Communication Materials
Appendix B TALIS 2018 Field Test School Communication Materials.docx
NCES Cognitive, Pilot, and Field Test Studies System
Communication Materials
OMB: 1850-0803
Appendix B
TALIS 2018 Field Test Materials for Principal Review
2018 Teaching and Learning
International Survey
(TALIS 2018) Principals Focus Group
OMB # 1850-0803 v.167
Note: This is a copy of the school recruitment materials included in the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS 2018) Main Study Recruitment and Field Test clearance request (OMB# 1850-0888 v.4, Appendix A) that is currently at OMB for review.
August 2016
TALIS 2018 Field Test School Letter 2
TALIS 2018 Field Test Study Brochure 3
TALIS 2018 Field Test FAQ for School Administrators 6
TALIS 2018 Field Test FAQ for Teachers 8
TALIS 2018 Field Test Summary of Activities for School Coordinators 10
TALIS 2018 Field Test School Letter
[Date]
[Title] [Name First] [Name Last], [Title/Department]
[School District]
[Address 1]
[City], [State] [Zip code]
Dear [Title] [Name Last]:
The United States is participating in an important international study in 2018: TALIS – the Teaching and Learning International Survey of principals and teachers at grades 7, 8, and 9. TALIS provides comparative information about teaching and the teaching profession around the world. This study is coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and 44 countries, including the United States, have committed to participate in TALIS 2018. Your school is one of only 35 across the United States that has been randomly selected to participate in the TALIS 2018 field test this coming February.
TALIS is the first and only international survey that focuses on the learning environment and the working conditions of teachers in middle schools and lower secondary schools. It fills important information gaps in the international comparisons of education systems and offers an opportunity for teachers and school principals to have a say in education analysis and policy development in key policy areas. TALIS allows countries to compare themselves with other countries facing similar challenges, and to learn from other policy approaches. The purpose of the field test is to try out new questions to ensure they accurately measure the topics and policy concerns that TALIS is designed to examine and that they successfully capture the views of U.S. teachers.
Participating schools will receive $200, and each school’s TALIS school coordinator (school staff person designated to liaise with TALIS staff) will receive $200 as a thank you for their time and effort. Selected teachers will receive $20 for completing the TALIS teacher questionnaire.
TALIS is described in more detail in the enclosed materials. The study is conducted in the United States by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the U.S. Department of Education and is administered by Westat in Rockville, Maryland. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has approved the data collection under OMB# 1850-0888. For information on the confidentiality of the data collected, please see the enclosed FAQ. I hope you will participate in this voluntary study because it is important that the United States has a nationally representative sample of schools and teachers.
Within the next few days, a representative of Westat will contact you to discuss your participation. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call 1-800-XXX-XXXX or send an email to TALISHELP@westat.com. You may also get more information about this study by contacting Mary Coleman at NCES at 202-245-8382 or Mary.Coleman@ed.gov or by visiting the TALIS website at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/talis.
Your participation in the field test for TALIS 2018 is vital. Thank you for your time and for supporting this important international study.
Sincerely,
Peggy Carr, Ph.D.
Acting Commissioner
Enclosures
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education, conducts the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) in the United States as authorized by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C., § 9543). Your responses are protected by federal statute (20 U.S.C., § 9573) and may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law.
TALIS
2018 Field Test Study Brochure
What is TALIS?
The Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) is a survey about teachers, teaching, and learning environments. First conducted in 2008, its main objective is to provide international indicators that will help countries develop well-informed education policy. TALIS offers teachers and principals the opportunity to provide their perspectives on education in the United States. TALIS 2018 will be conducted in spring 2018.
Why is TALIS important?
TALIS is an effort by the United States and other countries to better understand the successes and challenges faced by teachers and school leaders. TALIS fills gaps in our knowledge of teacher and principal working conditions, an area that has been underrepresented in international studies of education. TALIS aims to inform policymakers and educators around the world about shared concerns and promising educational approaches.
What is the purpose of the TALIS Field Test in 2017?
TALIS conducts a field test (a small-scale, trial run of the assessment) in every participating country to see if any of the survey questions are biased because of national, social, or cultural differences. Statistical analyses of principal and teacher responses are also conducted to check for evidence of differences in response across countries that could indicate a linguistic or conceptual translation problem. Survey questions that are found to be problematic are dropped from the survey or treated differently in the analysis. In February 2017, the United States will participate in the TALIS 2018 field test.
Who will be surveyed?
TALIS focuses on the middle and lower secondary levels: grades 7, 8, and 9 in the United States. Principals and teachers at U.S. schools have been randomly selected to participate.
What will schools and teachers be asked to do?
TALIS is composed of two questionnaires: one for school principals and another for teachers. The principal survey is designed to take approximately 45 minutes to complete and the teacher survey to take approximately 60 minutes. The online version of the questionnaire allows respondents to complete the survey at a single session or in multiple sessions. Both questionnaires cover the following topics:
● teacher and principal background and characteristics;
● school leadership and climate, including support for diversity;
● teachers’ instructional practices;
● teacher and principal professional development; and
● teacher appraisal and feedback.
How will the study be coordinated?
Data collection for this study will be carried out by staff from Westat, under contract with the U.S. Department of Education. Principals are asked to designate a School Coordinator who will liaise with TALIS staff and provide a list of 7th, 8th, and 9th grade teachers; distribute materials to the principal and selected teachers; and encourage the completion of surveys by the deadline.
What will happen with the collected data?
Data from the field trial will be used to ensure that the surveys accurately measure the topics they are designed to measure and that the views of teachers and school administrators in the U.S. are appropriately represented. After the main study, TALIS data will be used to describe the conditions of teaching and schooling across countries and to develop comparative education indicators. The data provided by principals and teachers may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed or used in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C., § 9573). Reports of the findings from TALIS will not identify participating districts, schools, or individual staff. Individual responses will be combined to produce summary statistics and reports.
TALIS 2013: Examples of key findings
● Teachers who receive more professional development tend to believe they work more effectively.
● Teachers with stronger beliefs about teaching methods report, on average, more collaborative behavior with colleagues and more positive student teacher relations.
● Teachers who receive recognition for good performance from their principal or colleagues tend to feel they are more effective.
● Appraisal and feedback are associated positively with teachers’ job satisfaction and security, but only a minority of teachers reported that appraisal and evaluation affect professional development, career advancement, or pay.
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2014). TALIS 2013 Results: An International Perspective on Teaching and Learning. Paris: Author.
TALIS 2018: Participants
For more information
TALIS is sponsored by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and managed in the United States by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education.
To learn more about TALIS, visit http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/talis and http://www.oecd.org/talis. For questions about TALIS, contact the TALIS Information Hotline at 1-800-XXX-XXXX or email TALISHELP@westat.com.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education, conducts the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) in the United States as authorized by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C., § 9543). Your responses are protected by federal statute (20 U.S.C., § 9573) and may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has approved this data collection under OMB #1850-0888.
TALIS
2018 Field Test Timeline of Activities
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School Coordinator |
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TALIS Staff |
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TALIS
2018 Field Test School FAQ - Front Page
Teaching and Learning International Survey
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Information for Schools
What is TALIS?
TALIS is the Teaching and Learning International Survey of the teaching workforce, teaching as a profession, and the learning environments of schools based on questionnaire responses from nationally representative samples of teachers and their school principals in participating countries and education systems. TALIS’ main objective is to provide accurate and relevant international indicators on teachers and teaching towards the goal of helping countries review current conditions and develop informed education policy. TALIS offers an opportunity for teachers and school principals to provide their perspectives on the state of education in their own countries, allowing for a global view of teachers and the education systems in which they work. TALIS is being conducted in grades 7, 8, and 9 in the United States.
What is the field test for?
Field tests are a critical part of the development of survey questions for international studies like TALIS. Field tests (small-scale, trial runs of a survey) allow survey developers to try out new questions to determine their performance when administered to principals and teachers around the world. The results of the U.S. field test will help developers to eliminate wording or topics in the survey questions that do not perform well or show what they are intended to measure.
Why was my school selected for participation?
Schools with varying demographics and in different locales were randomly selected so that the U.S. sample is representative of the overall U.S. school population, both public and private. The random selection process is important for ensuring that a country’s sample accurately reflects its schools and therefore can be compared fairly with samples of schools from other countries.
Will all teachers in the school be asked to participate?
It depends on the number of teachers in the school. The study requires a random sample of up to 20 teachers who teach at least one class/course to 7th, 8th, or 9th graders in each school, regardless of subject matter. In schools with 20 or fewer eligible teachers, all teachers who teach at target grades will be asked to participate.
Who conducts the study?
The study will be undertaken by trained staff from Westat under contract to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the U.S. Department of Education. NCES is authorized to conduct this study by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S. Code, Section 9543). The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has approved this data collection under OMB# 1850-0888.
What are schools and teachers asked to do?
TALIS is composed of two questionnaires: one for the school principal and another for teachers. Both teacher and principal questionnaires include questions about the following core components:
• teacher and principal background and characteristics;
• teacher and principal professional development;
• school leadership and management;
• teacher appraisal and feedback;
• teachers’ instructional approaches and pedagogical practices;
• teacher efficacy and job satisfaction; and
• school climate, including support for diversity.
TALIS 2018 Field Test School
FAQ - Back Page
When will the field test be conducted?
The field test will be conducted in February 2017. Both the principal and selected teachers will receive instructions on how to complete the questionnaires. To make responding easier, the questionnaires will be available online, although a paper-based version will also be available.
How long do the questionnaires take to complete?
The principal and teacher questionnaires are designed to be completed within 45 minutes and 60 minutes, respectively, including the time it may take to read instructions and gather the needed information. The online version of the questionnaires will allow respondents to complete the survey questions at a single or over multiple sessions.
What will happen with the collected data?
The data from the questionnaires will be used to document the conditions of teaching and schooling that may be related to student learning and to develop comparative education indicators geared toward informing policy discussions about teachers and teaching. The data provided by schools and staff may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). Reports of the findings from TALIS will not identify participating districts, schools, or individual staff. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports.
Is participation required by federal law?
No. School and teacher participation is voluntary. However, we hope you will participate in this study so that the principal and teachers like those in your school are accurately and fairly represented.
How will the study be coordinated in my school?
Schools are asked to designate a School Coordinator to distribute materials and gather information. The School Coordinator will be the main contact at the school through whom Westat will communicate. There is no need for contractor staff to visit the school. The School Coordinator is asked to complete a sampling form listing eligible teachers of 7th, 8th, or 9th graders, distribute information materials to the selected teachers, provide the principal and teachers with the questionnaires or login/password information for the online surveys, and to encourage the completion of the surveys by the agreed upon deadline.
The School Coordinator can be a teacher or any school staff member (e.g., office administrator).
TALIS 2018 Field Test Teacher FAQ – Front Page
Teaching and Learning International Survey
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Information for Teachers
What is TALIS?
TALIS is the Teaching and Learning International Survey of the teaching workforce, teaching as a profession, and the learning environments of schools based on questionnaire responses from nationally representative samples of teachers and their school principals in participating countries and education systems. TALIS’ main objective is to provide accurate and relevant international indicators on teachers and teaching towards the goal of helping countries review current conditions and develop informed education policy. TALIS offers an opportunity for teachers and school principals to provide their perspectives on the state of education in their own countries, allowing for a global view of teachers and the education systems in which they work. TALIS is being conducted in grades 7, 8, and 9 in the United States.
What role do teachers have in TALIS?
Teachers are the main source of information for TALIS. TALIS gives you an opportunity to provide information that is critical to understanding the conditions and activities of teaching in your school as well as to voice your perspectives on teaching and learning at your school. The teacher questionnaire asks about your background and teaching experience, teaching practices, the student body, and your views on school policies and evaluation.
How was I selected to take the TALIS teacher questionnaire?
The TALIS school coordinator in your school (the person designated by your school principal to communicate with TALIS staff) provided a list of all teachers who teach any students in grades 7, 8, or 9. You are one of up to 20 teachers from your school who were selected to participate. Your participation in TALIS is vital to assure that your views are represented.
How long will it take to complete the TALIS teacher questionnaire?
The teacher questionnaire will take approximately 60 minutes to complete online, and you do not have to complete it all in a single session. The online software automatically saves your responses to each question as you navigate through the questionnaire so that if you wish to complete the questionnaire later, you may pick up right where you left off.
How can I access the TALIS teacher questionnaire?
To access the teacher questionnaire (https://www.mytalisusa.com/teacherquestionnaire), you will need to have an internet connection, a suitable internet browser (see the list below), and your login credentials. You will be emailed a unique hyperlink that you can click on to access the questionnaire directly. The TALIS staff are ready to work with you to make access and completion of the teacher questionnaire as easy and efficient as possible.
The following browsers are supported by TALIS and can be downloaded for free if you do not already have them installed on the computer:
• Firefox: Version 19 and above
• Internet Explorer: Version 8 and above
• Google Chrome: Version 25 and above
• Safari (Mac version): versions 6 and above
TALIS 2018 Field Test Teacher FAQ - Back Page
What will be done with the information you collect from me?
Your responses to the TALIS teacher questionnaire will be combined with those from other participating teachers across the United States to produce summary statistics and reports. Data from the field trial are collected to ensure the surveys accurately measure the topics they are designed to measure and that the views of teachers and school administrators are appropriately represented. By law, data provided by schools and staff may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law [20 U.S. Code, Section 9573]. Reports of the findings will not identify participating districts, students, or individual staff. For a recent example of how TALIS data are reported, please visit http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/talis/talis2013/index.asp.
Where can I go for help or technical support?
If you have any questions or experience any difficulties, please contact the TALIS U.S. home office at
1-800-XXX-XXXX or email TALISHELP@westat.com.
For more information on TALIS, including results from previous data collections, please visit the TALIS website at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/talis.
TALIS
2018 Field Test Summary of Activities for School Coordinators
Summary of TALIS Activities for School Coordinators
What will be asked of the School Coordinator?
Upon the school’s agreement to participate, TALIS staff will work with the School Coordinator to:
Provide a list of eligible teachers at grades 7, 8, and 9 (depending on the grades included in the school). The school coordinator will receive instructions for preparing and submitting the teacher listing form. The teacher listing form will be used to randomly select teachers for participation in the study.
Distribute informational materials to the school principal and selected teachers, encouraging their participation in the study.
Distribute the principal and teacher questionnaires. The school coordinator will be mailed the principal and teacher questionnaires and asked to distribute them to the school principal and selected teachers. Since the questionnaires will also be made available online, TALIS staff will work with the school coordinator to determine the need for paper-based versions of the survey instruments.
Encourage the participation of the school principal and selected teachers in the study. To thank everyone for their time and effort, the school will receive $200.00 upon completion of the Principal questionnaire, and each teacher will receive $20.00 upon completion of the Teacher questionnaire.
As a thank you for his/her time and effort, the School Coordinator will receive $200 upon successful completion of the study in the school.
Please feel free to contact TALIS with any questions via e-mail at TALISHELP@westat.com or by
calling 1-800-XXX-XXXX.
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