Principal Survey

Teacher and Leader Evaluation Systems Study:

Spring 2013 Principal Survey

Paperwork Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1850–0890. The time required to complete this voluntary information collection is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202–4537. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to: Melanie Ali, U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Room 502B, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20208-5500.

Dear Principal:

The Teacher and Leader Evaluation Systems Study is a groundbreaking national study designed to test innovative principal feedback systems, teacher feedback systems, and feedback on student growth. A key element of the study is this survey. Your participation in this survey is important and appreciated, but you do have the right to skip any question that you do not wish to answer. Below are answers to some general questions concerning your participation.

What is the purpose of this survey?

The purpose of this survey is to obtain information on the principals within the study as well as information about their attitudes and beliefs about their role as a principal, their experiences with providing and receiving feedback, actions they take related to school staffing and leadership activities, their experiences with professional development and observation training, and reflections on their career.

Who is conducting this study?

The Teacher and Leader Evaluation Systems Study was commissioned by the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, and is administered by American Institutes of Research.

Why should you participate in this study?

Policymakers and education leaders rely on findings from studies like the Teacher and Leader Evaluation Systems Study to inform their decisions. The current study will fill a critical gap in the research on the effects of evaluation systems on educator practice and student learning.

Will your responses be kept confidential?

Your responses are protected from disclosure by federal statute (P.L. 107-279, Title I, Part E, Sec. 183). All responses that relate to or describe identifiable characteristics of individuals may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed or used in identifiable form for any other purposes, unless otherwise compelled by law.

How will your information be reported?

The information you provide will be combined with the information provided by others in statistical reports. No individual data that link your name or e-mail address with your responses will be included in the statistical reports.

Thank you for your cooperation in this very important effort!

Background

1. Including the current year, how many years of experience do you have in each of the following roles?

Count part of a year as 1 year.

If none, please mark (X) the box.

a.				Year(s) as a principal of this or any other school
b.				Year(s) as a principal of this school
c.		 None		or			Year(s) of teaching before becoming a principal

2. Have you earned any of the following degrees, diplomas, or certificates?

Please check Yes or No in each row.

	Degree	Earned
a.	Bachelor’s degree	 Yes  No
b.	Master’s degree	 Yes  No
c.	Educational specialist or professional diploma (at least one year beyond master’s level)	 Yes  No
d.	Certificate of advanced graduate studies	 Yes  No
e.	Doctorate or professional degree (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D., M.D, L.L.B, J.D, D.D.S.)	 Yes  No

Attitudes and Beliefs

3. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements:

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	I can do a lot to change the achievement scores of students in my school.	1	2	3	4
b.	I can help teachers in my school improve the quality of their instructional practice.	1	2	3	4
c.	My teachers influence each other more than I influence them.	1	2	3	4
d.	When I set a new school policy, I can usually convince my teachers to get on board.	1	2	3	4
e.	I am willing to try new leadership strategies to overcome challenges in my school.	1	2	3	4
f.	I have the authority to replace teachers in my school who aren’t performing well.	1	2	3	4

4. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements.

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	Principals in this district are recognized for exemplary leadership practices.	1	2	3	4
b.	Principals in this district are recognized for exemplary student achievement gains	1	2	3	4

5. How important is each of the following to you personally?

		Not at All Important	Somewhat Important	Moderately Important	Very Important
a.	Recognition or praise for effective leadership	1	2	3	4
b.	Recognition or praise for gains in student achievement	1	2	3	4
c.	Taking on leadership roles within your district	1	2	3	4

Feedback on Principal Performance

6. Please indicate the last time you received any type of feedback (i.e., formal or informal) on your performance as a principal from your supervisor:

• 2012-13 school year (Please go to question 7)

• Summer of 2012 (Please go to question 13)

• 2011–12 school year, or earlier (Please go to question 13)

• Never (Please go to question 13)

7. Please fill in the following information about each* time you have received feedback (i.e., formal or informal) on your performance as a principal from your supervisor during the 2012–13 school year.

*For example, if your supervisor provided you feedback at three different times during the 2012-13 school year, please enter three rows of information – one row for each instance of feedback.

	A. Approximate date of feedback	B. Did you receive any of the following: Please check all that apply. Please select “Rating” if the feedback you received was in the form of either a qualitative or numeric rating.	C. If you received oral feedback, approximately how many minutes did it last?
1st instance	O Fall 2012	O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer C)	____________ minutes
	O Winter 2012–13	O Written narrative
	O Spring 2013	O Rating(s)
		O Other (specify): ________________________
2nd instance	O Fall 2012	O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer C)	____________ minutes
	O Winter 2012–13	O Written narrative
	O Spring 2013	O Rating(s)
		O Other (specify): ________________________
3rd instance	O Fall 2012	O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer C)	____________ minutes
	O Winter 2012–13	O Written narrative
	O Spring 2013	O Rating(s)
		O Other (specify): ________________________
4th instance	O Fall 2012	O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer C)	____________ minutes
	O Winter 2012–13	O Written narrative
	O Spring 2013	O Rating(s)
		O Other (specify): ________________________
5th instance	O Fall 2012	O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer C)	____________ minutes
	O Winter 2012–13	O Written narrative
	O Spring 2013	O Rating(s)
		O Other (specify): ________________________

8. During the 2012–13 school year, to what extent did your supervisor’s feedback (i.e., formal or informal) focus on the following topic areas?

		Not at All	Minimal Extent	Moderate Extent	Great Extent
a.	High quality instruction	1	2	3	4
b.	Challenging curriculum	1	2	3	4
c.	High standards for learning	1	2	3	4
d.	Developing staff	1	2	3	4
e.	Engaging parents	1	2	3	4
f.	Student behavioral challenges	1	2	3	4
g.	School management	1	2	3	4
h.	Time management	1	2	3	4

9. During the 2012–13 school year, in what ways (if any) did teachers in your school provide input to your supervisor on your performance as a principal?

Please check all that apply.

• Through a survey

• Through meeting(s) with teachers

• Through written feedback from teachers

• Teachers provided input, but I don’t know how

• I don’t know if teachers provided input to my supervisor

• Teachers did not provide input to my supervisor

10. During the 2012–13 school year, please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement.

	Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
Prior to receiving feedback (i.e., formal or informal) from my supervisor, I had a clear sense of the expectations of my performance.	1	2	3	4

11. During the 2012–13 school year, did your supervisor refer to a rubric or protocol in any of the feedback?

• Yes

• No

12. Thinking back on all of the feedback (i.e., formal or informal) you received from your supervisor on your performance as a principal during the 2012–13 school year, please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements.

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	I received feedback that was a fair assessment of my performance.	1	2	3	4
b.	I received feedback that included specific ideas about how I could improve my performance.	1	2	3	4
c.	I received feedback that encouraged me to improve my school’s performance.	1	2	3	4
d.	I received feedback that encouraged me to ensure that my teachers are providing instruction that challenges their students.	1	2	3	4
e.	I received feedback that ignored important aspects of my leadership.	1	2	3	4

Student Achievement Information

13. Which of the following types of student achievement information* did you receive?

*Student achievement information refers to information based on standardized test results for the students who were in your school during the 2011-12 school year.

Please check all that apply.

• I did not receive any student achievement information based on standardized test results (please go to question 18)

• Data on individual students in my school (e.g., individual student scale scores, proficiency levels, or percentile rank)

• Average data for classes of students in my school (e.g., average scale score for the class, percent proficient for the class, average percentile rank for the class)

• Value-added scores based upon the students in my school (i.e., scores that represent the contribution that teachers [in my school] made to their students’ achievement growth on standardized tests)

• Other (please specify):__________________________________________

14. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements about the student achievement information* on the students in your school.

*Student achievement information refers to information based on standardized test results for the students who were in your school during the 2011-12 school year.

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	The information allows the district to distinguish effective from ineffective schools.	1	2	3	4
b.	The information accurately reflects the quality of the leadership in my school.	1	2	3	4
c.	The information IGNORES important aspects of my school’s performance.	1	2	3	4

15. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements about the student achievement information* you received.

*Student achievement information refers to information based on standardized test results for the students who were in your school during the 2011-12 school year.

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	The information as an indicator of school effectiveness is fair to all principals, regardless of the personal characteristics of the students in their schools.	1	2	3	4
b.	The information as an indicator of school effectiveness is fair to all principals, regardless of the prior achievement of students in their school.	1	2	3	4

16. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements about the student achievement information* that you received this year.

*Student achievement information refers to information based on standardized test results for the students who were in your school during the 2011-12 school year.

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	The information is a good measure of how well students learned what teachers in my school taught during the year.	1	2	3	4
b.	The information does a good job distinguishing effective from ineffective teachers.	1	2	3	4
c.	The information accurately reflects the quality of teachers who taught in this school.	1	2	3	4
d.	The information IGNORES important aspects of teachers’ performance.	1	2	3	4

17. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements about the fairness of interpreting the student achievement information* you received as an indicator of a teacher’s level of effectiveness.

*Student achievement information refers to information based on standardized test results for the students who were in your school during the 2011-12 school year.

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	The information as an indicator of teacher effectiveness is fair to all teachers, regardless of the personal characteristics of the students they teach.	1	2	3	4
b.	The information as an indicator of teacher effectiveness is fair to all teachers, regardless of the prior achievement of students they teach.	1	2	3	4

Usefulness of feedback

18. Thinking back on all of the feedback you have received on your performance during the 2012–13 school year, please indicate the extent to which each of the following forms of feedback have been useful in improving your leadership practice.

Please select “NA” if you did not receive feedback of this type.

		NA	Not useful at all	Minimally useful	Moderately useful	Extremely useful
a.	Conversations with my supervisor about my performance	0	1	2	3	4
b.	Written feedback from my supervisor about my performance.	0	1	2	3	4
c.	Direct feedback from my teachers	0	1	2	3	4
d.	Student achievement data from my school	0	1	2	3	4

Feedback on Teacher Performance

[NOTE: For this section, principals will refer to a specific list of K-8 reading and mathematics teachers that will be sent to the principal along with the invitation to complete the survey.]

Please refer to the list of teachers that was sent to you in the e-mail inviting you to complete this survey.

19. For the 2012–13 school year, how many teachers among those listed within the e-mail would you put in the following categories, based on your overall opinion of their TEACHING ABILITY?

Please categorize ALL of the teachers listed within the e-mail into one of the three categories.

1. High Performing Teachers:

    None

   or

2. Moderate Performing Teachers:

    None

   or

3. Low Performing Teachers:

 None

or

20. During the 2012–13 school year, on average, how many hours did you spend observing each teacher (among those listed within the e-mail) in the following categories in your school?

1. High Performing Teacher:

 None

or

Hours spent observing each high performing teacher.

2. Moderate Performing Teacher:

 None

or

Hours spent observing each moderate performing teacher.

3. Low Performing Teacher:

 None

or

Hours spent observing each low performing teacher.

21. During the 2012–13 school year, on average, how many hours have you spent providing feedback on instruction based on classroom observations in individual meetings with each teacher (among those listed within the e-mail) in the following categories in your school?

Please consider only feedback you have given individually to teachers.

1. High Performing Teacher:

 None

or

Hours spent in meetings providing individual feedback to each high performing teacher.

2. Moderate Performing Teacher:

 None

or

Hours spent in meetings providing individual feedback to each moderate performing teacher.

2. Low Performing Teacher:

 None

or

Hours spent in meetings providing individual feedback to each low performing teacher.

22. During the 2012-13 school year, on average, how many hours have you spent preparing written feedback based on classroom observations for each individual teacher (among those listed within the e-mail) in the following categories in your school?

Please consider only feedback you have given individually to teachers.

1. High Performing Teacher:

 None

or

Hours preparing written feedback to each high performing teacher.

2. Moderate Performing Teacher:

 None

or

Hours preparing written feedback to each moderate performing teachers.

3. Low Performing Teacher:

 None

or

Hours preparing written feedback to each low performing teachers.

23. During the 2012-13 school year, how many hours have you spent in meetings providing feedback to groups of teachers (among those listed within the e-mail) in your school (e.g., grade level meetings, content area meetings)?

 None

or

24. Thinking ahead to the end of the 2012–13 school year, will you have used a rating system, for which you have already received training, to guide your observations of classroom instruction?

 Yes

 No

[Note: A conditional logic will follow whereby principals who indicated that they plan to conduct at least one more observation will receive subitem 26b through 26e.]

25. Thinking ahead to the end of the 2012-13 school year*, please provide the following estimates:

*Please only include the observations you intend to conduct and feedback you intend to give between now and the end of 2012-13.

a.	Number of classroom observations you expect to conduct.	 None	or				Classroom observations
b.	Length of each observation you expect to conduct.						Minutes
c.	Number of times you plan to meet with teachers to provide individual feedback on instruction based on a classroom observation.	 None	or				Individual meetings
d.	Length of each meeting you expect to have providing individual feedback on instruction based on a classroom observation.						Minutes
e.	Number of times you expect to provide written feedback on instruction following a classroom observation.	 None	or				Times writing feedback
f.	Length of time you expect to spend writing feedback for each observation for which you provided such feedback.						Minutes

26. During the 2012–13 school year, for how many teachers have you done the following:

a.	Directed to receive extra support	 None	or			Teacher(s) at my school
b.	Asked to take on a leadership or mentoring role	 None	or			Teacher(s) at my school
c.	Provided additional professional development or other supports (e.g., coaching)	 None	or			Teacher(s) at my school
d.	Encouraged to leave voluntarily	 None	or			Teacher(s) at my school
e.	Asked to take on a different role or grade next school year	 None	or			Teacher(s) at my school

27. Based on performance information you have reviewed this year, how many teachers would you replace from your school if you had the option?

 None

or

Teacher(s) in my school

28. Considering all of the different types of feedback you provide to teachers in your school, to what extent does the feedback focus on each of the following?

		Not at All	Minimal Extent	Moderate Extent	Great Extent
a.	Developing lesson plans	1	2	3	4
b.	Differentiating instruction	1	2	3	4
c.	Aligning instruction with local curriculum and/or state standards	1	2	3	4
d.	Setting/achieving instructional goals	1	2	3	4
e.	Helping teachers use student achievement data to improve instruction	1	2	3	4
f.	Practicing instructional strategies	1	2	3	4
g.	Selecting curriculum materials and other resources for teachers	1	2	3	4
h.	Increasing student engagement and participation	1	2	3	4
i.	Helping teachers with classroom management	1	2	3	4
j.	Recommending specific professional development opportunities	1	2	3	4
k.	Encouraging teachers to be more reflective as instructors	1	2	3	4
l.	Facilitating collaboration among teachers	1	2	3	4
m.	Other (please specify):	1	2	3	4

29. During the 2012–13 school year, have you received reports on the classroom practice of teachers in your school who were observed by people other than you?

Please do not count your own reports of the teachers’ instructional practice.

 Yes

 No

30. To what extent do you find each of the following useful for assessing individual teacher performance in your school?

		N/A	Not At All Useful	Somewhat Useful	Moderately Useful	Extremely Useful
a.	Classroom observation reports	0	1	2	3	4
b.	Formative assessment results	0	1	2	3	4
c.	Student achievement results (i.e., scale scores, proficiency levels, percentile ranks)	0	1	2	3	4
d.	Student attendance	0	1	2	3	4
e.	Student disciplinary records	0	1	2	3	4
f.	Value-added reports	0	1	2	3	4
g.	Other (please specify):	0	1	2	3	4

31. To what extent do you use information based on standardized test results to do each of the following?

		Not at All	Minimal Extent	Moderate Extent	Great Extent
a.	Set school-wide goals for student achievement	1	2	3	4
b.	Set teacher-specific goals for student achievement	1	2	3	4
c.	Evaluate teachers’ performance	1	2	3	4
d.	Compare student performance in different grades and classrooms	1	2	3	4
e.	Compare performance of different groups of students (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, special education, etc.)	1	2	3	4
f.	Compare your school to other schools	1	2	3	4
g.	Examine trends in your school’s performance over time	1	2	3	4
h.	Examine trends in teachers’ performance over time	1	2	3	4

Your Professional Development

32. Please indicate the extent to which you would like to improve on the following (Part 1), and whether you discussed the topic with a supervisor (Part 2):

		Part 1	→	→	→	Part 2
		No improvement needed	Improve a little	Improve a moderate amount	Improve a large amount	Did you discuss topic with a supervisor during the 2012-2013 school year?
a.	Identifying, implementing, or monitoring the use of challenging curriculum					 Yes  No
b.	Advising teachers on ways to improve their instruction					 Yes  No
c.	Using data to make decisions related to improving student achievement					 Yes  No
d.	Making personnel/human resources decisions					 Yes  No
f.	Managing non-personnel administrative issues (e.g., budgeting, facilities maintenance)					 Yes  No
g.	Student behavior/discipline (e.g., drug/crime prevention; social development)					 Yes  No
h.	Parent/community issues (e.g., parent involvement, community relationships)					 Yes  No
i.	Other (please specify):					 Yes  No

[NOTE: A conditional logic will be applied for item 34. That is, if respondents indicated “None” in every row, they will skip to item 36.]

33. During the 2012–13 school year, what is the total number of hours* you have spent on each of the following types of professional development activities?

*For each activity, estimate the total number of hours you spent.

Please assume that 1 credit hour of college coursework equals 8 hours.

Round up to the nearest whole hour.

Please do NOT count the same hours in more than one row.

a.	Attending professional development workshop(s) and institute(s).	 None	or				Hours
b.	Taking course(s), such as a college course, that extended over at least several weeks.	 None	or				Hours
c.	Receiving scheduled or structured coaching or mentoring.	 None	or				Hours
d.	Meeting with fellow principals as part of a principal learning community.	 None	or				Hours
e.	Other (Please specify):	 None	or				Hours

34. Thinking back to all of the professional development activities during the 2012–13 school year that you recorded in item 33, please indicate the extent to which the following topics have been covered.

	Professional Development Topics	Did Not Cover This Topic at All	Covered This Topic to a Small Extent	Covered This Topic to a Moderate Extent	Covered This Topic to a Large Extent
a.	Identifying, implementing, or monitoring the use of challenging curriculum	1	2	3	4
b.	Advising teachers on ways to improve their instruction	1	2	3	4
c.	Using data to make decisions related to improving student achievement	1	2	3	4
d.	Making personnel/human resources decisions	1	2	3	4
e.	Managing non-personnel administrative issues (e.g., budgeting, facilities maintenance)	1	2	3	4
f.	Student behavior/discipline (e.g., drug/crime prevention; social development)	1	2	3	4
g.	Parent/community issues (e.g., parent involvement, community relationships)	1	2	3	4
i.	Other (please specify):	1	2	3	4

In the 2012–13 school year, Observation Training

35. Have you ever been trained on conducting observations of classroom practice?

 Yes (Please go to question 36)

 No (Please go to question 40)

36. When was the last time you received training on conducting observations of classroom practice?

 Summer 2012 – present

 Summer 2011 – spring 2012

 Prior to summer 2011

37. Approximately how many hours of training have you received over the past three years related to rating classroom observations?

Hours

38. Approximately how many hours of training have you received over the past three years related to providing feedback to teachers on their classroom observation performance?

Hours

39. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements about the training on classroom observations.

		Disagree Strongly	Disagree Somewhat	Agree Somewhat	Agree Strongly
a.	The training I received provided many opportunities to practice observing classroom instruction.	1	2	3	4
b.	The training provided many opportunities for observers to check their level of agreement with one another.	1	2	3	4
c.	The training adequately prepared me to rate teachers based on classroom observations.	1	2	3	4
d.	The training adequately prepared me to provide feedback to teachers after each observation.	1	2	3	4

Reflections on Your Career

40. If you could go back to your college days and start over again, would you become a principal or not?

Mark (X) in only one box.

 Certainly would become a principal

 Probably would become a principal

 Chances about even for and against

 Probably would not become a principal

 Certainly would not become a principal

41. How long do you plan to remain as a principal?

Mark (X) in only one box.

 As long as I am able

 Until I am eligible for retirement benefits from this job

 Until I am eligible for retirements benefits from a previous job

 Until I am eligible for Social Security benefits

 Until a specific life event occurs (e.g., parenthood, marriage)

 Until a more desirable job opportunity comes along

 Definitely plan to leave as soon as I can

 Undecided at this time

You are done with the survey. Thank you.