Teacher and Leader Evaluation Systems Study:

Spring 2013 Teacher Survey

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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.
Teacher Survey Spring 2013

2

Dear Teacher:

The Teacher and Leader Evaluation Systems Study is a groundbreaking national study designed to test 

innovative teacher feedback systems, a principal feedback system, and a student growth feedback 

system. Your participation 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 background information on the teachers within the study as well as 

information about their experiences with receiving feedback from observations and student achievement 

results, their experiences providing feedback to their principal, their professional development and 

professional growth areas, future career plans, data use, collaboration, and attitudes and beliefs related 

to teaching.

Who is conducting this survey?

The Teacher and Leader Evaluation System study was commissioned by the Department of Education’s 

Institute of Education Sciences and the study survey is administered by American Institutes for Research.

Why should you participate in this survey?

Policymakers and educational leaders rely on findings from studies like the Teacher and Leader 

Evaluation System study to inform their decisions. The current study will fill a critical gap in the research 

on the effects of evaluation systems. 

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 email address with your responses will be included in the 

statistical reports.

Thank you for your cooperation in this very important effort!
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Certification

1. Which of the following describes the teaching certificate you currently hold in this state?

Mark (X) in only one box.

 Regular or standard state certificate or advanced professional certificate

 Certificate issued after satisfying all requirements except the completion of a probationary 

period

 Certificate that requires some additional coursework, student teaching, or passage of a 

test before regular certification can be obtained

 Certificate issued to persons who must complete a certification program in order to 

continue teaching

 I do not have any of the above certifications in THIS state (If you marked this option, skip 

to Question 3.)

2. Which of the following grade ranges does this certificate apply to? 

Check all that apply.

 Early childhood, preschool, and any of grades K–5

 Any of grades 6–8

 Any of grades 9–12

Education and Preservice Training

3. 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, professional diploma, or certificate of 

advanced graduate studies (at least one year beyond master’s 

level)

 Yes 

 No

d. Doctorate or professional degree (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D., M.D, L.L.B, 

J.D, D.D.S.)

 Yes 

 No
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Experience

4. Including the current year, how many years of teaching experience do you have in each of the 

following settings?

Include the current year.

Record whole years, not fractions or months.

a. Teaching in total Years

b. Teaching in your current district Years

c. Teaching in your current school Years

Current Teaching Position

5. In which grades are ALL of the students you have taught during the 2012-2013 school year?

Check all that apply.

 Prekindergarten  3rd  7th

 Kindergarten  4th  8th

 1st  5th  9th

 2nd  6th  Ungraded

6. This school year, what subjects have you taught?

Check all that apply.

 Early childhood or pre-K, general

 Elementary grades, general

 English and Language Arts

 Mathematics

 Science (e.g., biology, chemistry, earth sciences)

 Social Studies (e.g., history, government)

 Special Education 

 Other (please specify):____________________________________________
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Observations and Feedback

7. During the 2012-13 school year, has anyone conducted classroom observations of your 

teaching?

 Yes → Go to question 8

 No → Go to question 17

8. During the 2012-13 school year, for how many of the classroom observations did you receive 

some form of feedback? 

Please consider “feedback” to include oral feedback, written feedback, or a rating of any kind.

 I received feedback on ALL of my classroom observations → Go to question 9

 I received feedback on SOME of my classroom observations → Go to question 9

 I did not receive feedback on any classroom observation → Go to question 17

9. Who conducted the observations of your teaching for which you later received feedback? 

Check all that apply.

 Principal

 Assistant or vice principal

 Coach or mentor 

 Other teacher(s) in your school

 Non-coach/-mentor observer(s) not based at my school
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10. Please fill in the following information about each observation of your teaching so far during 

the 2012–13 school year for which you later received some form of feedback.

A. Approximate

date of 

observation 

B. Approximately

how many minutes 

did the observation 

last? 

C. Based on the observation of your teaching, 

which of the following forms of feedback did you 

receive:

Please check all that apply.

Please select “Rating” if the feedback you received 

was in the form of a rating, such as “satisfactory”, or 

a rating on a numeric scale (e.g., 1-4).

If “other,” please specify.

D. If you received oral 

feedback, 

approximately how 

many minutes did it 

last?

1

O Fall 2012

____________ minutes

O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer D)

____________ minutes

O Winter 2012-13 O Written narrative

O Spring 2013 O Rating(s)

O Other: ___________________

2

O Fall 2012

____________ minutes

O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer D)

____________ minutes

O Winter 2012-13 O Written narrative

O Spring 2013 O Rating(s)

O Other: ___________________

3

O Fall 2012

____________ minutes

O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer D)

____________ minutes

O Winter 2012-13 O Written narrative

O Spring 2013 O Rating(s)

O Other: ___________________

4

O Fall 2012

____________ minutes

O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer D)

____________ minutes

O Winter 2012-13 O Written narrative

O Spring 2013 O Rating(s)

O Other: ___________________

5

O Fall 2012

____________ minutes

O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer D)

____________ minutes

O Winter 2012-13 O Written narrative

O Spring 2013 O Rating(s)

O Other: ___________________

6

O Fall 2012

____________ minutes

O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer D)

____________ minutes

O Winter 2012-13 O Written narrative

O Spring 2013 O Rating(s)

O Other: ___________________

7

O Fall 2012

____________ minutes

O Oral feedback (if checked, please answer D)

____________ minutes

O Winter 2012-13 O Written narrative

O Spring 2013 O Rating(s)

O Other: ___________________
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11. For the observations for which you have received feedback during the 2012-13 school year, 

please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement.

Disagree 

Strongly

Disagree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Strongly

a.

I had a clear sense of what kinds of things 

the observers were looking for when they 

observed my teaching.

1 2 3 4

[NOTE: Depending on how respondents complete item 9, a conditional logic will be applied for 

items 12a through 12d.That is, if respondents select either “Principal” or “Assistant or vice 

principal” to item 9 they will receive item 12a; if respondents select “Coach or mentor” they will 

receive item 12b; if respondents select “Other teacher(s) in your school” they will receive item 

12c; if respondents select “Non-coach/-mentor observer(s) not based at my school” they will 

receive item 12d.] 

12. For the observations for which you have received feedback 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.

The administrative staff at my school who 

observed my teaching were well qualified 

to evaluate it.

1 2 3 4

b. The coach or mentor who observed my 

teaching was well qualified to evaluate it. 1 2 3 4

c.

The other teacher(s) at my school who 

observed my teaching were well qualified 

to evaluate it.

1 2 3 4

d.

The non-coach/-mentor observer(s) not 

based at my school who observed my 

teaching were well qualified to evaluate it.

1 2 3 4

13. During the 2012–13 school year, was an evaluation rubric or protocol referenced in any of the 

feedback?

 Yes 

 No 
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14. Thinking back on all of the observations for which you received feedback during the 2012-

2013 school year, typically, how soon after the observation did you receive the feedback?

 Same day of the observation

 Within a week after the observation

 Between one and two weeks after the observation

 More than two weeks after the observation

15. Thinking back on all of the feedback you received during the 2012-2013 school year based on 

a classroom observation, 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 is a fair assessment 

of my performance. 1 2 3 4

b.

I received feedback that was easy to 

understand. 1 2 3 4

c.

I received feedback that provided specific 

ideas about how I could improve my 

performance.

1 2 3 4

d. The feedback made me more reflective about 

my teaching. 1 2 3 4

e.

In the long run, students will benefit from the 

feedback I received.

1 2 3 4
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[NOTE: A conditional logic will be applied for item 16.That is, if respondents indicated within 10c 

that they had received a rating then they will receive item 16.] 

16. For the majority of ratings that you have received as part of the feedback from classroom 

observations during the 2012-13 school year, please indicate your level of agreement with 

each of the following statements.

Don’t 

Know

Disagree 

Strongly

Disagree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Strongly

a.

The rating system does a good 

job distinguishing effective from 

ineffective teaching.

0 1 2 3 4

b.

The rating system is fair to all 

teachers, regardless of their 

personal characteristics or those 

of the students they teach.

0 1 2 3 4

c. The rating system ignores 

important aspects of my teaching. 0 1 2 3 4

d.

I have a clear idea of what the 

rating system views as “good 

instruction.”

N/A 1 2 3 4

e.

The way my teaching is being 

rated accurately reflects the 

quality of my teaching.

N/A 1 2 3 4
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Student Achievement Information

For items 17, 18, and 19, “student achievement information” refers to information based on 

standardized test results for the students you taught during the 2011-12 school year.

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

Please check all that apply.

 I did not receive any student achievement information based on standardized test 

results (if selected, please go to 20)

 Data on individual students that I taught (e.g., individual student scale scores, 

proficiency levels, or percentile rank)

 Average data for classes of students that I taught (e.g., average scale score for the 

class, percent proficient for the class, average percentile rank for the class)

 Value -added scores for me based upon the students that I taught (i.e., scores that 

represent the contribution that I made to my students’ achievement growth on 

standardized tests)

 Other (please specify):__________________________________________

18. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements about the student 

achievement information you received this year.

Disagree 

Strongly

Disagree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Strongly

a. The information is easy to understand. 1 2 3 4

b. The information is a good measure of how 

well students learned what I taught last year. 1 2 3 4

c.

The information is a fair assessment of my 

performance.

1 2 3 4

d. The information accurately reflects the quality 

of my teaching. 1 2 3 4

e.

The information ignores important aspects of 

my performance as a teacher. 1 2 3 4
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19. 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.

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 the 

students they teach.

1 2 3 4

Attitudes and Beliefs

20. Please indicate the extent to which you think each of the following has the potential to 

influence your teaching practice.

Not at All

To a 

Minimal 

Extent

To a 

Moderate 

Extent

To a Great 

Extent

a. Feedback on your teaching based on 

classroom observations 1 2 3

4

b. Information on student growth based on 

student test scores 1 2 3

4

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

Disagree 

Strongly

Disagree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Strongly

a. Teachers at this school are recognized for 

exemplary classroom practices. 1 2 3

4

b. Teachers at this school are recognized for 

exemplary student achievement gains.

1 2 3

4

c. I am willing to try new teaching strategies to 

overcome challenges in the classroom. 1 2 3

4

d. There are teaching strategies available that 

are more effective than my current practices.

1 2 3

4
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22. 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 classroom 

practices 1 2 3

4

b. Recognition or praise for gains in student 

achievement

1 2 3

4

c. Getting opportunities to participate in 

conferences related to teaching 1 2 3

4

d. Taking on leadership roles within your school 1 2 3

4

23. How would you rate yourself as a teacher relative to other teachers in your district, in terms of 

improving student achievement?

Please select one option for each row.

Please select “NA” for “Math Instruction” if you do not teach mathematics.

Please select “NA” for “Reading/ELA Instruction” if you do not teach Reading or English language 

arts.

N/A

Very Poor 

(Bottom 

5%)

Poor

(6–25th 

Percentile)

Fair

(26–50th

Percentile)

Good

(51–75th 

Percentile)

Very Good

(76–95th 

Percentile)

Exceptional

(Top 5%)

Math Instruction 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Reading/ELA 

Instruction 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
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24. To what extent would you like to improve on the following:

No 

improvement 

needed

Improve a 

little

Improve a 

moderate 

amount

Improve a 

large 

amount

During the 2012–13 

school year, did 

you discuss the 

topic with someone 

who provided 

feedback on your 

teaching?

a.

Content knowledge (e.g., how to 

multiply fractions)    

 Yes

 No

b.

Content-specific teaching 

techniques (e.g., how to teach 

ratios)

   

 Yes

 No

c.

Classroom organization (e.g., 

routines for material distribution)    

 Yes

 No

d. Instructional dialogue (e.g., how to 

elicit students’ thinking)    

 Yes

 No

f. Student engagement (e.g., how to 

increase classroom participation)    

 Yes

 No

g.

Emotional support for students 

(e.g., how to demonstrate 

sensitivity to student concerns)

   

 Yes

 No

h. Data use (e.g., how to use student 

data to differentiate instruction)    

 Yes

 No

i.

Lesson planning (e.g., how to align 

lesson plans to curriculum 

standards)

   

 Yes

 No

j. Other (please specify):    

 Yes

 No

Lesson Planning

25. During the 2012–13 school year, approximately how many hours during a typical week have 

you spent planning lessons?

Please include time spent during school hours and outside of school hours.

a. Individually Hours per week

b. In meetings with other 

teachers Hours per week
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Professional Growth of Others

26. In the past month, approximately how many hours have you spent coaching or mentoring 

other teachers?

Please include time spent during school hours and outside of school hours.

a. Acting as a formal coach or mentor in my school

b. Informally coaching or mentoring teachers in my school

Professional Development

27. During the 2012–13 school year, have you participated in professional development activities 

related to improving your teaching? 

Please DO NOT include activities in the summer of 2012.

 Yes (If yes, please go to question 27)

 No (If No, please go to question 30)
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28. During the 2012–13 school year, what was the total number of hours you have spent on each 

of the following professional development activities?

For each activity, write the total number of HOURS you spent. 

Round up to the nearest whole hour. 

Mark “0” if you participated in none. 

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

a. Attending professional development session(s) related to teaching. Hours

b. Receiving coaching or mentoring related to teaching. Hours

c.

Taking course(s) related to teaching, such as a college course, that extended 

over several weeks. Hours

d.

Self-directed efforts related to teaching, such as searching for materials and 

lessons online. Hours

e. Observing other teachers providing instruction. Hours

f.

Other (e.g., participating in networks or collaborations supporting professional 

development related to teaching, participating in committees or task forces 

related to teaching).

Hours
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29. To what extent have the following topics been covered in your professional development 

activities during the 2012–13 school year?

Professional Development Topics

Not 

Covered at 

All

Covered to 

a Small 

Extent

Covered to 

a Moderate 

Extent

Covered to 

a Large 

Extent

a.

Content knowledge (e.g., how to multiply 

fractions) 1 2 3 4

b. Content-specific teaching techniques (e.g., how 

to teach ratios) 1 2 3 4

c.

Classroom organization (e.g., routines for 

material distribution) 1 2 3 4

d. Instructional dialogue (e.g., how to elicit 

students’ thinking) 1 2 3 4

f. Student engagement (e.g., how to increase 

classroom participation) 1 2 3 4

g.

Emotional support for students (e.g., how to 

demonstrate sensitivity to student concerns) 1 2 3 4

h. Data use (e.g., how to use student data to 

differentiate instruction) 1 2 3 4

i. Lesson planning (e.g., how to align lesson 

plans to curriculum standards) 1 2 3 4

j. Other (please specify): 1 2 3 4

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

Overall, my professional development 

experiences this year have: 

Disagree 

Strongly

Disagree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Strongly

a.

Been closely aligned with areas in which I need 

to improve my teaching.

1 2 3 4

b.

Been focused on practices that I am expected 

to demonstrate in my classroom. 1 2 3 4

c.

Addressed the needs of the students in my 

classroom. 1 2 3 4

d. Supported the improvement of my teaching. 1 2 3 4
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31. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements.

Disagree 

Strongly

Disagree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Strongly

a.

I am satisfied with the selection of professional 

development activities that have been offered 

this year.

1 2 3 4

b.

I am satisfied with the professional 

development activities in which I have 

participated this year.

1 2 3 4

Data Use

32. This year, to what extent have you used student data from state, local, and/or other 

standardized assessments for each of the following purposes? 

Did Not 

Use Data 

for This 

at All

Used 

Data to a 

Small 

Extent

Used 

Data to a 

Moderate 

Extent

Used 

Data to a 

Large 

Extent

a. Tailoring instruction to individual student’s needs 1 2 3 4

b. Developing recommendations for tutoring or other 

educational support services for particular students 1 2 3 4

c.

Assigning or reassigning students to groups within 

my class(es) 1 2 3 4

d. Identifying topics requiring more (or less) emphasis 

in instruction 1 2 3 4

e.

Identifying areas where I need to strengthen my 

content knowledge or teaching skills 1 2 3 4

f. Reflecting on and discussing teaching and learning 

with other teachers 1 2 3 4
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Collaboration/Collegiality

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

Disagree 

Strongly

Disagree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Strongly

a.

Teachers at my school collaborate well with one 

another. 1 2 3 4

b. There is an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect 

in my school. 1 2 3 4

c.

Teachers at my school support each other in their 

efforts to improve teaching. 1 2 3 4

d. I feel accepted and respected as a colleague by 

staff members at my school. 1 2 3 4

e.

There is someone at my school whom I can turn to if 

I need help with improving my teaching. 1 2 3 4

f. Teachers in this school regularly discuss ways to 

improve teaching and learning. 1 2 3 4

g.

Teachers in this school share and discuss student 

work with other teachers. 1 2 3 4

Career decisions

34. Please indicate if you did any of the following during the 2012–13 school year:

Please mark all that apply.

 Requested a change in my assignment within this school

 Requested a transfer to another school in this district

 Applied for a teaching job in another district

 Applied for a nonteaching job in this or another district

 Applied for a job outside teaching

 None of the above
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35. If you could go back to your college days and start over again, would you become a teacher or 

not?

Mark (X) in only one box.

 Certainly would become a teacher

 Probably would become a teacher

 Chances about even for and against

 Probably would not become a teacher

 Certainly would not become a teacher

36. How long do you plan to remain in teaching?

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

Feedback on Principal Performance

37. During the 2012–13 school year, did you provide input on the performance of your school’s 

principal?

 Yes (If yes, please go to question 36)

 No (If no, please go to question 39)

38. During the 2012–13 school year, did you provide input on the performance of your principal 

through a survey/questionnaire?

 Yes (If yes, please go to question 37)

 No (If no, please go to question 38)
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39. Did you feel that the information you provided in the survey/questionnaire was anonymous?

 Yes

 No

40. Please indicate whether you provided input on your principal’s performance in the following 

areas:

Please mark all that apply.

The principal’s role in...

 Setting the learning goals set for students 

 Making curriculum or instructional decisions 

 Identifying professional development opportunities

 Student behavior management 

 Administrative management

 Other (please specify)____________________________________

Principal Leadership

41. Over the course of the 2012-13 school year, how much time has your principal spent in your 

classroom observing your instruction?

Hours, and Minutes
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42. Please mark the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

The principal at my school...

Disagree 

Strongly

Disagree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Strongly

a.

Makes clear to the staff his or her instructional 

expectations 1 2 3 4

b. Communicates a clear vision for our school 1 2 3 4

c. Sets high standards for teaching 1 2 3 4

d. Understands how children learn 1 2 3 4

e. Sets high standards for student learning 1 2 3 4

f.

Encourages teachers to implement what they 

have learned from their professional 

development

1 2 3 4

g. Actively tracks student academic progress 1 2 3 4

h. Actively monitors the quality of teaching in 

this school 1 2 3 4

i.

Ensures a safe environment for students and 

staff members 1 2 3 4

43. Please mark the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

Disagree 

Strongly

Disagree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Somewhat

Agree 

Strongly

a.

It's OK in this school to discuss worries and 

frustrations with the principal 1 2 3 4

b. The principal takes a personal interest in the 

professional development of teachers 1 2 3 4

c.

The principal is aware of areas in which I 

would like to improve 1 2 3 4

d. The principal is responsive to teachers’ input. 1 2 3 4

e.

The principal places the needs of children 

ahead of personal and political interests 1 2 3 4

You are done with the survey. Thank you.