Interview Protocol

OMB No.: xxxx-xxx
Expiration Date: xx/xx/xxxx

An Evaluation of Secondary
Math Teachers from Two
Highly Selective Routes to
Alternative Certification
Program Administrator Interview
Protocol
Program name: ___________________________________________________
District: _________________________________________________________
Date: |

|

|/|

|

| /|

|

|

|

|

Person interviewed:
Name: __________________________________________________________
Phone number: ___________________________________________________
Email: __________________________________________________________
Name of person conducting interview: _________________________________

INTRODUCTION
CONFIRM RESPONDENT HAS THE TIME AVAILABLE FOR THE INTERVIEW.
BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE STUDY, PURPOSE OF THE INTERVIEW, CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY, AND
FOCUS ON SECONDARY MATH TEACHERS.
ENCOURAGE THE RESPONDENT’S BEST RECOLLECTION; OFFER TO FOLLOW-UP IF NECESSARY.
HIGHLIGHT TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED: RECRUITMENT, SCREENING, TRAINING, PLACEMENT, AS
WELL AS POST PLACEMENT TRAINING AND SUPPORT.

1

A.

RECRUITMENT, APPLICATION, AND SCREENING (TNTP DISTRICT, TFA
NATIONAL OFFICE)1
Please ask for application forms and any scoring rubrics the program may use.

A1.

Please describe the type of recruitment activities or methods you use to attract good applicants
to your program.
Ask about each of the following:

a.

Program open house?

b.

District job fairs / open houses?

c.

College job fairs?

d.

Invited presentations to public or private groups?

e.

Print or other advertisements in mass media?

f.

Mailings/fliers?

g.

Web?

h.

Any other activities? Please specify

A2.

Which of these recruiting/targeting methods are particularly effective at identifying secondary
math teachers?

A3.

Do you have an annual goal for the number of teachers to recruit? Do you have a separate goal
for secondary math teachers?
If yes to either: How is the goal(s) determined?

A4.

To what extent do projected district needs for secondary math teachers influence recruitment
efforts, like advertising or outreach, year to year?
[_] Great extent
[_] Some extent
[_] Little/no extent

program definitely alters/increases/decreases recruitment activities to
yield rough number of applicants to meet district needs
program adjusts recruitment efforts somewhat, but not that much
program just does what it does on recruitment, not really coordinated
with district needs

1

Recruitment, application, and screening activities and pre-service training are centralized in TFA. Questions about these
topics should just be asked of national office TFA representatives.
2

Now let’s talk about the application process.
A5.

Other than name and contact information, what information do candidates have to provide as
part of their formal application?
Ask about each of the following:
a.

College or university attended?

b.

Major and minor fields of study?

c.

GPA?

d.

Demographics
i.

Sex?

ii. Birth date/Age?
iii. Race/Ethnicity?

A6.

e.

Languages spoken?

f.

Preferences for teaching assignment? Subject? Grade level? Region?

g.

Reason(s) why they want to participate in the program?

h.

Essays or short answers about teaching, themselves, etc. Get sample questions

i.

Reference names?

j.

Any other information?

What supporting documents do candidates have to submit?
a.

College or graduate school transcripts?

b.

SAT or ACT scores?

c.

Resume?

d.

Reference letters? How many?

e.

Writing sample other than application essays?

f.

Any other supporting documents?

3

A7.

Do you conduct a telephone interview?
If “No”, go to A8, otherwise continue

a. Please describe the telephone interview.

b. Do you conduct a telephone interview with all applicants?
If no, About what proportion of all applicants are asked to do a telephone interview? What
criteria are used to determine whether to conduct a telephone interview?

c. How is the interview structured? Is it an informal interview, semi-structured conversation, or
a standard instrument or question set?
Request a copy of the interview protocol if it is a standard instrument or question set.

d. On average, how long is the telephone interview?

A8.

Do you conduct an in-person interview?
If “No”, go to A9, otherwise continue

a. Please describe the in-person interview.

b. Do you conduct an in-person interview with all applicants?
If “No”: What are the criteria for conducting an in-person interview?

4

c. Where are the interviews held?

d. What does the in-person interview entail?
Probe for:
i.

One-on-one interview?

ii.

Group discussion?

iii.

Written exercise?

iv.

Sample lesson?

v.

Anything else?

Ask for details of each of these components.

e. Is there one or multiple interviewers? Who are the interviewers?

f.

If there is a one-on-one interview. Is any one-on-one interview an informal, semistructured conversation or a standard instrument or question set?
If standard instrument: Is it something developed internally, or borrowed/adapted from

another source, e.g., Haberman’s? Could I obtain a copy?

g. On average, how many hours does the in-person interview last? By in-person interview we
mean all the components not just the one-on-one interview.

5

A9.

Do you assess the applicants’ potential teaching skills by having them teach a sample lesson or
by some other assessment method?
If “No”, go to A10
If “Yes, by some other assessment method”:

Can you describe this assessment method?
Please obtain responses to the relevant
questions listed below.

If “Yes, by teaching a sample lesson” continue:

a. At what point during the application process does this occur?
b. Do all applicants need to teach a sample lesson or just those who have met/passed certain
criteria during the application process? What are the criteria?
c. How many lessons or exercises do they teach?
d. What type of lessons or exercises are they given to teach?
e. Are secondary math teacher candidates asked to teach a secondary math class?
f.

How long do sessions last?

g. How much time do they have to prepare the lesson?
h. Who are the “students” they are teaching?
i.

What are you looking for in these assessments? Do you use an observation rubric or
checklist of some sort?

6

Now let’s talk about the criteria you use for admittance into your program.
A10.

What, if any, are the firm standards that all applicants have to meet for admission to your
program – standards about which there’s no flexibility?
Ask what the standard, if any, would be for:
a. Degree?
b. Major/minor?
c. Minimum GPA . . .
in college/graduate school?
in certain courses?
cumulative or in certain years?
d. Amount or type of college/graduate school coursework?
e. Work experience?
f.

Citizenship or work visa requirements?

g. Formal background check? Is that more a district hiring concern/process?
h. Any other standards?

A10a. Are there any additional standards or requirements for candidates interested in teaching
secondary math?

A11.

Are all standards/requirements made clear to the applicant up-front, so that people considering
whether to apply might screen themselves out?
If “No”, ask: What are the reasons why you do not specify the standards up-front?

7

Some programs, in making admission decisions, rate candidates on multiple dimensions using rubrics.
If “TNTP,” add: For example, TFA uses the following seven dimensions
1. Demonstrated past achievement
2. Perseverance in the face of challenges
3. Strong critical thinking skills
4. Ability to influence and motivate others
5. Organizational ability
6. Understanding of and desire to work for the program’s vision
7. Respect for students and families in low-income communities
A12.

Does your program rate candidates using specific dimensions?
If “No”, go to A13, otherwise continue

a. What are the dimensions you use? And how are they assessed? What information is collected,
and from what sources? Record in table below.

b. How much emphasis is placed on each dimension when deciding on whether to accept a
candidate? Let’s use a simple three-point scale of “Major emphasis,” “Moderate emphasis,”
or “Minor emphasis.” Record in table below.
List Dimensions

How are they assessed?

8

Major
Emphasis

Moderate
Emphasis

Minor
Emphasis

A13.

You may learn a lot about each applicant’s characteristics during the application process. For
each characteristic I list, please tell me whether you consider the characteristic when deciding
on whether to admit the candidate. If you do, please tell me whether the characteristic is of
major importance, moderate importance, or minor importance in the admittance decision. Are
there any other characteristics that are important?

Characteristic

a.

Age

b.

Sex

c.

Race/ethnicity

d.

Socioeconomic background

e.

Ability to speak another language

f.

Qualified to teach math or another
subject for which there is a
shortage of teachers

g.

Writing skills

h.

Academic performance

i.

Career success

j.

Teaching skills at time of interview

k.

Stated commitment to teaching
career

l.

Are there other factors that are
important that we haven’t spoken
about? What are they?

Considered

Major
Importance

Moderate
Importance

Other

Other

Other

Other

9

Minor
Importance

Comment

A14.

In the past three years, have the application, screening, or admission procedures changed in
any way?
If “No”, go to A15, otherwise continue

a. Can you describe the changes that have occurred?

b. Have they made your program either easier or harder to get into?

A15.

A16.

To what extent do projected district needs for secondary math teachers factor into admission
decisions for applicants interested in teaching secondary math?
[_] Great extent

program will adjust admission rates considerably to come close to
district targets/needs

[_] Some extent

program will make modest changes to help district meet needs

[_] Little/no extent

program is independent, makes decisions according to pretty fixed
standards, not tweaked much at all to meet target numbers

Now, we want to get a sense of applicant flow and yield rates. Your best guess is fine.
PERCENTAGE
a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

f.

In an average year, of all the people who submit a complete
application, approximately what percentage are invited for an
in-person interview?

|

|

|

|

And of those interviewed, about what percentage are accepted
to the program?

|

|

|

|

And of those accepted, about what percentage actually enroll in
the program?

|

|

|

|

And, of those who start, about what percentage successfully
complete the summer institute?

|

|

|

|

And, of those who complete the summer institute, about what
percentage go all the way to earning full/regular certification?

|

|

|

|

Are these percentages different for applicants interested in becoming secondary math
teachers? How? Why?

10

B.

TRAINING PRIOR TO PLACEMENT (TNTP DISTRICT, TFA NATIONAL)

B1.

Now I’m going to ask a few questions about the summer institute your program provides for
newly-accepted participants before they begin their full-time teaching assignment.
a. When does it take place? In what month[s], or in relation to application or school
placement?
b. How many weeks does it last?
c. Where does it take place?
d. Who are the instructors, for example, are they college faculty, district staff, or program staff?

e. For how many days do participants attend courses/workshops in which they receive
instruction?
f.

On average, about how many hours per day do they spend in classes, receiving instruction?
Please do not count individual study time or any practice teaching or other fieldwork
exercises they might do.

g. Do program participants interested in teaching secondary math receive the same training in
the summer institute as participants interested in teaching other subjects or levels? If not,
how does it differ? Do all the secondary math teachers receive the same training?
h. Does the summer institute require participants to spend any time in classrooms observing
teachers?
i.

How much time is required, in terms of the number of days and average hours per day?

ii. Where do these observations occur?
iii. Are program participants interested in teaching secondary math assigned to observing
secondary math classes?

11

i.

Does the summer institute require participants to spend any time in classrooms helping
students individually or in small groups?
i.

How much time is required, in terms of the number of days and average hours per day?

ii. Where do these sessions occur?
iii. Are program participants interested in teaching secondary math assigned to help
students in secondary math classes?

j.

Does the summer institute require participants to do any practice teaching in classrooms,
delivering instruction to a whole classroom of students?
i.

How much time is required, in terms of the number of days or average hours per day?

ii. Where does this practice teaching occur?
iii. Who are the students? (e.g. are they summer school students)
iv. What kind of supervision are they given?
v. For this activity, are program participants interested in teaching secondary math
assigned to secondary math classes?

12

B2.

Does your program offer a “math immersion” program – intensive math content instruction for
candidates who were not math majors in college, or who otherwise need or want to brush-up on
their math knowledge or skills?
If “No”:

If not by your program, is one offered by district(s) where your participants work, or by
alternative certification programs they enroll in?
If “No”: Go to C1
If “Yes”, continue

If “Yes”, continue

a. Which candidates, if any, are required to attend?

b. Who else, if anyone, is it open to on a voluntary basis?

c. Of your participants interested in teaching secondary math participate, on average, how
many participate?

d. When does it take place?
i.

In what month[s], or in relation to other preservice training components?

ii. How many weeks does it last?

e. Where does it take place?

f.

Who are the instructors? e.g., college faculty, district staff, program staff

g. To help us get a sense of how much instruction is entailed, for how many days does it last?

13

h. How many hours per day are they receiving math instruction? Please do not include lunch
breaks.

i.

Is there just one curriculum, or is instruction differentiated for different types of participants?
e.g., based on their educational background
If multiple curricula: How many different curricula are there? If multiple curricula, probe for
differences when asking next questions

j.

In terms of college-level math courses, at what level does the math immersion program
curriculum start off? e.g., college algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, etc.

k. And what math topics are covered? e.g., college algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus,
etc.

l.

Did the training include explicit instruction on the teaching of math or math pedagogy?

14

C.

ASSIGNMENT TO SCHOOL DISTRICT (TNTP DISTRICT, TFA NATIONAL)

C1.

TNTP: Do all applicants get assigned to the district to which they apply?
If “Yes,” go to C2
If “No,” go to C1a

a. About what percentage get assigned to the district to which they apply?

|

|

|

| PERCENT

b. Under what conditions would they not get assigned to the district to which they apply?

C2.

TFA: What factors determine to which school district a program participant is assigned?

C3.

TFA: To what extent do program participants get their first choice of district?
[_] Great extent
[_] Some extent
[_] Little/no extent

C4.

TFA: Beyond any summer institute and /or math immersion programs that may be offered to
candidates, does your program provide an orientation for new TFA teachers who are newly
arrived in the district?
If “No”, go to D1

a. What does this orientation involve?

b. How long is the orientation?

15

D.

PLACEMENT AT SCHOOLS (TNTP AND TFA DISTRICT)

D1.

Are all your program participants who complete the summer institute guaranteed a teaching
position?
[ ] Yes
[ ] Usually/virtually yes, but with some exceptions
[ ] if “No”, then ask, Why not?

D2.

Is the likelihood of getting a placement higher than average for a program participant who wants
to teach secondary math?

D3.

About what percentage of program participants, in a typical year, get a placement by the start of
the school year?

|
If not 100%:

|

D4.

|

|

| PERCENT

What percentage typically get placed later?

|

|

| PERCENT

Are your program participants simply assigned to a school or must they take an active role in
finding a position?
If “Assigned to a school”, go to D5
If “Take an active role”, continue

a.

Are they mainly on their own in deciding which schools to consider, or does the program or
district give them some direction or suggestions?

b.

At what point in time, do program participants go on job interviews, relative to their program
acceptance, the summer institute, or the start of the school year?

16

D5.

At what point in time do candidates learn their school assignment, or decide which offer to
accept, relative to their program acceptance, summer institute, or start of school year?

D6.

How often do principals not hire your program participants once they have been interviewed?

D7.

Are principals more likely on average to hire those program participants who can teach
secondary math?

D8.

Does your program attempt to place new teachers in schools with other teachers or alumni from
your program?
If “Yes”: How successful are these attempts?

17

E.

TRAINING PROVIDED BY AN ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM AFTER
TEACHING BEGINS (TNTP AND TFA DISTRICT)

Now I want to ask about the alternative certification (AC) programs that your secondary math teachers
may enroll in.
E1.

What local alternative certification (AC) programs do these teachers enroll in to get the
coursework/training they need for full/regular certification?
Get institution/program name(s); if more than one, ask section E for each AC program

E2.

How long does the program take to complete?

E3.

Does the AC program have any pre-service summer component that prospective teachers must
attend before they start teaching? We are interested in anything more substantive than an
orientation session
If “Yes”:

What’s your best estimate of how much time is involved, in terms of number of days
and average hours per day?

E4.

During the first school year of teaching, about how many weeks do your secondary math
teachers receive instruction, or participate in training activities, as part of the AC program?
Please don’t count breaks.

E5.

On average, about how many hours per week do these math teachers spend in classes/training
activities in this first year? Please don’t count individual study time.

E6.

During the summer after their first year of teaching, about how many weeks do these math
teachers receive instruction or participate in training activities for the AC program?

E7.

On average, about how many hours per week do they spend in classes/training activities in the
summer? Please do not count individual study time.

E8.

During the second year of teaching, about how many weeks do they receive instruction or
participate in training activities for the AC program. Please don’t count breaks.

18

E9.

On average, about how many hours per week do they spend in classes/training activities in the
second year? Please do not count individual study time.

E10.

Do all secondary math teachers in the program receive the same training from the AC program,
or is there some subject- or grade-level specific training?

E11.

Thinking about the AC program’s instruction/training for secondary math teachers, has anything
notable about it changed over the last three years – especially regarding the amount of
instruction? If so, what were the changes?

E12.

What is the average cost of tuition for one of your program’s teachers to attend the entire AC
program?
If they can only give you the monthly, semester or yearly cost then ask how long does the
teacher attends so you can calculate the total cost)

If there are multiple coursework providers, obtain the total cost, what the tuition covers
and the timeframe for tuition coverage.

E13.

Are any teachers in your program eligible to pursue financial support to help them cover the cost
of their training? Examples might include grants, stipends, or low-interest loans.
If “No”: Go to F1, otherwise continue

a. Which type(s) of participants are eligible?
b. What types of support are provided?
c. About what percentage of eligible participants actually get the support?

|

|

|

| PERCENT

d. What’s the average value of the support they get?
$|

|

|, |

|

|

|

e. Are secondary math teachers as well represented in this group as other kinds of teachers?

19

F.

TRAINING AND SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE HSAC PROGRAM AFTER TEACHING
BEGINS (TNTP AND TFA DISTRICTS)
Next, I would like to talk about any formal instruction, training, professional development, or
support provided to secondary math teachers by your program once they begin teaching.

F1.

Does your program provide instruction, training, or professional development to new secondary
math teachers after they start teaching? Please do not consider individualized activities like
mentoring; I will ask about that in a little bit.
If “No”: Go to F2, otherwise continue

a. About how many hours of instruction / training / professional development does your
program provide to the secondary math teachers ?
b. What does it cover, and how does it differ from what the AC program provides?

F2.

Now, I want to ask about types of support your program may provide to new secondary math
teachers after they get their first teaching job. Do any members of your program staff (not
district or school staff) act as mentors or supervisors to new teachers, to provide information or
advice or feedback and to help their transition to the profession?
If “No”: Go to F13, otherwise continue

F3.
Does your program appoint just one staff person per teacher, or is more than one person
assigned to support each teacher, each one possibly playing different roles? For example, your
program might provide both a mentor and a field supervisor.
What is/are their title(s)?
If more than one person provides support, ask subsequent questions (F4-F12) for each
support person.

F4.

About what percentage of these [title of support person] assigned to secondary math teachers
are former secondary math teachers themselves?

|

|

|

| PERCENT

20

F5.

How long do these [title of support person] work with a new teacher – e.g., 1 semester,
1 year, 2 years?

F6.

Is the [title of support person] expected or required to do formal observations of the new
teacher in his/her classroom?
If “No”: Go to F7, otherwise continue

a. How many times do they do that on average?
b. Is the assessment of the observation shared only with the teacher or with others, such as
the principal, district staff, or program staff?

F7.

Other than feedback from formal observations, on average, how many times per year would
they have planned meetings with the teacher, to talk one-on-one?

F8.

How long would those sessions last, typically / on average?

F9.

Do the [title of support person] provide any other types of one-on-one assistance to new
secondary math teachers?
a. What type?

b. How often is this assistance provided?

21

F10.

Moving beyond one-on-one support, do the [title of support person] or other program staff
ever have scheduled meetings with small or large groups of new teachers from your program to
offer support? I don’t mean instruction but something more like informal sharing with one
another, to address particular needs or questions.
If “Yes”: Can you please describe what these meetings entail?

a. What is the ratio of staff to teachers?
b. On average, how many meetings occur per year?
c. On average, what is the duration of each meeting?

F11.

Is anything different done for secondary math teachers, or would they be in groups with other
program participants?

F12.

Thinking about the various ways your program supports new secondary math teachers, has
anything notable changed over the last three years, such as the type of support, amount of
support, or who’s involved in it?
If “Yes”: Could you please describe the notable changes?

F13.

Do your teachers typically get a mentor assigned by the district or one assigned by their
principal in addition to any provided by your program or the AC program?
[ ] Yes, by district
[ ] Yes, by principal
[ ] No

Wrap-Up : That’s all the questions I have for you. Your participation was very helpful. Do you have any
questions for me about our study of secondary math teachers?

22