Principal Interview Control

Teacher Survey #01
2006/07 SCHOOL YEAR

AMSTI Teacher Survey #01
The information you provide is being collected for research purposes only and will be
kept strictly confidential. Please be assured that your name and your school name will not
be reported or disclosed outside of the research agencies. Public reporting burden for this
collection of information is estimated to average about 10 minutes. Send comments
regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information,
including suggestions for reducing this burden to the Department of Education 50 North
Ripley Street PO Box 302101 Montgomery, AL 36104.
Questions regarding this survey or the research study can be directed to Lori Sterling at
Lsterling@empiricaleducation.com or call Toll free 1-888-486-8886 ext. 127.
Definitions
Self-contained classroom – A classroom where the teacher teaches all or most academic
subjects to the same group of students all or most of the day.
Main teaching assignment – The activity at which you spend most of your time during
the school year.

Identification
1. Please identify your MASTER Site:
___ Troy University
___ University of Alabama at Montevallo
___ University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa
2. Please identify your school system: (A system list is collected prior to beginning the
surveys and displayed here as a selection list)
3. Please identify yourself: (A T list is collected prior to beginning the surveys and
displayed here as a selection list)

Teaching Assignment
4. What grade level do you primarily teach?
 3rd -4th combination
 4th
 5th
 4th – 5th combination
 6th
 7th
 8th
 7th – 8th combination
 Ungraded
Other, please

specify____________

5. Which of the following categories best describes how your math and/or science classes are taught.

Mark no more than 1.
 Self-contained: Teacher teaches most subjects
 Departmentalized instruction (single-subject)
 Taught by Subject Area Specialist (non-departmental)
 Taught by another teacher at my grade level (non-departmental)
 Team-taught , please indicate the name of your partner teacher(s)
 Other, please describe

6. In what subject is your main teaching assignment in the current school year? Mark the
box for that subject in the list below. Mark no more than 1.
 No main affiliation with a single
 Reading/Language Arts/English
subject (e.g., self-contained
classroom)
 Mathematics
 Vocational Field
 Science
 Arts/Music
 Mathematics/Science
 Health/Physical Education
 Technology
 Special Education
 Language Arts/History
 English as a Second Language
 History/Social Studies
 Foreign/World Languages
 Other, please specify:

7. In addition to your main duties, do you have any secondary teaching assignments in
the current school year?
 Yes
 No
IF ‘NO’ SKIP TO QUESTION 9
8. Mark the subject(s) for your secondary teaching assignment(s) in the current school
year in the list below. Mark all that apply.
 Reading/Language
 Health/Physical Education
Arts/English
 History/Social Studies
 Special Education
 Mathematics
 English as a Second Language
 Science
 Computers or Technology
 Art/Music
 Foreign/World Languages
 Other, please specify:
 Vocational Field

9. How would you classify your teaching position this school year? Mark one.
 Full-time
 Part-time

10. Are you an AMSTI Lead Teacher? Mark one.
 Yes, I’m the AMSTI Lead Teacher for Math at my school.
 Yes, I’m the AMSTI Lead Teacher for Science at my school.
 No

Current Curricular Materials (this question will be asked once a month)
11a. Think back on your last two weeks (10 full school days) of instruction; what
curricular materials did you use to teach mathematics? Mark all that apply.
 I don’t teach math
 AMSTI supplied:
 Brand Y materials (principal survey will supply details of curricular materials)
 Brand Z materials
 Other ________________
b. During your last two weeks, what curricular materials did you use to teach science?
Mark all that apply.
 I don’t teach science
 AMSTI supplied:
 Brand Y materials (principal survey will supply details of curricular materials)
 Brand Z materials
 Other ________________

Instruction (these questions will be asked once a month)
For the following questions about instructional time:
If you teach in a self-contained classroom, please indicate the number of class hours
of each type of instruction.
If you teach more than one class, please indicate the average number of hours of each
type of instruction among your various classes.

12. During your last two weeks, approximately how many hours did your students spend
doing math and/or science activities? Please be sure to consider all activities, including
discussion, lecture, reading, watching video, hands-on activities, worksheets, and
activities that integrate math or science with other subjects.
a. Total Hours of Math Instruction_______ [ ] I don’t teach math.
b. Total Hours of Science Instruction______ [ ] I don’t teach science.

13. Consider the following description of Inquiry-Based Instruction in which students do
all of the following activities as part of the learning process:
ƒ Make observations
ƒ Pose questions
ƒ Examine books and other sources of information to see what is already known
ƒ Plan investigations
ƒ Review what is already known in light of experimental evidence
ƒ Use tools to gather, analyze, and interpret data

ƒ
ƒ

Propose answers, explanations, and predictions
Communicate the results

During the past two weeks, approximately how many hours of instruction involved
Inquiry-Based Instruction?
a. Hours of Inquiry-Based Math Instruction_______ [ ] I don’t teach math
b. Hours of Inquiry-Based Science Instruction_____ [ ] I don’t teach science
14. During the past two weeks, approximately how many hours of instruction
incorporated hands-on activities?
a. Hours of Hands-On Math Instruction_______ [ ] I don’t teach math
b. Hours of Hands-On Science Instruction______ [ ] I don’t teach science
15. During the past two weeks, how many hours were your students engaged in activities
that required higher-order thinking skills? (i.e., where students advance from skills such
as focusing and information gathering to skills such as integrating and evaluating.)
a. Hours of math instruction requiring higher-order thinking skills _______ [ ] I don’t
teach math.
b. Hours of science instruction requiring higher-order thinking skills ______ [ ] I don’t
teach science

Assessments (this question will be asked once a month)
16. During the past two weeks, did you administer assessments? Check all that apply.

a. Math Assessments
 I don’t teach math
 No, I didn’t administer any math
assessments
 Yes, I used informal assessments, such as
questioning and observation, to gauge student
learning
 Yes, I administered formative (i.e.,
assessments that occur regularly throughout
the year in order to inform instruction) paper
and pencil assessments
 Yes, I administered performance-based
assessments (i.e., assessing students based on
their application of knowledge, skills, and
work habits through the performance of tasks
that are meaningful and engaging to students)
 Yes, I administered standardized
assessments
 Other (please explain)
____________________________________________

b. Science Assessments
 I don’t teach science
 No, I didn’t administer any science
assessments
 Yes, I used informal assessments, such as
questioning and observation, to gauge student
learning
 Yes, I administered formative (i.e.,
assessments that occur regularly throughout
the year in order to inform instruction) paper
and pencil assessments
 Yes, I administered performance-based
assessments (i.e., assessing students based on
their application of knowledge, skills, and
work habits through the performance of tasks
that are meaningful and engaging to students)
 Yes, I administered standardized
assessments
 Other (please explain)
_____________________________________

Professional Development (these questions will be asked once a month)
For each of the following questions, please take a moment to think about the professional
development activities in the areas of math, science, and technology, in which you have
participated so far this school year, i.e., since school let out in May or June 2006.

There are 2 sections to each question.
Sections A and C, AMSTI: Please indicate the amount of Professional Development
(PD) in math (A) and science (C) you have received as part of the AMSTI program, and
all PD that was in any way connected with AMSTI. For example, if you collaborated
with other teachers to plan your instructional calendar, even if only some of the lessons
are AMSTI, record those hours in Section A for math or C for science.
Section B and D, Non-AMSTI: Please indicate the amount of non-AMSTI Professional
Development in math (B) and science (D) you have received. For example, if your
planning team worked only to plan non-AMSTI lessons, with no reference to AMSTI
lessons, then count those hours in Section B for math or C for science.

17. So far this school year, how much professional development (including all
opportunities for professional growth) have you received for your math and science
programs? Please round to the number of hours closest to your total number of hours of
training. For example, if you have had 6 hours of training, you would select 5.
Total Hours
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 60 90 120 180
A. AMSTI Mathematics
Total Hours
B. Non-AMSTI
Mathematics Total Hours
C. AMSTI Science
Total Hours
D. Non-AMSTI Science
Total Hours

NA

18. How many of the hours reported in Question 17 were spent in Summer Institutes?
25
35 40
5 6 9
0 5 10 15 20
30
45
120 180
0 0 0
A. AMSTI Mathematics
Total Hours
B. Non-AMSTI
Mathematics Total Hours
C. AMSTI Science
Total Hours
D. Non-AMSTI Science
Total Hours

19. Have you changed the way you teach as a result of the training you received in the
Summer Institutes?
NA
A. AMSTI Mathematics
Yes
NO
B. Non-AMSTI
Yes
NO
Mathematics
C. AMSTI Science
Yes
NO
D. Non-AMSTI Science

Yes

NO

20. So far this school year, how many times did you try contacting someone for support
(e.g., for mentoring or coaching) with math and science instruction?
0 1 2 3 4 6 6 7 8 9 10 11+ NA
A. AMSTI Mathematics
B. Non-AMSTI
Mathematics
C. AMSTI Science
D. Non-AMSTI Science

NA

21. So far this school year, how many times did someone actually provide support (e.g.,
for mentoring or coaching) with math and science instruction?
0 1 2 3 4 6 6 7 8 9 10 11+ NA
A. AMSTI Mathematics
B. Non-AMSTI
Mathematics
C. AMSTI Science
D. Non-AMSTI Science

22. Did the support you reported in Question 21 change the way you teach?
NA
A. AMSTI Mathematics
Yes
NO
B. Non-AMSTI
Yes
NO
Mathematics
C. AMSTI Science
Yes
NO
D. Non-AMSTI Science

Yes

NO

23. So far this year, how frequently have you had collaboration meetings with other
teachers (e.g., for planning lessons) for math and science?
At Least
At Least
Once or
Daily
Never
Weekly
Monthly
Twice
A. AMSTI Mathematics
B. Non-AMSTI
Mathematics
C. AMSTI Science
D. Non-AMSTI Science
24. Has the collaboration you reported in Question 23 change the way you teach?
NA
A. AMSTI Mathematics
Yes
NO
B. Non-AMSTI
Yes
NO
Mathematics
C. AMSTI Science
Yes
NO
D. Non-AMSTI Science

Yes

NO

NA

25. How many of the hours reported in Question 17 were spent in training sessions other
than summer institutes, support, or collaboration meetings (e.g., school training sessions
held after school, on the weekend, or early release days)?
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 60 90 120 180
A. AMSTI Mathematics
Total Hours
B. Non-AMSTI
Mathematics Total Hours
C. AMSTI Science
Total Hours
D. Non-AMSTI Science
Total Hours
26. Did the training session(s) you reported in Question 25 change the way you teach?
NA
A. AMSTI Mathematics
Yes
NO
B. Non-AMSTI
Yes
NO
Mathematics
C. AMSTI Science
Yes
NO
D. Non-AMSTI Science

Yes

NO

Planning Time (these questions will be asked once a month)
27. During the past two weeks, how may hours (both paid time and unpaid time) did you
spend planning your math and/or science lessons?
a. Math ___ [ ] I don’t teach math
b. Science ____ [ ] I don’t teach science
28. How much paid time do you receive each week for planning all of your lessons
(include time for planning math, science, and everything else you teach)? _____

Additional Information
29. Is there anything else you would like us to know about your math and/or science
program or about this survey?

NA