
Don’t
know
a. The Mathematics Curriculum Framework
clearly indicates the content (topics and
cognitive demands) teachers should teach.
b. The Mathematics Curriculum Framework
clearly indicates the content (topics and
cognitive demands) teachers should not
teach.
c. Teachers have received guidance from my
district or state that clearly indicates the order
in which they should teach each content area
in the Mathematics Curriculum Framework.
d. Teachers have received guidance from my
district or state that clearly indicates how
much time they should spend on each
content area in the Mathematics Curriculum
Framework.
A11.
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
Please indicate the extent each of the following sources, on balance, have been critical or supportive of
the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
Mixed,
Mixed,
Source:
Mostly
Critical
but more Critical
than Supportive
but more
Supportive
than Critical
Mostly
Supportive
NOT
APPLICAB
LE
a. District leaders and staff
□
□
□
□
□
b. Principals in my district
□
□
□
□
□
c. Teachers in my district
□
□
□
□
□
d. Local teacher
organization/union
□
□
□
□
□
e. Parents of students in my
district
□
□
□
□
□
f. My district school board
□
□
□
□
□
A12. Including this school year, how long do you believe each of the following will remain in effect?
1 – 2 years
3 years
4 years
5+ years
a. The current ELA Curriculum Framework
□
□
□
□
b. The current Mathematics Curriculum Framework
□
□
□
□
9
B. EDUCATOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
The Educator Growth and Development section of the survey is divided into two parts. The first part of this
section (Module B) asks for your views on opportunities for educator growth and development used in your
schools or district. The second part of the section (Module C) asks for your views on the role of evaluation in
supporting educator growth and development during the 2015-2016 school year (including summer 2015).
B1.
Are teachers in the district offered any of the following to encourage their participation in
professional development activities?
Rarely
Sometimes
Often
DON’T
KNOW
a. Release time from teaching (such as regular teaching
responsibilities temporarily assigned to someone else)
□
□
□
□
b. Scheduled time in the contract year for professional
development
□
□
□
□
c.
□
□
□
□
d. Stipend for teachers working on providing professional
development for their colleagues
□
□
□
□
e. Full or partial tuition remission
□
□
□
□
f.
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
Stipend for professional development activities that take
place outside regular work hours
Reimbursement for conference or workshop fees
g. Reimbursement for travel and/or daily expenses to
attend conferences or workshops
10
B2.
Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about the impact of the professional
development activities that were offered to teachers in your district during the 2015-15 school year
(including summer 2015). The professional development activities are…
NOT
APPLICABLE
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
NO
OPINION
a. improving teachers’ content knowledge
of the academic subjects they teach.
□
□
□
□
□
□
b. advancing teachers’ understanding of
effective instructional strategies.
□
□
□
□
□
□
c. having a positive impact on teachers’
classroom instruction.
□
□
□
□
□
□
d. helping teachers improve their teaching
of the state curriculum frameworks.
□
□
□
□
□
□
e. helping teachers use the analyses of
student performance data to identify
the needs of struggling students.
□
□
□
□
□
□
f. helping teachers address the socioemotional needs of their students.
□
□
□
□
□
□
g. well-aligned to the MA Standards and
Indicators of Effective Teaching.
□
□
□
□
□
□
h. helping teachers teach content aligned
to the curriculum frameworks to
students with disabilities.
□
□
□
□
□
□
i. helping teachers teach content aligned
to the curriculum frameworks to
English Language Learners.
□
□
□
□
□
□
j. Other (please specify)
__________________________________
□
□
□
□
□
□
B3.
To what extent do your teachers receive ongoing support from coaches, peer-based professional learning
communities or administrators following professional development activities in your district? Does this
support help teachers to effectively implement what they have learned from the PD in their classrooms?
Ongoing Support
Not at
All
Small
Extent
a. Coaching support and
feedback focused on
implementation of PD
content
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
b. Peer-based professional
learning communities
focused on implementation
of PD content
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
c.
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
Administrator support and
feedback focused on
implementation of PD
Moderate
Extent
Effectively Implement
11
Large
Extent
Not Helpful
Helpful
Very
Helpful
B4.
During the 2015-16 school year (including summer 2015), how often has your district engaged in the
following activities to evaluate the quality of its professional development offerings to teachers?
SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Frequently
Don’t
Know
a
Solicited informal feedback from teachers on
the professional development activities
□
□
□
□
□
b
Examined whether professional development
correlates to gains in student achievement
□
□
□
□
□
B5.
Of all the teacher professional development (PD) offered during the 2015-16 school year (including
summer 2015), how often did your district evaluate its effectiveness using a variety of measures or
metrics?
SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
Never
□
B6.
Rarely
□
Sometimes
□
Frequently
□
Don’t
Know
□
During the 2015-16 school year (including summer 2015), how successful do you feel your district has
been at engaging in the following activities with teachers and school administrators?
SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
Not at All
Successful
Somewhat
Unsuccessful
Somewhat
Successful
Very
Successful
DON’T
KNOW
a. Identifying the professional development
needs of teachers district-wide
□
□
□
□
□
b. Identifying the professional development
needs of groups of teachers (e.g., third
grade, ELL teachers, etc.)
□
□
□
□
□
c.
□
□
□
□
□
Identifying the professional development
needs of individual teachers
12
B7.
B8.
How can the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education support your district in developing,
improving and evaluating professional development?
Not a
Priority
Somewhat
of a Priority
Priority
a. Guidance on selecting professional
development
□
□
□
b. Guidance on using metrics to evaluate
professional development outcomes
□
□
□
c.
□
□
□
d. Guidance on gathering and applying
educators’ and other stakeholders’ input
on professional development
□
□
□
e. Guidance on developing quality
professional development within your
district
□
□
□
Resources and information on successful
practices in other districts
Of all the professional development for teachers provided in your district, what percentage is developed
in-house by your district?
______% (enter #)
B9.
In addition to the options addressed in question B7, how else can the Department support your district in
developing, improving and evaluating professional development?
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
13
C. EDUCATOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
The second part of the Educator Growth and Development section (Module C) asks for your views on the role
of evaluation in supporting educator growth and development in your schools or district.
C1
Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about the teacher evaluation system in
your district. The district’s teacher evaluation system...
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
a. helps teachers’ identify specific areas where they can
improve their impact on student learning.
□
□
□
□
b. helps teachers to identify specific areas where they can
improve their practice.
□
□
□
□
c.
□
□
□
□
d. promotes constructive conversations between teachers
and their evaluators.
□
□
□
□
e. is an effective tool to support teacher growth and
development.
□
□
□
□
f. helps the district determine whether particular teachers
receive Professional Teacher Status.
□
□
□
□
g. helps the district determine whether teachers receive
teacher leadership opportunities.
□
□
□
□
h. helps the district recognize and reward (non-monetary)
exemplary teachers.
□
□
□
□
i. helps the district determine whether teachers enter into
some type of probationary status (improvement plan,
etc.).
□
□
□
□
j. helps gauge the effectiveness of educator supports.
□
□
□
□
k. Overall, the evaluation system used for assessing
teachers generates fair results.
□
□
□
□
helps teachers make instruction accessible to all
learners.
14
C2
Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about the principal evaluation system
in your district.
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
a. The principal evaluation system helps the district
identify outstanding school leaders.
□
□
□
□
b. The principal evaluation system helps the district
identify school leaders who are struggling.
□
□
□
□
c. The principal evaluation system helps the district
identify specific areas where the district can
improve student learning.
□
□
□
□
d. The principal evaluation system helps the district
identify specific areas where the district can
improve school leadership.
□
□
□
□
e. Overall, the evaluation system used for
assessing principals generates fair results.
□
□
□
□
15
C3.1
When implementing your district’s educator evaluation system this school year, which of the
following procedures does your district employ?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
1
2
3
4
5
□
□
□
□
□
8
□
□
□
9
□
6
7
□
11 □
10
All evaluators are equipped with relevant classroom observation protocols.
All evaluators received training in how to use the observation protocols.
All evaluators received training to calibrate practice related to conducting observations.
All evaluators received training to calibrate practice related to providing high quality feedback.
All evaluators are assessed to determine the extent they are applying the evaluation system
validly and reliably.
All educators are observed multiple times.
All educators are observed by more than one observer during the school year.
The district collects and organizes evaluation information (evidence, feedback, etc.) in an online
platform.
The district uses the results of the evaluation system to plan training for educators for the next
school year.
None of the above.
Other (specify) ________________________________________________
16
C3.2
Please evaluate the usefulness of the following state resources in supporting implementation of your
district’s educator evaluation system during this school year?
Heard of
This
Used
Never
Resource,
Resource,
Heard of
But
But Found
Found
Resource
This
Haven’t
It Not
Resource
Very
Resource
Used It
Useful
Useful
Useful
a. ESE’s Calibration Video Library (42
classroom instruction videos)
□
□
□
□
□
b. ESE’s TEEM Video Series
(Transforming Educator Evaluation in
Massachusetts)
□
□
□
□
□
c. ESE’s DDM Implementation Briefs
□
□
□
□
□
d. ESE’s Developing Common Measures
Guidance and Example Assessments
□
□
□
□
□
e. ESE’s Model Feedback Surveys
□
□
□
□
□
f. ESE’s Video Series on the
Massachusetts Educator Evaluation
Framework
□
□
□
□
□
g. ESE’s Training Workshops for
Teachers
□
□
□
□
□
h. ESE’s Training Modules for Evaluators
□
□
□
□
□
i. ESE’s Educator Effectiveness
newsletter
□
□
□
□
□
j.
□
□
□
□
□
k. Teachers’ Top 3
□
□
□
□
□
l. Other (specify)
□
□
□
□
□
Guidebook for Inclusive Practices
_______________________________________________
17
Found
C4.1
Below is a series of statements about the teacher evaluation system used in your district. To what
extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewha
t
Agree
Somewha
t
Agree
Strongly
DON’T
KNOW
a. The Massachusetts’ Standards and Indicators of
Effective Teaching capture the most important
aspects of being a teacher.
□
□
□
□
□
b. The descriptors used in the teacher performance
rubric clearly differentiate between the four
performance levels.
□
□
□
□
□
c. The evaluation system used in my district is
effective in identifying outstanding teachers.
□
□
□
□
□
d. The evaluation system used in my district is
effective in identifying teachers who are
struggling.
□
□
□
□
□
e. The district’s evaluation staff have the
appropriate experience to evaluate teacher
performance.
□
□
□
□
□
f. The district’s evaluation staff have the
appropriate content knowledge to evaluate
teacher performance.
□
□
□
□
□
C4.2
Below is a series of statements about the principal evaluation system used in your district. To what
extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewha
t
Agree
Somewha
t
Agree
Strongly
DON’T
KNOW
a. The Massachusetts’ Standards and Indicators of
Effective Administrative Leadership capture the
most important aspects of being an
administrator.
□
□
□
□
□
b. The principal evaluation system is effective in
identifying outstanding principals/school leaders.
□
□
□
□
□
c. The principal evaluation system is effective in
identifying principals/school leaders who are
struggling.
□
□
□
□
□
18
C4.3
Below is a series of statements about the educator evaluation system used in your district. To what
extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
DON’T
KNOW
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
a. The Massachusetts performance rubrics should
have more than four levels.
□
□
□
□
□
b. Educators’ personal SMART goals are aligned to
school’ and district’ goals.
□
□
□
□
□
c. Evaluation criteria are applied equally to all
educators in my district, regardless of their role.
□
□
□
□
□
19
C5.
To what extent to you agree that the following are a purpose of the overall educator evaluation system
in your district?
SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
a. To promote educator growth and development
□
□
□
□
b. To comply with state policies
□
□
□
□
c. To remove ineffective educators
□
□
□
□
d. To improve student learning
□
□
□
□
e. To recognize excellent teachers and
administrators
□
□
□
□
f. To raise the bar for professional teaching status
□
□
□
□
g. To promote educator self-reflection
□
□
□
□
C6.
Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about the use of student and
staff feedback in an educator evaluation system.
SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
a. Staff feedback is a useful component of an evaluation
system for administrators.
□
□
□
□
b. Student feedback is a useful component of an
evaluation system for teachers.
□
□
□
□
C7.
Agree
Strongly
Please indicate the percentage of educators within your district who use student and staff feedback in
your district’s evaluation system.
DON’T
KNOW
(0-25%)
(26-50%)
(51-75%)
(76-100%)
a. Teachers in my district who collect
student feedback as evidence in their
evaluation process
□
□
□
□
□
b. Administrators in my district who
collect staff feedback as evidence in
their evaluation process
□
□
□
□
□
20
C8.
How does your district want educators to use student feedback?
Select All that Apply
1
2
3
4
5
C9.
□
□
□
□
□
For self-assessment/self-reflection
To inform goal-setting
For formative assessment
To inform summative ratings
As evidence of practice in the evaluation process
Please indicate the percentage of educators within your district who have common assessments, such as
District Determined Measures (DDMs), that are in use in the district’s educator evaluation system.
(0-25%)
(26-50%)
(51-75%)
□
□
□
Percent of
Educators
C10.
(76-100%)
□
Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about common assessments, such as
District Determined Measures (DDMs), used in your district’s educator evaluation system.
DON’T
KNOW
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
a. The district seeks educator input on common
assessments used in the district.
□
□
□
□
□
b. The common assessments used as evidence
to inform teachers’ Student Impact Ratings
are well aligned to the content they teach.
□
□
□
□
□
c. The common assessments used as evidence
to inform the Student Impact Ratings for noninstructional staff are well aligned to their
roles.
d. The common assessments used as evidence
to inform the Student Impact Ratings for
administrators are well aligned to their roles.
e. The district uses data from common
assessments to identify initiatives to improve
student learning.
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
f.
Educators are using data from common
assessments to improve their practice.
□
□
□
□
□
g. Data from the common assessments are a
useful part of an educator’s evaluation.
□
□
□
□
□
21
C11.
To what degree do you think the current educator evaluation system is an improvement over the previous
one?
Compared with our prior evaluation
system, the new educator evaluation
system…
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
DON’T
KNOW
a. provides educators with more meaningful
feedback.
□
□
□
□
□
b. enables the district to better distinguish
between exceptional, capable, and weak
educator practice.
c. provides the district with greater
opportunity to improve educator practice.
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
d. has a positive impact on student
achievement in my district.
□
□
□
□
□
22
D. PERSONALIZED LEARNING TOOLS
This module asks for your views on (1) Individual Learning Plans (ILP) and (2) Career Development Education
(CDE). The first part of the module asks about ILPs. An ILP is a student-directed, multi-year tool that maps
academic plans, personal/social growth, and career development activities while taking into account a
student’s unique self-identified strengths, interests, needs and goals. Student ILPs are often implemented
through an online planning tool such as Naviance, Your Plan for the Future, Mass CIS, or Career Cruising.
The ILP process enables students to connect what they do now with post-secondary success.
D1.1
Does your district use Individual Learning Plans (ILPs)?
SELECT ONLY ONE
1
0
D1.2.
□
□
Yes IF SELECTED THEN GO TO D1.2.
No
IF SELECTED THEN GO TO D2.1
What supports has your district provided to implement Individual Learning Plans (ILPs)?
Not at
All
Small
Extent
Moderate
Extent
Large
Extent
Planning
for Next
Year
Not Planning
for
Foreseeable
Future
a. Communicated a clear rationale for
ILP implementation and how it
connects to district and school
improvement efforts
□
□
□
□
□
□
b. Secured an online platform (Naviance,
Your Plan For the Future, etc.)
□
□
□
□
□
□
c. Developed an evaluation system to
track the success of ILP
implementation school and districtwide
d. Built community partnerships,
especially with local workforce
investment agencies to support career
development education
e. Ensured support systems for students
with limited English proficiency (LEP)
are in place to foster clear
communication and access to ILP
implementation
f. Ensured support systems for students
with disabilities are in place to foster
clear communication and access to
ILP implementation
g. Provided training to district and school
staff
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
h. Identified financial resources to
support ILP implementation
□
□
□
□
□
□
23
D1.3
What challenges does your district face in implementing and maintaining personalized learning?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
24
The next section is related to Career Development Education within your school. By CDE, we mean learning
opportunities across a range of career awareness, career exploration and/or career immersion to help
students learn about and prepare for careers.
D2.1
Does your district offer Career Development Education (CDE) (by CDE, we mean learning
opportunities across a range of career awareness, career exploration and/or career immersion to help
students learn about and prepare for careers)?
SELECT ONLY ONE
1
0
D2.2.
□
□
Yes
IF SELECTED THEN GO TO D2.2
No
IF SELECTED THEN GO TO E1
To what extent does your district’s CDE have these following content attributes?
Not at
All
Small Extent
Moderate
Extent
Large
Extent
a. Has communication materials that offer a clear
rationale for CDE implementation and how it
connects to district and school improvement efforts
□
□
□
□
b. Includes external partners from the workforce
development and business community to support
student career preparation
□
□
□
□
c. Uses a college and career readiness framework for
implementation of CDE, e.g., MA Model for School
Counseling
□
□
□
□
d. Has adequate materials and personnel to
implement CDE with fidelity
□
□
□
□
e. Sponsors or supports CDE events such as job
shadow programs, career or job fairs, or career
speaker series
□
□
□
□
f. Has the resources I want to purchase and/or staff
the use of on-line resources for career exploration,
such as MassCIS, Youth Plan for the Future,
Career Cruising, Naviance, or others
□
□
□
□
g. Offers career immersion work-based learning
experiences, such as internships, coops and/or
work study, for high school students
□
□
□
□
h. Has formalized partnership(s) between the
school/district and the regional Workforce
Investment Board through the state’s Connecting
Activities initiative
□
□
□
□
i. Offers students a career pathway approach to the
high school experience, with course selection
articulated to specific industries
□
□
□
□
25
E. DIGITAL LEARNING TOOLS
This module asks for your views on the frequency of use, instructional purposes and impact of digital tools in
your classroom.
E1.
What kinds of educational technology does your district provide to teachers?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
2
□
□
3
□
4
□
1
5
6
7
8
9
10
E2.
□
□
□
□
□
□
Directly provides hardware such as computers, printers, LCD projectors, and clickers
Directly provides software/applications that cover academic subjects (such as Accelerated Reader,
Khan Academy, and Study Island)
Directly provides software/applications that host or aggregate content (such as Edmodo, YouTube,
and Blackboard Learn)
Directly provides non-educational tools used frequently for educational purposes (such as Microsoft
Office, Google docs, or Prezi)
Provides teachers access to Edwin Analytics to analyze student data
Provides Internet access in teachers’ classrooms so that technology supports teaching and learning
throughout the school day
Provides funding to pay for educational technology
Provides ongoing professional development to help teachers use technology to support teaching
and learning in their content area
Provides responsive technical support to help teachers fix problems with technology
Other (specify) ____________________________________________________
In general, how helpful do you think the digital tools provided by your district are in supporting your
students’ learning?
No Tools
Provided
Not
Helpful
□
□
Somewhat
Helpful
Helpful
□
□
26
Very
Helpful
□
E3.1
Indicate the degree to which schools in your district that serve elementary grades (K-5) are implementing
each of the following strategies.
Tool is Not
Available
Rarely or
Not At All
Occasionally
(Once or
Twice a
Marking
Period)
Regularly
(About Once
a Week)
Frequently
(More than
Once a
Week)
DON’T
KNOW
a. Digital/online textbook in at least
one of the following subjects:
English Language Arts,
Mathematics, Science, or Social
Studies/History/Geography
□
□
□
□
□
□
b. Computers/tablets for all students
(1:1 initiative)
□
□
□
□
□
□
c.
□
□
□
□
□
□
d. Computers/tablets for some
students (at least 1 device per 3
students)
□
□
□
□
□
□
e. Computer labs
□
□
□
□
□
□
f.
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
Bring your own device (BYOD)
Face-to-face learning combined with
online learning (in or outside of
school)
g. Other (specify)__________
27
E3.2.
Indicate the degree to which schools in your district that serve middle grades (6-8) are implementing
each of the following strategies.
Tool is Not
Available
Rarely or
Not At All
Occasionally
(Once or Twice a
Marking Period)
Regularly
(About Once
a Week)
Frequently
(More than
Once a Week)
DON’T
KNOW
a. Digital/online textbook in at least
one of the following subjects:
English Language Arts,
Mathematics, Science, or Social
Studies/History/Geography
□
□
□
□
□
□
b. Computers/tablets for all students
(1:1 initiative)
□
□
□
□
□
□
c.
□
□
□
□
□
□
d. Computers/tablets for some
students (at least 1 device per 3
students)
□
□
□
□
□
□
e. Computer labs
□
□
□
□
□
□
f.
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
Bring your own device (BYOD)
Face-to-face learning combined with
online learning (in or outside of
school)
g. Other (specify)__________
28
E3.3
Indicate the degree to which schools in your district that serve high school grades (9-12) are
implementing each of the following strategies.
Tool is Not
Available
Rarely or
Not At All
Occasionally
(Once or Twice a
Marking Period)
Regularly
(About Once
a Week)
Frequently
(More than
Once a Week)
DON’T
KNOW
a. Digital/online textbook in at least
one of the following subjects:
English Language Arts,
Mathematics, Science, or Social
Studies/History/Geography
□
□
□
□
□
□
b. Computers/tablets for all students
(1:1 initiative)
□
□
□
□
□
□
c.
□
□
□
□
□
□
d. Computers/tablets for some
students (at least 1 device per 3
students)
□
□
□
□
□
□
e. Computer labs
□
□
□
□
□
□
f.
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
Bring your own device (BYOD)
Face-to-face learning combined with
online learning (in or outside of
school)
g. Other (specify)__________
29
G. ESE OVERALL SUPPORT
G1.
To what extent has ESE’s contact with your district focused on ensuring compliance as opposed to
providing assistance? Base your response on your district’s recent experience with ESE.
Predominantly
Compliance
1
G2.
□
2
□
Predominantly
Assistance
3
□
4
□
5
□
6
□
7
□
8
□
9
□
Don’t
Know
□
During the 2015-2016 school year, to what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following
statements regarding ESE’s performance relative to policies and programs?
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
DON’T
KNOW
a. Provides services in a coherent, well
coordinated fashion
□
□
□
□
□
b. Is effective in its efforts to improve the
overall quality of public K-G12 education
□
□
□
□
□
30
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND COOPERATION.
31