MA: VISTA-P
(Views of Instruction, State Standards, Teaching, and Assessment)
January 16, 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
In order to reduce the burden on principals’ time, all principals will answer some core questions
from each module plus some randomly selected questions related to each module’s content.
The survey should take approximately 35 - 45 minutes.
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., Department Heads) to provide an
answer.
NOTE: To protect confidentiality, no individual survey response will be reported. They will be combined
together with responses from other principals in the district and/or state and reported only if a sufficient number
of principals respond to the question to ensure confidentiality.
1
F: DEMOGRAPHICS (REQUIRED TO ANSWER)
The first question asks for the grade levels served by your school. This question will be used to direct you to
the appropriate sections of the survey so that you are asked only the questions that are relevant to you.
F1.
What grade levels does your school serve?
PLEASE SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
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1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
F2.
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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 school-level
administrator?
Please do not include student practicums.
Years
Months
a. Total amount of time as a principal at any school
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b. Total amount of time as an administrator (as a principal,
assistant principal, or school-level coordinator)
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c. Total amount of time as a principal in current school
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d. Total amount of time as a principal in current district
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2
A. STATE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS
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 school. In certain sections, to reduce the burden on principal’s time, you
will only answer questions related to one subject area.
A1.1
1Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements about the
Massachusetts English Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum Framework.
DON’T
KNOW
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
a. The English Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum
Framework sets appropriate expectations for student
learning at each grade level.
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b. The ELA Curriculum Framework positively affects the
degree to which students are prepared for college
and career.
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c. The ELA Curriculum Framework positively affects
how well students are prepared to compete in the
workforce.
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d. The ELA Curriculum Framework makes learning
relevant to students’ everyday lives.
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e. Teachers have made instructional shifts over the last
year to ensure students meet the expectations of the
state’s current ELA Curriculum Framework.
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f.
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ELA state assessments provide useful information
about how well students are mastering the ELA
state’s standards.
g. I use state ELA assessment results to inform my
school’s improvement planning.
3
A1.2
Please answer each of the three questions on the following supports you receive to help teachers
implement the ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS (ELA) Curriculum Framework: A) Which of the following
supports for implementing the ELA Curriculum Framework have you used? B) How helpful were the
supports? C) Do you need more of this type of support?
SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER
ROW
Implementation
Have you used this
support to help teachers?
Yes
No
SELECT ONE
RESPONSE PER ROW
SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
Do you need more
of this type of
support?
Implementation
How helpful was the support?
Not Helpful
Somewhat
Helpful
Helpful
Very
Helpful
Yes
No
a. Textbooks aligned to
the state standards
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b. Curriculum resources
aligned to the ELA
Curriculum Framework
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c. Formative or diagnostic
assessments aligned to
the state standards
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d. Digital tools (on-line
textbooks, webinars,
videos, on-line
communities,
applications, etc.)
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e. Information about how
the state standards
change what is
expected of students
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f. Information about how
the state standards
change what is
expected of teachers’
instructional practice
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g. Professional
development on the
state standards
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h. Other (specify):
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__________________
4
A1.2d Please answer the following related questions: (1) Please indicate the degree to which the following
resources are aligned to the English Language Arts Curriculum Framework, (2) During the 2015-2016
school year, including summer 2015, did your school engage in any activities to align the following to the
ELA Curriculum Framework?
Degree of Alignment
Resource:
NOT
SURE
Not at All Somewhat
Aligned
Aligned
Aligned
Activities
Strongly
Aligned
Not
Applicable
Yes
No
a. State-mandated assessment
used by your district
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b. District-mandated summative
assessments
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c. School-created summative
assessments
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d. Teacher-created summative
assessments
0
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e. Formative or diagnostic
assessments used districtwide
0
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f. English Language Arts
textbooks used in your school
0
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g. English Language Arts
curriculum selected or
developed by your district
0
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h. State-developed or organized
professional development
activities for teachers
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i. District-developed or
organized professional
development activities for
teachers
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0
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j. Administrator feedback
provided to teachers from
classroom observations (i.e.
walk-throughs, formal
observations etc.)
0
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5
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A2.1
Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements about
the Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Framework.
DON’T
KNOW
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
a. The Mathematics Curriculum Framework sets
appropriate expectations for student learning at
each grade level.
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□
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b. The Mathematics Curriculum Framework positively
affects the degree to which students are prepared
for college and career.
□
□
□
□
□
c. The Mathematics Curriculum Framework positively
affects how well students are prepared to compete
in the workforce.
□
□
□
□
□
d. The Mathematics Curriculum Framework makes
learning relevant to students’ everyday lives.
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e. Teachers have made instructional shifts over the
last year to ensure students meet the expectations
of the state’s current Mathematics Curriculum
Framework.
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f. Mathematics state assessments provide useful
information about how well students are mastering
the state’s mathematics standards.
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g. I use state Mathematics assessment results to
inform my school’s improvement planning.
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h. The implementation of the Standards of
Mathematical Practice enables students to have
deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.
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6
A2.2
Please answer each of the three questions on the following supports you receive to help teachers
implement the MATHEMATICS Curriculum Framework: A) Which of the following supports for
implementing the MATHEMATICS Curriculum Framework have you used? B) How helpful were the
supports? C) Do you need more of this type of support?
SELECT ONE RESPONSE
PER ROW
SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
Implementation
Have you used this
support to help
teachers?
Implementation
How helpful was the support?
Yes
No
Not
Helpful
Somewhat
Helpful
Helpful
SELECT ONE
RESPONSE PER ROW
Do you need more
of this type of
support?
Very
Helpful
Yes
No
a. Textbooks aligned to the
state standards
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b. Curriculum resources
aligned to the Mathematics
Curriculum Framework
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c. Formative or diagnostic
assessments aligned to
the state standards
□
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d. Digital tools (on-line
textbooks, videos,
webinars, on-line
communities, applications,
etc.)
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e. Information about how the
state standards change
what is expected of
students
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f. Information about how the
state standards change
what is expected of
teachers’ instructional
practice
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g. Professional development
on the state standards
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h. Other (specify):
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__________________
7
A2.2d Please answer the following related questions: (1) Please indicate the degree to which the following
resources are aligned to the Mathematics Curriculum Framework; (2) During the 2015-2016 school year,
including summer 2015, did your school engage in any activities to align the following to the Mathematics
Curriculum Framework?
Activities
Degree of Alignment
Resource:
Not at All Somewhat
Aligned
Aligned
aligned
Strongly
Aligned
2015-16
Not
Applicable
Yes
No
a. State-mandated assessment used
by your district
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b. District-mandated summative
assessments
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c. School-created summative
assessments
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d. Teacher-created summative
assessments
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e. Formative or diagnostic
assessments used district-wide
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f. Mathematics textbooks used in
your school
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g. Mathematics curriculum selected or
developed by your district
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h. State-developed or organized
professional development activities
for teachers
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i. District-developed or organized
professional development activities
for teachers
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j. Administrator feedback provided to
teachers from classroom
observations (i.e., walk-throughs,
formal observations, etc.)
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8
3.1
Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements about the
Massachusetts Revised Science and Technology/Engineering (STE revised) Curriculum Framework.
DON’T
KNOW
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
a. I am knowledgeable about the MA Revised
Science and Technology/Engineering (STE
revised) posted by ESE in 2013.
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b. The STE (revised) Curriculum Framework sets
appropriate expectations for student learning at
each grade level.
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c. The STE (revised) Curriculum Framework
positively affects the degree to which students
are prepared for college and career.
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d. The STE (revised) Curriculum Framework
positively affects how well students are
prepared to compete in the workforce.
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e. The STE (revised) Curriculum Framework
makes learning relevant to students’ everyday
lives.
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f.
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g. STE state assessments provide useful
information about how well my students are
mastering the state’s STE standards.
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h. I use state STE assessment results to inform
my school’s improvement planning.
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Teachers have made instructional shifts over
the last year in anticipation of the new STE
Curriculum Framework.
9
A3.2
Please answer each of the three questions on the following supports you receive to help teachers
implement the REVISED SCIENCE and TECNOLOGY/ENGINEERING (STE) Curriculum Framework:
A) Which of the following supports for implementing the STE Curriculum Framework have you used?
B) How helpful were the supports? C) Do you need more of this type of support?
SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
Implementation
Have you used this support to
help teachers?
Implementation
How helpful was the support?
Not Helpful
Somewhat
Helpful
SELECT ONE
RESPONSE PER ROW
Do you need more
of this type of
support?
Very
Helpful
Yes
No
a. Textbooks aligned to the
state standards
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b. Curriculum resources
aligned to the state
standards
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c. Formative or diagnostic
assessments aligned to
the state standards
□
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d. Digital tools (on-line
textbooks, videos,
webinars, on-line
communities,
applications, etc.)
□
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□
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□
□
e. Information about how
the state standards
change what is
expected of students
□
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□
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□
f. Information about how
the state standards
change what is
expected of teachers’
instructional practice
□
□
□
□
□
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□
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g. Professional
development on the
state standards
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h. Other (specify):
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__________________
10
Helpful
Yes
No
A3.3 Please answer the following related questions: (1) Please indicate the degree to which the following
resources are aligned to the Revised Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework, (2)
During the 2015-2016 school year, including summer 2015, did your school engage in any activities to
align the following to the STE Curriculum Framework?
Activities
Degree of Alignment
Resource:
Not at all Somewhat
Aligned
aligned
aligned
Strongly
Aligned
2015-16
Not
Applicable
Yes
No
a. State-mandated assessment used
by your district
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b. District-mandated summative
assessments
□
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c. School-created summative
assessments
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d. Teacher-created summative
assessments
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e. Formative or diagnostic
assessments used district-wide
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f. Science and
Technology/Engineering textbooks
used in your school
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g. Science and
Technology/Engineering curriculum
selected or developed by your
district
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h. State-developed or organized
professional development activities
for teachers
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i. District-developed or organized
professional development activities
for teachers
□
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j. Administrator feedback provided to
teachers from classroom
observations (i.e. walk-throughs,
formal observations etc.).
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11
A4
As the principal of your school how would you characterize (A) the level of support received from your
district to help you implement the state’s Curriculum Frameworks, and (B) the impact of this support on
your school’s implementation of the state’s Curriculum Frameworks?
Level of Support
Resource
No District
Support
Provided
Little
District
Support
Provided
Occasional
District Support
Provided
Impact of Support
Regular
District
Support
Provided
No
Impact
Limited
Impact
Moderate
Impact
Strong
Impact
a. Professional
development
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b. Expertise (in or out-ofdistrict) to support
implementation
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c. Time for me to support
the implementation of
the state’s curriculum
frameworks
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d. Time for me to learn
from the experiences
of other principals
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e. Analyses of student
assessment data (e.g.,
state, common
assessments) to
inform the
implementation
process
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f. Materials and other
resources needed to
support
implementation
process
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A5.
Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about your assessment literacy. To what
extent do you…
Not at All
Small
Extent
Moderate
Extent
Large
Extent
a. understand how to develop common assessments.
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b. have the expertise to analyze data from common assessments.
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c. analyze data (on your own or with leadership team) from
common assessments to improve instruction.
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d. analyze data (on your own or with leadership team) from
common assessments to improve students’ learning.
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12
The following two sections are designed to measure the extent to which educators’ offer opportunities for
students to cultivate and exhibit creativity and innovation in their learning.
A6.1
Please indicate your level of agreement with the extent that these aspects of student learning
environments are embedded within your school.
DON’T
KNOW
Students…
Not at
All
Small
Extent
Moderate
Extent
Large
Extent
a. engage in open-ended problems/tasks that allow them to
think of multiple possible solutions/products.
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b. work together to apply what they know to solve challenging
problems or tasks.
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c. engage in interdisciplinary learning.
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d. accept that it is okay when a project/task goes differently
from what was expected or even fails.
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e. undertake long-term projects (more than one week in
length) of their choosing in which they are expected to
create something original (e.g., creative written piece;
product that could be used to solve a problem).
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f. express their understanding beyond traditional means (e.g.,
by building models, performing skits, creating simulations).
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g. understand the legal, ethical, and personal responsibilities
of digital citizenship (for example, the legal consequences
of personal behavior online, virtual footprint, permanence of
digital communications, evaluating online resources for
accuracy, trustworthiness, and potential bias).
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A6.2
Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about the extent that you as a
principal foster an environment of creativity and innovation in your school.
NOT
APPLICABLE
Not at
All
Small
Extent
Moderate
Extent
Large
Extent
a. I work with students and teachers to identify experts
from outside of the school who can provide students
with insights into a project/topic.
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b. I set aside physical space (e.g., Innovation Studio;
Maker-Space) within the building so teachers can
engage students in exploration of their ideas.
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c I provide students access to before-school or afterschool programs designed to let them express their
creativity (e.g., arts education, debate clubs, science
clubs, theater performance, film-making).
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d. I seek funding opportunities (e.g., line item in district
budget or external grants) to support projects that
stimulate students’ creativity and innovation.
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13
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
school 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.
How often does the following occur with regard to teacher collaboration at your school?
(Collaboration includes all structured or planned activities when teacher meet with colleagues to discuss
curriculum, instruction, assessments, students and/or any other aspect of their job.)
Never
About
Once Every
Other
Month
About
Once a
Month
About Two
or Three
Times a
Month
About
Once a
Week
More
Than
Once a
Week
a. Teachers have time to collaborate during
the school day.
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b. Teachers receive adequate training to
support peer collaboration.
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c. Teachers have the necessary materials,
tools, or equipment that helps them
collaborate with peers effectively.
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d. Teachers participate in professional
learning communities in my school.
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e. Teachers have opportunities to observe
each other in their classrooms.
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B2.
Which of the following sentences best describes the impact of teacher collaboration in your school?
As a result of teacher collaboration.….
SELECT ONLY ONE
1
2
3
4
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Teachers do not change their instructional practice.
Teachers make some changes to improve their instructional practice.
Teachers make significant changes to improve their instructional practice.
Teachers do not collaborate with other teachers at my school.
14
B3.1
We are interested in learning about all feedback teachers receive about their instruction, including
informal feedback and feedback received as part of the evaluation process. During the 2015-16 school
year (including summer 2015), within your school, who provided teachers with feedback on their
instruction?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
B3.2
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□
□
□
□
□
□
□
Colleague/Peer
Mentor
Coach
Administrator
Students
Parents/Families
External Experts
Other; please specify_____________________________
How would you characterize the frequency and impact of the feedback provided on strengthening
teachers’ instructional practice?
Frequency of Feedback
From:
Little
Feedback
Provided
Occasional
Feedback
Provided
Impact of Feedback
Regular
Feedback
Provided
No
Impact
Limited
Impact
Moderate
Impact
Strong
Impact
a. Colleague/Peer
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
b. Mentor
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
c. Coach
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
d. Administrator
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
e. Students
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
f. Parents/Families
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
g. External Experts
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
h. Other
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
____________
15
B3.3
(A) To what extent do teachers in your school receive ongoing support from coaches, peer-based
professional learning communities or administrators following professional development (PD)? (B) Does
this support help your teachers effectively implement what they have learned from the PD?
Ongoing Support
Not at
All
Small
Extent
Moderate
Extent
Effectively Implement
Large
Extent
Not Helpful
Helpful
Very
Helpful
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
content
16
B4.
To what extent did each of the following factors influence your thinking and decisions about types of
professional development (PD) to offer teachers during the 2015-16 school year (including summer
2015)?
Not at All
Small
Extent
Moderate
Extent
Large
Extent
a. Observations of classroom practice
□
□
□
□
b. Student assessment data
□
□
□
□
c. Summative performance ratings for teachers
□
□
□
□
c. Information collected through the evaluation system (e.g.,
SMART goals, common assessments etc.)
□
□
□
□
e. Input from teachers
□
□
□
□
f. Input from students
□
□
□
□
g. Input from parents/families
□
□
□
□
h. Input from district staff
□
□
□
□
i. Input from other school administrators
□
□
□
□
j. Input from teacher leaders, mentors, or coaches
□
□
□
□
k.
State mandates (e.g., RETELL)
□
□
□
□
l.
ESE-led PD opportunities
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
m. Other (please specify)
________________________________________
B5.
During the 2015-2016 school year (including the summer of 2015), how often has your district
engaged in the following activities to evaluate the quality of its professional development offerings to
teachers?
Rarely
a. Solicited informal feedback from teachers on
the professional development activities
□
□
□
□
□
b. Examined whether professional development
correlates to gains in student achievement
□
□
□
□
□
17
Sometimes
Frequently
DON’T
KNOW
Never
B6.
Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about all the professional development
(PD) activities that your teachers are participating in during the 2015-16 school year (including
summer 2015). The professional development activities are…
The PD 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)
________________________________
□
□
□
□
□
□
18
B7.
How successful do you feel your district is in supporting you as the principal in the following ways?
Does Not
Offer
Support
Unsuccessful
Somewhat
Unsuccessful
Somewhat
Successful
Successful
a. Providing or supporting training on
being an effective school administrator
□
□
□
□
□
b. Providing or supporting training on
being an effective instructional leader
□
□
□
□
□
c. Providing or supporting training on
being an effective evaluator
□
□
□
□
□
d. Providing materials, tools, or equipment
that helps support my leadership role
□
□
□
□
□
19
C.
ROLE OF EVALUATION IN SUPPORTING EDUCATOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
The second part of the Educator Growth and Development section (Module C) first asks for your views on the
role of evaluation in supporting your growth and development as a principal. It then asks for your views on
the role of evaluation in supporting teacher growth and development in your school or district.
C1.
With regard to your own experience with your own evaluation process, please indicate your level of
agreement with the following statements about the principal evaluation system used in your school
district.
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
DON’T
KNOW
a. The principal evaluation system used in my
district is effective in identifying outstanding
school leaders.
□
□
□
□
□
b. The principal evaluation system used in my
district is effective in identifying school
leaders who are struggling.
□
□
□
□
□
c. The principal evaluation system helps me to
identify specific areas where I can improve
student learning.
□
□
□
□
□
d. The principal evaluation system helps me to
identify specific areas where I can improve
my school leadership.
□
□
□
□
□
e. Overall, the evaluation system used in my
district for assessing administrators generates
fair results.
□
□
□
□
□
C2.1
As part of your principal evaluation last year (2014-15)……
How often were you observed by….?
SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
DOES
NOT
APPLY
Never
a. Colleague/Peer
□
b. Mentor/Coach
Once
2-3
Times
4 or
More
Times
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
c. Superintendent
□
□
□
□
□
d. Other District
Administrator
□
□
□
□
□
20
C2.2.
How do you use the observational feedback you receive through the evaluation process?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
1
2
3
4
5
5
6
C2.3.
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
Self-assessment
Goal-setting
Evidence of practice
Inform my instructional leadership
Inform my administrative leadership
Identify professional development
Other; please specify_____________________________
Which of the following options best describes the impact of the observational feedback you receive on
strengthening your school leadership?
Impact on Strengthening Leadership
DOES NOT
APPLY
Limited
Impact
No Impact
Moderate
Impact
Strong
Impact
a. Colleague/Peer
□
□
□
□
□
b. Mentor/Coach
□
□
□
□
□
c. Superintendent
□
□
□
□
□
d. Other District Administrator
□
□
□
□
□
21
This next series of questions asks your views on the role of evaluation in supporting teacher growth and
development in your school/district.
C3.
Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about the teacher evaluation system in
your district. The 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. helps teachers make instruction accessible to all learners.
□
□
□
□
d. promotes constructive conversations between teachers and
their evaluators.
□
□
□
□
e. is an effective tool to support teacher growth and development.
□
□
□
□
f. helps me determine whether particular teachers receive
Professional Teacher Status.
□
□
□
□
g. helps me determine whether teachers receive teacher
leadership opportunities.
□
□
□
□
h. helps me to recognize and reward (non-monetary) exemplary
teachers.
□
□
□
□
22
C4.1.
During the school year, how many observations (unannounced and announced) does an educator with
Professional Teacher Status (PTS) receive? How many observations (unannounced and announced) does
an educator without PTS receive? (Mark one response in each column.)
Average #
observations
Professional Teacher Status
Unannounced
Announced
None
□
□
□
□
1-2
□
□
□
□
3-4
□
□
□
□
5-6
□
□
□
□
7-8
□
□
□
□
More than 8
□
□
□
□
C4.2. How many educators are you evaluating in this
school year (2015-2016)?
C4.3.
______(enter #)
C4.4.
Non-Professional Teacher Status
Unannounced
Announced
Of this number, for how many are you the
sole evaluator?
______(enter #)
For each of the roles below, indicate the number of people that have assumed some evaluation
responsibilities for educators in your school (e.g., conducting observations, supporting goal setting
etc.).
Number with
evaluative
responsibilities
Other School Administrators
District Leaders
Teacher Leaders
Coaches
________
________
________
________
Other, please
specify________________
23
C5.
Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about the teacher evaluation system used
in your school district.
SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
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. Teachers in my school have a clear
understanding of the type of evidence to
provide for their summative performance
evaluation.
□
□
□
□
□
d. Teachers in my school have a clear
understanding of the amount of evidence to
provide for their summative performance
evaluation.
□
□
□
□
□
e. The evaluation system used in my school is
effective in identifying outstanding teachers.
□
□
□
□
□
f. The evaluation system used in my school is
effective in identifying teachers who are
struggling.
□
□
□
□
□
g. The Massachusetts teacher performance
rubric should have more than four levels.
□
□
□
□
□
h. In my school, educators develop goals that
reflect the expectations of the curriculum
frameworks.
□
□
□
□
□
i. In my school, we are providing evaluation
feedback to educators that reflect the
expectations of the curriculum frameworks.
□
□
□
□
□
j. Teachers in my school are evaluated by
individual(s) with the appropriate content
knowledge.
□
□
□
□
□
k. Evaluators have the appropriate experience to
evaluate teacher performance.
□
□
□
□
□
l. Evaluation criteria are applied equally to all
teachers in my school.
□
□
□
□
□
m. Overall, the evaluation system used in my
school for assessing teachers generates fair
results.
□
□
□
□
□
24
C6.1
Over the course of the school week, approximately what proportion of your time do you, on average,
spend on evaluation activities?
Time Spent
None to <1%
□
1% to < 5%
□
5% to < 10%
□
10% to <25%
□
25% to <50%
□
50% to < 75%
□
75% or above
□
25
C6.2
Which of the following types of evidence do you use to determine a Summative Performance Rating
for teachers? A) Is the type of evidence valuable? B) Do teachers provide you with the right amount of
evidence to help you deliberate?
Is the amount of evidence
collected/provided adequate?
Value of Evidence
Type of Evidence
Not
Used
Used But
Not
Valuable
Somewhat
Valuable
Valuable
Not
Enough
Just
Right
Too Much
a. Unannounced observations
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
b. Announced/formal
observations
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
c. Student work samples (e.g.,
portfolios, projects)
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
d. Feedback from students
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
e. Feedback from
parents/families
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
f. Students’ state standardized
test scores
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
g. Classroom assessments
(e.g., student letter grades)
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
h. Extracurricular activities or
professional responsibilities
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
i. Artifacts of practice provided
by the teacher
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
j. Other
(specify)________________
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
26
C7.
Please rate the extent to which your district has provided your school with specific types of support for
implementing the educator evaluation system. (Please think about the support you are receiving during
the current academic school year, 2015-16.)
No
Support
Little
Support
Adequate
Support
Strong
Support
NOT
APPLICABLE
a. Administrator support (such as key
information and guidance) about the
evaluation process.
□
□
□
□
□
b. Time (such as time to complete evaluation
materials).
□
□
□
□
□
c. Materials (such as forms or guidelines to
facilitate the evaluation process).
□
□
□
□
□
d. Access to staff with specific expertise (such
as instructional coaches) within and/or
outside of my school.
□
□
□
□
□
e. Training (such as evaluator calibration
training, training on providing high quality
feedback).
□
□
□
□
□
f. Technology (e.g., data management
software or cloud-based tools) that support
implementation of the evaluation process.
□
□
□
□
□
27
C8.1.
My district has identified common assessments, such as District Determined Measures (DDMs), to inform
teachers’ evaluations in my school.
SELECT ONLY ONE
1
0
C8.2
□
Yes
IF SELECTED THEN GO TO C8.2
□
No
IF SELECTED THEN GO TO C8.3
Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about common assessments, such as
District Determined Measures (DDMs), used in the teacher evaluation system in your school.
SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
DON’T
KNOW
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
a. Teachers have provided input on common
assessments used in my school or 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 Student Impact Ratings for noninstructional staff are well aligned to their roles.
□
□
□
□
□
d. Teachers are using data from common
assessments to improve their practice.
□
□
□
□
□
e Data from common assessments are a useful
part of teacher evaluations.
□
□
□
□
□
f. I use data from common assessments to identify
initiatives to improve student learning.
□
□
□
□
□
C8.3
Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about common assessments in your
school.
DON’T
KNOW
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
a. Teachers currently use common assessments
aligned to the content they teach.
□
□
□
□
□
b. Data from common assessments are a useful
part of an educator’s evaluation.
□
□
□
□
□
c. I am seeking teacher input on common
assessments used by my school or district.
□
□
□
□
□
28
C9.1.
Student feedback is one piece of evidence required in a teacher’s evaluation. How do teachers collect
student feedback?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
C9.2
Survey Instrument
Written Responses
Exit Tickets
Student Interviews
Focus Group
Whole Group Discussions
Teachers don’t systematically collect student feedback
Other; please specify ____________________________________________________
Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about the use of student feedback in a
teacher evaluation system.
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
Somewhat
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Strongly
a. Teachers in my district collect student feedback on a
regular basis.
□
□
□
□
b. Teachers in my district collect student feedback as
evidence in their evaluation process.
□
□
□
□
c. Student feedback is a useful tool teachers use for
self-assessment and goal-setting.
□
□
□
□
d. I discuss student feedback results (e.g., survey, exit
tickets) with teachers.
□
□
□
□
e. Student feedback is a useful component of a
teacher’s evaluation.
□
□
□
□
C9.3.
What survey instrument do your teachers use to collect student feedback?
SELECT ONE
1
2
3
4
5
□
□
□
□
□
Massachusetts ESE Model survey
Commercial instrument; please specify___________________________
District or school-developed Survey
Teacher-developed survey
Other; please specify_____________
29
C10.
To what extent to you agree that the following are a purpose of the overall educator evaluation system in
your district?
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.
□
□
□
□
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 educators to better distinguish
between exceptional, capable, and weak
educator practice.
c. provides me, as a principal, with greater
opportunity to improve my practice.
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
d. has a positive impact on student
achievement in my school.
□
□
□
□
□
30
D.
PERSONALIZED LEARNING TOOLS
This module asks for your views on either (1) Individual Learning Plans (ILP) or (2) Career Development
Education (CDE).
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.
What percent of your student population engage in Individual Learning Plan implementation?
SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
None (0%)
□
D2.
>0% - <25%
25% - <50%
□
□
50% - <75%
□
75% - 100%
□
Does your school use an online tool to support ILP implementation?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
1
2
3
4
5
□
□
□
□
□
Naviance
Your Plan for the Future
Mass CIS
Career Cruising
Other (specify) ___________________________________________________
31
D3.
Does your school’s implementation of ILPs include the following?
Not at All
Small Extent
Moderate
Extent
Large
Extent
a. Time in the school schedule to implement ILPs
through a structured process such as Advisories,
Homeroom, college and career planning time, etc.
□
□
□
□
b. A school mentor or other identified adult (not
necessarily a guidance counselor) for support for
postsecondary planning
□
□
□
□
c. Opportunities for participation of parent or guardian
in the process
□
□
□
□
d. A curriculum to guide implementation
□
□
□
□
e. Opportunities for students to review, revise, and
update their ILP
□
□
□
□
D4.
Do your school’s individual learning plans (ILPs) capture the following?
Not at All
Small Extent
Moderate
Extent
Large
Extent
a. Students’ short and long-term goals
□
□
□
□
b. Students’ self-identified strengths and challenges
□
□
□
□
c. Students’ academic history
□
□
□
□
d. Students’ academic plans to earn their high school
diploma
□
□
□
□
e. Students’ postsecondary education and career
interests and aspirations
□
□
□
□
f. Students’ career interest inventory results
□
□
□
□
g. Students’ extracurricular activities both in and out of
school
□
□
□
□
h. Students’ reflections on their ILP implementation
□
□
□
□
i. Parent/guardian reflections on students’ ILP
implementation
□
□
□
□
32
D5.
What challenges does your school face in implementing and maintaining personalized learning?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
This section is related to Career Development Education (CDE) 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.
D6.
Does your school offer Career Development Education (CDE)?
SELECT ONLY ONE
1
0
□
□
Yes
IF SELECTED GO TO D7
No
IF SELECTED GO TO E1
D7. To what extent does your school’s CDE have the following content attributes?
Not at All
Small Extent
Moderate
Extent
Large
Extent
a. Provides an opportunity for students to research
career interests and aspirations to map a plan for
postsecondary success
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□
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b. Uses a college and career readiness framework for
implementation of CDE, e.g., MA Model for School
Counseling
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□
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c. Includes external partners from the workforce
development and business community to support
student career preparation
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□
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d. Sponsors or supports CDE events such as job
shadow programs, career or job fairs, or career
speaker series
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□
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e. Documents student’s CDE activities both in and out
of school
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□
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f. Offers career immersion work-based learning
experiences, such as internships, coops and/or
work study
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□
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g. Uses any online resources for career exploration,
such as MassCIS, Youth Plan for the Future,
Career Cruising, Naviance, or others
□
□
□
□
h. Offers students a career pathway approach to the
high school experience, with course selection
articulated to specific industries.
□
□
□
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i. Has formalized partnership(s) between the
school/district and the regional Workforce
Investment Board through the state’s Connecting
Activities initiative
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□
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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.
Which of the following statements best describes how digital instructional tools are used in the
classrooms in your school?
SELECT ONLY ONE
□
□
1
2
3
4
E2.
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□
My school has a policy that requires that teachers use digital instructional tools in the classroom.
Teachers are encouraged to use digital instructional tools in the classroom, but there is no school
policy requiring them to do so.
Teachers are not required nor encouraged to use digital instructional tools in the classroom.
Other (specify) ____________________________________________________
Does your school have policies about any of the following to guide teachers’ use of digital
instructional tools that are used in the classroom?
SELECT ONLY ONE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
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Student data privacy and security
Network access
Restrictions on content and sites that can be accessed
Rules about when to use digital instructional tools for learning versus for entertainment
Bring-your-own device rules
Use of district hardware and software off-campus or at home
Use of social media to communicate with students
None
Other (specify) ____________________________________________________
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E3.
What kinds of educational technology does your district provide to teachers?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
1
□
2
□
3
□
4
□
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
E4.
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□
□
□
□
□
□
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
Provides a learning management system (a platform for taking or delivering online courses)
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
□
□
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Very
Helpful
□
E5.
Indicate the degree to which teachers in your school 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.
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
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□
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Bring your own device (BYOD)
d. Computers/tablets for some
students (at least 1 device per 3
students)
e. Computer labs
f.
Face-to-face learning combined
with online learning (in or outside of
school)
g. Other (specify)__________
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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 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, wellcoordinated fashion
□
□
□
□
□
b. Is effective in its efforts to improve the overall
quality of public K-G12 education
□
□
□
□
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THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND COOPERATION.
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