California Standards Implementation. Teacher Survey

Transcription

1 California Standards Implementation Teacher Survey October 2015 Thank you for taking this survey endorsed by the California State Board of Education and California Department of Education. Its purpose is to learn more about your experiences implementing California s English Language Arts and mathematics standards. Results from the survey will help state leaders learn more about the ways the California standards are affecting classroom instruction and professional development. Your privacy is important to us. To reach a representative sample of California teachers, WestEd and Civis Analytics are working with a consumer research firm that uses a proprietary list of contact information for teachers in the state. Results of the survey will be reported only in summary form so that neither individuals nor their schools can be identified. This is not an evaluation of any program or individual. All respondents who complete the survey will receive a $10 Amazon gift card. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. 1

2 A. CALIFORNIA S NEW ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS AND MATHEMATICS STANDARDS *A1. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about California s new standards. (If you do not teach the subject in question, please check the box labeled I do not teach this subject. ) [Response options: I do not teach this subject; Disagree, Somewhat Disagree, Neither Agree Nor Disagree, Somewhat Agree, Agree] *a. The English Language Arts (ELA) standards are more rigorous than the previous state standards. *b. The ELA standards set appropriate expectations for student learning at each grade level. *c. The ELA standards are presented clearly. d. The English Language Development (ELD) standards set appropriate expectations for student learning at each grade level. e. The ELD standards are presented clearly. *f. The mathematics standards are more rigorous than the previous state standards. *g. The mathematics standards set appropriate expectations for student learning at each grade level. *h. The mathematics standards are presented clearly. *i. Clear expectations about California s standards have been communicated to teachers. *j. California s new ELA/ELD and mathematics standards will positively affect the degree to which students are prepared for college and careers. *k. California s new standards make learning more relevant to students everyday lives. *A2. Which of the following supports for implementing California s new standards have you received, how helpful were these supports, from whom did you receive these supports, and do you need more support? *A2a. Support received? [Response options: Yes, No] *A2b. How helpful was support? [Response options: Not Helpful, Somewhat Helpful, Helpful, Very Helpful] *A2c. What was the source of the support? [Response options: Yourself or Colleague(s), Administrator or District Staff, Other Provider] *A2d. Do you need more of this type of support? [Response options: Yes, No] *a. Curriculum materials aligned to California s new English Language Arts (ELA) standards *b. Diagnostic assessments aligned to California s new ELA standards *c. Curriculum materials aligned to California s new mathematics standards *d. Diagnostic assessments aligned to California s new mathematics standards *e. Digital tools (on-line textbooks, webinars, on-line communities, applications/apps, etc.) f. Smarter Balanced Digital Library resources *g. Information about how California s new standards change what is expected of teachers instructional practices *h. Information about how California s new standards change what is expected of students *i. Professional development on California s new ELA standards *j. Professional development on California s new mathematics standards *k. Other (please specify): * A version of this question appears on teacher surveys in other states. 1

3 A3. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about support for implementing California s new standards. [Response options: Disagree, Somewhat Disagree, Neither Agree Nor Disagree, Somewhat Agree, Agree] a. I have adequate time to successfully implement California s new standards. b. I have adequate support from teachers, coaches, and school leaders to successfully implement California s new standards. c. My school administrators have sufficient expertise, or access to experts, to support my implementation of California s new standards. d. My district included teachers in developing its strategy for implementing California s new standards. A4. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about your school s implementation of California s new standards with English Learners (ELs). [Response options: Disagree, Somewhat Disagree, Neither Agree Nor Disagree, Somewhat Agree, Agree] a. My school highly prioritizes ensuring that ELs are able to meet the rigor of California s new standards. b. I am prepared to ensure that ELs are able to meet the rigor of California s new standards. c. English Learner and general education teachers at my school are collaborating to ensure ELs are able to meet the rigor of California s new standards. d. My school ensures that ELs have access to the entire curriculum. 2

4 B. TEACHER DEVELOPMENT The next set of questions asks about your overall teacher professional development experiences. B1. During the school year (including summer 2014), how often did you participate in each of the following activities with other teachers at your school? [Response options: never, About Once a Semester or Less, About Once a Month, Two or Three Times a Month, About Once a Week, More Than Once a Week] a. Met with other teachers to discuss standards, instruction, and/or student learning b. Worked with other teachers to develop materials or activities for particular classes c. Observed another teacher's classroom to get ideas for my instruction or to offer feedback d. Another teacher or teachers observed my classroom *B2. Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements. [Response options: Disagree, Somewhat Disagree, Neither Agree Nor Disagree, Somewhat Agree, Agree] a. My school provides me with adequate time in the school day to collaborate with my peers. *b. My school principal and administrators make sure that my peers and I have adequate expertise and guidance for our collaborations. *c. My school principal and administrators provide materials and tools that help us work together more effectively. d. Collaborative sessions with other teachers in my school are usually productive. * A version of this question appears on teacher surveys in other states. 3

5 B3. During the school year (including summer 2014), which of the following professional development activities did you participate in? [Response options: Not Available, Available But Did Not Participate, Participated In] B3a. If participated in (3), mark how often. [Response options: Once or Twice a Year, Three to Six Times a Year, Once or Twice a Month, Once or Twice a Week, More Than Twice a Week] a. Participated in the development of my district s professional development plan b. Attended workshops, seminars, institutes or conferences organized by my school or district c. Utilized online professional development resources (such as webinars, videos, online articles, etc.) offered by or through my district d. Attended workshops, seminars, institutes or conferences organized by organization(s) outside my school or district e. Took graduate courses in education and/or my subject area f. Participated in professional learning communities or other discussion groups g. Acted as a coach or mentor to other teachers or staff in your school or district h. Received coaching or mentoring about my instruction from an activity leader, coach, or mentor i. Worked on a committee or task force focused on curriculum and instruction j. Engaged in informal self-directed learning (e.g., discussions with colleagues, reading articles, using internet resources) to enrich your subject area knowledge and skills. k. Participated in professional development sessions about Smarter Balanced Digital Library l. Participated in professional development sessions about Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments m. Participated in professional development sessions on how to use Brokers of Expertise/My Digital Chalkboard. n. Did something else? (Please specify) *B4. Were you offered any of the following supports to encourage your participation in professional development activities? [Response options: Yes, No, 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. Stipend for professional development activities that take place outside regular work hours *d. Full or partial reimbursement of college tuition *e. Reimbursement for conference or workshop fees *f. Reimbursement for travel and/or daily expenses to attend conferences or workshops * A version of this question appears on teacher surveys in other states. 4

6 *B5. Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about all the professional development activities in which you participated during the school year (including summer 2014). My professional development activities [Response options: Disagree, Somewhat Disagree, Neither Agree Nor Disagree, Somewhat Agree, Agree] *a. Improved my content knowledge of the academic subject(s) I teach. *b. Advanced my understanding of effective instructional strategies. *c. Had a positive and lasting impact on my classroom instruction. *d. Helped me improve in my teaching toward California s new standards. *e. Were well-aligned with California s new standards and/or the curriculum based on these standards. *f. Were designed to address needs revealed by analysis of students performance on state assessments. g. Helped me improve in my teaching with English Learners. h. Helped me improve in my teaching with students with special needs. B6. During the school year (including summer 2014), how much emphasis did your professional development activities place on the following topics? [Response options: None, Minor, Moderate, Major] a. Alignment of instruction to curriculum frameworks and/or California s new standards b. Instructional approaches c. In-depth study of your subject area or specific concepts within your subject area d. Study of how children learn particular topics in your subject area e. Individual differences in student learning f. Meeting the learning needs of special populations of students (e.g., English Learners, students with disabilities) g. Classroom assessment (e.g., formative, diagnostic, textbook-linked tests, teacher-developed tests) h. State or district assessment (e.g., preparing, understanding, interpreting assessment data) i. Interpretation of assessment data to inform instruction j. Technology to support student learning B7. During the school year, including summer 2014, how often did your district solicit feedback from you about your professional development activities? Please select only one Never Rarely Sometimes Frequently Always * A version of this question appears on teacher surveys in other states. 5

7 C. DEMOGRAPHICS C1. During the school year, what grade(s) did you teach? Please select all that apply. Pre-K grade 1 grade 2 grade 3 grade 4 grade 5 Transitional kindergarten Kindergarten grade 6 grade 7 grade 8 grade 9 grade 10 grade 11 grade 12 C2. During the school year, what subject(s) did you teach? Please select all that apply. English/Language arts/reading/writing English language development Mathematics Social Studies Science World language(s) Visual or performing arts (art, music, dance, theater) Health/physical education Career/technical education Special education Other (Please specify) C3. Prior to this school year, how long have you worked as a teacher? Please do not include student teaching or any time you have been teaching this school year. a. Total amount of time teaching Years Months b. Total amount of time teaching in current school Years Months c. Total amount of time teaching in current district Years Months 6

8 D. ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES [NOTE: Only those teachers responding that they taught 1. English/Language arts/reading/writing on question C2 will receive the following questions [D1 to D8] below.] The following set of questions refer to activities that are part of English Language Arts (ELA) instruction. If you teach more than one class, for all of the questions, please think about and respond only for one class that you teach each week. If that is a split class (i.e., the class contains more than one group for language arts instruction and each group is taught separately), please respond for only one group. D1. How many students are in the class? Please select one only. 10 or fewer 11 to to to to or more D2. What percentage of students in the class are English Learners (ELs)? Please select one only. None Less than 10% 10% to 25% 26% to 50% More than 50% D3. What percentage of the students in the class have IEPs? Please select one only. Less than 10% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90+ % 2

9 D4. Please indicate how each of the following influences what you teach in the class. [Response options: Strong Negative Influence, Somewhat Negative Influence, Little or No Influence, Somewhat Positive Influence, Strong Positive Influence] a. California s curriculum framework or new standards b. Your district's curriculum c. Textbook or instructional materials d. State assessments e. District assessments f. Screening, formative, diagnostic, or classroom assessment results g. National Council of Teachers of English Language Arts and Reading Education Standards h. Your pre-service preparation i. Students' special needs j. Preparation of students for next grade or level k. Local priorities, directives, or policies l. Your professional development experiences 3

10 D5. For the following items please indicate how well prepared you are to [Response options: Not Well Prepared, Somewhat Prepared, Well Prepared, Very Well Prepared] a. Use/manage cooperative learning groups in English, language arts, and reading b. Integrate English, language arts, and reading with other subjects c. Provide instruction that meets state English, language arts, and/or reading standards d. Use a variety of assessment strategies e. Teach reading at your assigned level f. Teach writing at your assigned level g. Teach language arts at your assigned level h. Teach literature at your assigned level i. Teach critical thinking at your assigned level j. Select and/or adapt instructional materials to implement the prescribed curriculum k. Teach students with physical disabilities l. Help students document and evaluate their own work m. Teach classes for students with diverse abilities and learning styles n. Teach students from a variety of cultural backgrounds o. Teach students who are English Learners p. Teach students who have learning disabilities that impact language arts learning q. Organize and manage the classroom r. Support students' developmental and maturational needs s. Involve parents in the English, language arts, and reading education of their children t. Adapt instructional materials to enhance understanding of academic content u. Integrate instruction of language arts content with real-world or life skills v. Teach students who are persistently low performers 4

11 D6. Listed below are questions about the types of activities that students in your class may engage in during ELA instruction. Please rate the relative amount of time a typical student in your class will spend engaged in each activity over the course of a school year. [Response options: None, Little, Some, Moderate, Considerable] a. Listen to the teacher explain, or observe the teacher demonstrate or model a concept or procedure b. Read and comprehend information from multiple sources c. Collect, summarize, and/or analyze information or data from multiple sources d. Present or demonstrate to others e. Work individually on assignments f. Participate in whole-class discussions g. Explain their reasoning or thinking in solving problems h. Engage in a writing process to support arguments with evidence i. Use hands-on materials j. Work in pairs or small groups k. Engage in learning activities outside the classroom l. Use computers, calculators, or other educational technology to learn, practice or explore m. Maintain and reflect on a portfolio of their own work n. Practice test-taking strategies o. Take a quiz or test D7. Please rate the relative level of emphasis you place on assessment practices that [Response options: None, Little, Some, Moderate, Considerable] a. Focus on application of content b. Focus on recall of information c. Focus on applying understandings and knowledge d. Use authentic contexts (e.g., real-world simulation, project-based or cross-disciplinary problems) e. Provide written feedback to develop further student understanding f. Provide verbal feedback to develop further student understanding g. Require students to explain, reason, support conclusions, and use appropriate sources as evidence h. Use rubrics/scoring guides to analyze student work i. Generate results used to adjust teaching methods within current unit j. Provide students opportunities to evaluate their own work k. Intentionally use informal assessments during a unit (e.g., exit cards, check for understanding, etc.) l. Use various assessment data in adjusting the curriculum and/or instruction 5

12 D8. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the statements below: [Response options: Disagree, Somewhat Disagree, Neither Agree Nor Disagree, Somewhat Agree, Agree] a. Students learn language arts best when they engage in reading and writing to solve problems. b. Students need extensive practice applying specific grammar, usage, and mechanics skills. c. All students can learn challenging content in English, language arts, and reading. d. Students learn English, language arts, and reading best in classes with students of similar abilities. e. It is important for students to learn basic language arts skills before engaging in critical thinking. f. I enjoy teaching English, language arts, and reading. g. I am supported by colleagues to try out new ideas in teaching English, language arts, and reading. h. English, language arts, and reading teachers in this school regularly share ideas and materials. i. English, language arts, and reading teachers in this school regularly observe each other teaching j. I have adequate curriculum materials available for instruction. k. I have many opportunities to learn new things about teaching English, language arts, and reading in my present job. l. I have adequate time during the regular school week to work with my peers on English, language arts, and reading curriculum or instruction. m. Most teachers in this school contribute actively to making decisions about the curriculum. n. My school supports co-teaching and collaboration between general and special educators in the teaching of language arts and reading. o. My school supports co-teaching and collaboration between general and EL educators in the teaching of language arts and reading. p. Instructional coaches or district specialists work with teachers at my school. q. The resources in My Digital Chalkboard support my work. r. The resources in the Smarter Balanced Digital Library support my work. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND COOPERATION. 6

13 E. MATH TEACHER INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES (NOTE: Only those teachers responding that they taught 3. Mathematics on question C2 should receive the following questions [E1 to E8] below, which concludes their survey.) The following set of questions refer to activities that are part of mathematics instruction. If you teach more than one class, for all of the questions, please think about and respond only for one class that you teach each week. If that is a split class (i.e., the class contains more than one group for mathematics instruction and each group is taught separately), please respond for only one group. E1. How many students are in the class? Please select one only. 10 or fewer 11 to to to to or more E2. What percentage of students in the class are English Learners (ELs)? Please select one only. None Less than 10% 10% to 25% 26% to 50% More than 50% E3. What percentage of the students in the class have IEP's? (Mark nearest 10%) Please select one only. Less than 10% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90+ % 7

14 E4. Please indicate how much each of the following influences what you teach in the class. [Response options: Strong Negative Influence, Somewhat Negative Influence, Little or No Influence, Somewhat Positive Influence, Strong Positive Influence] a. California s curriculum framework or new standards b. Your district's curriculum c. Textbook or instructional materials d. State test or results from test e. District test or results from test f. Screening, diagnostic, formative or classroom assessment results g. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Education Standards h. Your pre-service preparation i. Students' special needs j. Preparation of students for next grade or level k. Local priorities, directives, or policies l. Your professional development experiences 8

15 E5. For the following items please indicate how well prepared you are to: [Response options: Not Well Prepared, Somewhat Prepared, Well Prepared, Very Well Prepared] a. Use/manage cooperative learning groups as part of mathematics instruction b. Integrate mathematics with other subjects c. Provide mathematics instruction that meets state content standards (e.g., district, state, or national) d. Use a variety of assessment strategies (including objective and open-ended formats) e. Teach problem-solving strategies f. Teach mathematics with manipulatives, such as counting blocks or geometric shapes g. Teach mathematics arts at your assigned level h. Develop students communication skills in expressing mathematical concepts and procedures i. Teach students to reason mathematically, and to evaluate mathematical claims j. Select and/or adapt instructional materials to implement the district s curriculum k. Teach students with physical disabilities l. Help students document and evaluate their own work m. Teach classes for students with diverse abilities and learning styles n. Teach students in a culturally relevant manner o. Teach mathematics students who are English Learners p. Teach students who have learning disabilities that impact mathematics learning q. Organize and manage the classroom r. Support students' developmental and emotional needs s. Involve parents in the mathematics education of their children t. Adapt instructional materials to enhance understanding of mathematics content u. Integrate instruction of mathematics content with real-world or life skills v. Teach students who are persistently low performers 9

16 E6. Listed below are questions about the types of activities that students in your class may engage in during mathematics instruction. Please rate the relative amount of time a typical student in your class will spend engaged in each activity over the course of a school year. [Response options: None, Little, Some, Moderate, Considerable] a. Listen to the teacher explain, or observe the teacher demonstrate or model a mathematics procedure or solve a problem b. Read and comprehend mathematics information from multiple sources c. Collect, summarize, and/or analyze information or data from multiple sources d. Present or demonstrate to others e. Work individually on mathematics assignments f. Participate in whole-class discussions about mathematics g. Explain their reasoning or thinking in solving problems h. Engage in a writing process to support arguments with evidence i. Use hands-on materials (manipulatives) j. Work in pairs or small groups on mathematics exercises, problems, investigations, or tasks k. Engage in learning activities outside the classroom l. Use computers, calculators, or other educational technology to learn, practice or explore m. Maintain and reflect on a portfolio of their own work n. Practice test-taking strategies o. Take a quiz or test E7. Please rate the relative level of emphasis you place on assessment practices that [Response options: None, Little, Some, Moderate, Considerable] a. Focus on application of content b. Focus on information recall c. Focus on applying understandings and knowledge d. Use authentic contexts (e.g., real-world simulation, project- based or cross-disciplinary problems) e. Provide written feedback to develop further student understanding f. Provide verbal feedback to develop further student understanding g. Require students to explain, reason, support conclusions, and use appropriate sources as evidence h. Use rubrics/scoring guides to analyze student work i. Generate results used to adjust teaching methods within current unit j. Provide students opportunities to evaluate their own work k. Intentionally use informal assessments during a unit (e.g., exit cards, check for understanding, etc.) l. Use various assessment data in adjusting the curriculum and/or instruction 10

17 E8. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the statements below: [Response options: Disagree, Somewhat Disagree, Neither Agree Nor Disagree, Somewhat Agree, Agree] a. Students learn mathematics best when they ask a lot of questions b. Students need to practice mathematical computation skills regularly to perform well on tests c. All students can learn challenging content in mathematics. d. Students learn mathematics best in classes with students of similar abilities. e. It is important for students to learn basic mathematics skills before engaging in critical thinking. f. I enjoy teaching mathematics. g. I am supported by colleagues to try out new ideas in teaching mathematics. h. Mathematics teachers in this school regularly share ideas and materials. i. Mathematics teachers in this school regularly observe each other teaching classes. j. I have adequate curriculum materials available for instruction. l. I have adequate time during the regular school week to work with my peers on mathematics curriculum or instruction. m. Most teachers in this school contribute actively to making decisions about the curriculum. n. My school supports co-teaching and collaboration between general and special educators in the teaching of mathematics. o. My school supports co-teaching and collaboration between general and EL educators in the teaching of mathematics. p. The resources in the Smarter Balanced Digital Library support network are helpful. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND COOPERATION. 11