# Teacher and Leader Evaluation Systems Study:

**Spring 2013 Principal Survey**

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### Principal Survey Spring 2013

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### 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 yo u 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 leadersh ip activities, their experiences with professional development and observation training, and reflections on their career . 

### Who is conducting this **study ?**  The Teacher and Leader Evaluation System s Study was commissioned by the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, and is administered by Ame rican Institutes of Research . 

### Why **should y ou participate in this**  **study ?**  Policyma kers and education leaders rely on findings from studies like the Teacher and Leader Evaluation System s Study

to inform their decisions . The current study will fill a critical gap in the research on the effects of evaluation s ystems on educator practice and student learning . 

### Will y**our 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, un less otherwise compelled by law. 

### How**w ill y** **our 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- ma il address with yo ur responses will be included in the statistical reports .



### Thank y**ou for your cooperation in this very important effort!** 

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

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## 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

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## At**titudes and Beliefs** 3. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements: **Disagree Strongly**  **Disagree**

**Somewhat Ag**  **ree**

**Somewhat Ag**  **ree**

**Strongly** a. I can do a lot to change the achievement scores of students in m y school. 1 2 3 4 b. I can help teachers in m y 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. Wh en I set a new school policy, I can usually convince m y teachers to get on board. 1 2 3 4 e. I am willing to try new leadership strategies to overcome challenges in m y school. 1 2 3 4 f. I have the authority to replace teachers in m y 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 Ag**  **ree**

**Somewhat Ag**  **ree**

**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 A ll**  **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. Ta king on leadership roles within your district 1 2 3 4

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

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## Feedback on Principal **Performance**

6. Please indicate the last time you received feedback on yo ur performance as a principal from yo ur supervisor: 

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

##  Summer of 2012 (Please go to question 1 3 ) 

##  201 1 – 1 2 school year, or earlier (Please go to question 1 3 ) 

##  Never (Please go to question 1 3 ) 

### 7. Please fill in the following information about each time you have received feedback on your performance as a principal from your supervisor during the 2012– 13 school year. **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. If “other,” please specify. **C . If you received oral**  **feedback, approximately how many minutes did it**  **last?**

1 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: ________________________ 2 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: ________________________ 3 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: ________________________ 4 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: ________________________ 5 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: ________________________

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

6 8. During the 2012– 13 school year, to what extent did your supervisor’ s feedback focus on the following topic areas? **Not at Al**  **l Mi**  **nimal 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. School management 1 2 3 4 e. Student behavioral challenges 1 2 3 4 f. Ti mem anagem ent 1 2 3 4 

### 9. During the 2012– 13 school year, in what ways (if any) did teachers in yo ur 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 m y supervisor 

##  Teachers did not provide input to m y supervisor 

### 10. D uring the 2012– 13 school year, please indicate your level of agreement with the following statement. **Disagree Strongly**  **Disagree**

**Somewhat Ag**  **ree**

**Somewhat Ag**  **ree**

**Strongly** Prior to receiving feedback 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

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

7 12. Thinking back on all of the feedback 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 Ag**  **ree**

**Somewhat Ag**  **ree**

**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 im prove m y school’s performance. 1 2 3 4 d . I received feedback that encouraged me to ensure that m y teachers are providing instruction that challenges their students. 1 2 3 4

e . I received feedback that ignored im portant aspects of m y leadership. 1 2 3 4 

## Student A**chievement Information** For items 1 3 through1 7 , “student achievement information” refers to **information based on standardized test results**  **for the students**  **who were in your**  **current school**  **during the 2011 -**  **12 school year** 

. 

### 13. Wh ich 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 (please go to question 1 8 ) 

##  Data on individual students in m y school (e.g., individual student scale scores, proficiency levels, or percentile rank) 

##  Average data for classes of students in m y school (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 in m y school (i.e., scores that represent the contribution that I made to m y students’ achievement growth on standardized tests ) 

##  Overall value-added score for all students in m y school across subjects and grades 

##  Other (please specify):__________________________________________

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

8 14. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the followi ng statements about the **student achievement information** on the students in your school. **Disagree Strongly**  **Disagree**

**Somewhat Ag**  **ree**

**Somewhat Ag**  **ree**

**Strongly** a. The information allows the district to distinguish effective from ineffective schools . 1 2 3 4 b . The information ignores im portant aspects of my school’s performance. 1 2 3 4 c . The information accurately reflects the quality of the leadership in m y school . 1 2 3 4 

### 15. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements about the fairness of interpreting the **student achievement information**  yo u received as an indicator of a school’s level of effectiveness . **Disagree Strongly**  **Disagree**

**Somewhat Ag**  **ree**

**Somewhat Ag**  **ree**

**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. **Disagree Strongly**  **Disagree**

**Somewhat Ag**  **ree**

**Somewhat Ag**  **ree**

**Strongly** a. The information is a good measure of how well students learned what teachers in m y 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 ignores im portant aspects of teachers’ performance. 1 2 3 4 d . The information accurately reflects the quality of teachers who taught in this school . 1 2 3 4

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

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

**Somewhat Ag**  **ree**

**Somewhat Ag**  **ree**

**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 Mi**  **nimally**

**useful Moderately** 

**useful Extremely** 

**useful** a. Conversations with m y supervisor about m y performance 0 1 2 3 4 b. Written feedback from my supervisor about m y 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

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

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## Feedback on Teacher Performance Please use the following directions for the questions below.  Feel free to use a faculty roster if this will help you categorize your teachers.  Please include only classroom teachers, which means any staff member who currently teaches any regularly scheduled classes in your school. Please do NOT include pre- K teachers, shortterm substitute teachers, aides, or librarians who only teach library skills or how to use the library. 

### 19. For the 2012– 13 school year, how many CLASSROOM TEACHERS are in your school?

C lassroom teachers 

### 20. For the 2012– 13 school year, how many CLASSROOM TEACHERS would you put in the following categories, based on your overall opinion of their TEACHING ABILITY? **a. High Performing**  **Teachers:** 

##  None or C lassroom teachers **b. Moderate Performing Teachers**  **:** 

##  None or C lassroom teachers **c. Low Performing**  **Teachers:** 

##  None or C lassroom teachers

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

11 21. During the 2012– 13 school year, on average, how many hours did yo u spen d observing each teacher in the following categories in your school? **a. High Performing**  **Teachers:** 

##  None or Hours spent observing high performing teachers. **b. Moderate Performing Teachers**  **:** 

##  None or Hours spent observing moderate performing teachers . **c. Low Performing**  **Teachers:** 

##  None or Hours spent observing low performing teachers.



### 22. During the 2012– 13 school year, on average, how many hours have yo u spent providing feedback on instruction based on classroom observations in **individual** meetings with each teacher in the following categories in your school? Please consider only feedback you have given individually to teachers. **a. High Performing**  **Teachers:** 

##  None or Hours spent in meetings providing individual feedback to high performing teachers. **b. Moderate Performing Teachers**  **:** 

##  None or Hours spent in meetings providing individual feedback to moderate performing teachers . **c. Low Performing**  **Teachers:** 

##  None or Hours spent in meetings providing individual feedback to low performing teachers.

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

12 23. During the 2012- 13 school year, o n average , how many hours have yo u spent preparing written feedback based on classroom observations for each individual teacher in the following categories in your school? Please consider only feedback you have given individually to teachers. **a. High Performing**  **Teachers:** 

##  None or Hours preparing written feedback to high performing teachers. **b. Moderate Performing Teachers**  **:** 

##  None or Hours preparing written feedback to moderate performing teachers . **c. Low Performing**  **Teachers:** 

##  None or Hours preparing written feedback to low performing teachers. 

### 24. During the 2012- 13 school year, how many hours have yo u spent in m eetings providing feedback **to groups** of teachers in your school (e.g., grade level meetings, content area meetings)? 

##  None or Hours providing feedback to groups of teachers. 

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

##  Yes 

##  No

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

13 26. Thinking ahead to the end of the 2012 - 13 school year, please provide the following estimates: [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.] 

### 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 yo u 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 Ti mes writing feedback f. Length of time you expect to spend writing feedback for each observation for which you provided such feedback . Minutes

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

14 27. 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 m y school
b. Asked to take on a leadership or mentoring role 

##  None or Teacher(s) at m y school

c. Provided additional professional development or other supports (e.g., coaching) 

##  None or Teacher(s) at m y school
d. Encouraged to leave voluntarily 

##  None or Teacher(s) at m y school

e. Asked to take on a different role or grade **next** school year 

##  None or Teacher(s) at m y school 

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

##  None or Teacher(s) in my school

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

15 29. 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 Al**  **l Mi**  **nimal**

**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 im prove 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 ma nagem ent 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 

### 30. During the 2012– 13 school year, have yo u 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

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

16 31. To what extent do you find each of the following useful for assessing individual teacher performance in your school? **N/A Not A**  **t Al**  **l Useful**  **Somewhat**

**Useful Moderately** 

**Useful Extremely** 

**Useful** a. Classroom observation reports 0 1 2 3 4 b. Form ative 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 

### 32. To what extent do you use information based on standardized test results to do each of the following? **Not at Al**  **l Mi**  **nimal**

**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 tim e 1 2 3 4 h. Examine trends in teachers’ performance over time 1 2 3 4

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## Your Professional Development 33. 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**  **Did you discuss**

**topic with a supervisor during**  **the 2012 -** **2013 school year?**  a. Identifying, implementing, or mo nitoring the use of challenging curriculum 

##      Yes 

##  No b. Advising teachers on ways to im prove 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 adm inistrative 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 34. During the 2012– 13 school year, have you participated in professional development activities related to your role as a principal? 

##  Yes (Please go to question 36 ) 

##  No (Please go to question 3 8 )

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

18 35. During the 2012– 13 school ye ar, what is the total number of hours you have spent on each of the following types of professional development activities? For each activity, write the total number of HOURS you have spent. Round up to the nearest whole hour. Mark ‘0’ if you did not participate in the activity. Please do NOT count the same hours in more than one row. a. Attending professional development workshops or training session(s). Hours b. Receiving coaching or mentoring. Hours

c. Ta king course(s), such as a college course, that extended over at least several weeks. Hours d. Self-directed efforts, such as reading books/ papers or searching for materials online. Hours e. Meeting with fellow principals as part of a principal learning community. Hours f. Other (Please specify): Hours

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

19 36. For the total hours you engaged in professional development during the 2012– 13 school ye ar, please indicate the extent to which the following topics have been covered.

**Professional Development Topics Did Not**  **Cover This Topic at**  **Al l**  **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 im proving 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 

## Observation Training 37. Have you ever been train ed on conducting observations of classroom practice? 

##  Yes (Please go to question 39 ) 

##  No ( Please go to question 4 3 ) 

### 38. Wh en was the last time you received training on conducting observations of classroom practice? 

##  Summer 2012 – present 

##  Summer 2011 – spring 2012 

##  Prior to summer 2011

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

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

Hours 

### 40. 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 

### 41. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements about the training on classroom observations . **Disagree Strongly**  **Disagree**

**Somewhat Ag**  **ree**

**Somewhat Ag**  **ree**

**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 42. If you could go back to y our college day

s and start over again, would y ou 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

### Principal Survey Spring 2013

21 43. 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 

##  U ntil 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 w **ith th e surve** **y. Thank y** **ou.**