Student Perception Survey P L A N N I N G G U I D E

Fall 2015

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

Colorado’s Student Perception Survey (SPS) is a 34-question instrument that asks students about their classroom experience. The questions measure elements of student experience that most closely correlate to the professional practices that are demonstrated to improve student outcomes. The survey maps to Colorado’s Teacher Quality Standards; the results yield information about a teacher’s performance in the first three standards relating to professional practice. The survey has the flexibility to be used as a formative tool or as a summative measure of teacher evaluation under Colorado’s education effectiveness law.

Planning TimelineThe planning timeline will give you an overview of the planning, administration, and reporting process. The subsequent sections of the guide will elaborate and provide examples for each component of the process.

Case Studies You will find case studies from our partner districts that have already used the survey. These are meant to be genuine examples of key decision points, struggles, and lessons learned.

GlossaryThe glossary defines key terms.

Contents

Planning Timeline ....................................................... 2

District-Level Planning .............................................. 3

Engaging Stakeholders ............................................3

Key Decisions ..........................................................4

Communication Strategy ........................................7

Data Collection Before Survey Administration ........8

Customizing Survey Materials ................................8

School-Level Planning ..............................................10

Informing Stakeholders .......................................... 10

Planning for Administration .................................... 11

During Administration ............................................ 12

After Administration ............................................... 12

Results and Reflection ........................................... 12

How to Prepare Reports and Analysis .................. 12

Aggregating Data ................................................... 13

Ensuring Data Quality ............................................ 13

Organizing Reports ................................................ 14

Planning for the Distribution of Survey Results .......14

Timing..................................................................... 14

Communication ...................................................... 14

Sharing Results ...................................................... 16

Using the Results ................................................... 16

Glossary .....................................................................17

Resources Materials such as editable templates, checklists, protocols, and PowerPoint presentations will be referenced. You can find all of these resources at www.coloradoedinitiative.org/studentsurvey/.

Historically, direct feedback from students about their experiences with teachers has seldom been collected for educators to use to improve their practice. However, research has shown that student perception data is in many cases more valuable than classroom observations and student growth on standardized tests. In fact, the combination of student perception, classroom observation, and student growth provides the most clear and comprehensive picture of teacher performance. Student surveys provide a unique form of actionable feedback that districts, schools, and teachers can use to inform practice.

What the Research SaysThe largest and most recent inquiry into the use of student feedback in assessing teacher practice is the 2012 Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project1, a research partnership funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that engaged 3,000 teacher volunteers and dozens of independent research teams. The project’s goal was to build and test measures of effective teaching to find out how evaluation methods could best be used to tell teachers more about the skills that make them most effective and to help districts identify and develop great teaching.

The MET project tested several measures that can be used to evaluate multiple aspects of a teacher’s contribution to student learning. One of these measures was a student survey in which students responded to questions about teacher actions. The MET study had two significant findings about student surveys:

•When student surveys are combined with observation and student growth data, these three measures tell us more and are able to predict future effectiveness better than any measure alone.

•SPS results are correlated to student achievement gains.

On a broader scale, using student feedback more generally has been shown to impact both teachers and students positively. Teachers can learn about patterns in their teaching that they may not have been aware of and how those approaches impact student learning. Students are given a forum in which they can be heard, and this emphasis on student voice promotes both reflection and responsibility on the part of the students.2,3

1 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Asking Students about Teaching: Student Perception Surveys and Their Implementation. MET Project Policy and Practice Brief, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.metproject.org/downloads/Asking_Students_ Practitioner_Brief.pdf.

2 Ibid.3 Wiggins, G. “Giving Students a Voice: The Power of Feedback to Improve Teaching.” Education Horizons, 89(3), 23-26, 2011.

Overview of Colorado’s Student Perception Survey

Survey DevelopmentThe Colorado Education Initiative (CEI) created Colorado’s SPS to be an effective and reliable tool that makes it safe for teachers to receive relevant and actionable feedback from their students. We engaged in a rigorous development and pilot process to create a survey that is specifically designed with input from Colorado teachers and students.4

Throughout the pilot process, we worked closely with 16 partner districts to identify best practices regarding survey administration, and we have incorporated those best practices in every step of this planning guide. Our 16 partner districts represented a range of diversity, including districts with:

•Diverse geographies, including large urban districts, rural districts, and mountain districts.

•Varying levels of technological access. For example, one of our partners provides a tablet for every student in the district, while several others only have one computer lab for all schools in the district to share.

•Highly variable support staff structures, including some that have designated tech, data, and communications staff, and others where the superintendent might also be a principal, data coordinator, or director of human resources.

The pilot period—and the hard work done by the 1,400 teachers who participated—was strategically designed to gather lessons learned, teacher feedback, and best practices to provide educators with the information they need to be able to trust and rely on their results.

For more information about the survey development process, please see the full technical report.

The Colorado SurveyColorado’s SPS is a 34-question instrument that asks students about their classroom experience. The questions measure elements of student experience that most closely correlate to professional practices that improve student outcomes. In addition, the survey maps to Colorado’s Teacher Quality Standards; the results yield information about a teacher’s performance in the first three standards relating to professional practice. The survey has the flexibility to be used as a formative tool or as a summative measure of teacher evaluation under Colorado’s education effectiveness law.

4 A number of items on the Colorado SPS were adapted from items made available for noncommercial use through the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project.

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CATEGORY PERSON RESPONSIBLE TASK

Make Key DecisionsPlanning Superintendent { Appoint a District Coordinator and Create a Planning Committee.

Planning Planning committee Make key decisions: { Use a vendor or manage administration internally? { Online or paper/pencil survey administration? { When will the survey be administered? { How will students and teachers be sampled? { Include an open-ended question on the survey? { How will the survey results be used?

Planning Planning committee { Determine communication strategy for staff, students and community.Planning District coordinator { Start pulling needed student and teacher data for survey preparation.

2 Months Before AdministrationPlanning District coordinator Start planning for survey administration with school leaders:

{ Appoint a building coordinator { Inform all stakeholders of the purpose and process for the survey. { Verify the accuracy of student and teacher data. { Schedule the date(s) for survey administration. { Map the process for sharing survey reports with teachers.

Survey materials

District coordinator { Customize building coordinator and proctor guides to reflect all decisions above.

Survey materials

District coordinator { Start compiling materials such as surveys, building coordinator and proctor guides.

1 Month Before AdministrationCommunication Building coordinators { Distribute protocols to all teaching staff and school administrators, even staff

who are not serving as proctor. { Let building coordinators know when their materials will arrive.

Communication District coordinator { Let building coordinators know when their materials will arrive.

2 Weeks Before AdministrationSurvey materials

District coordinator { Deliver survey materials to schools.

Survey materials

Building coordinators { Review survey materials. { Communicate with staff about the distribution of materials. { Remind staff to review the proctor protocols before administration.

Day(s) of AdministrationAdministration Building coordinators { Deliver survey materials to proctors.

{ Be available to ensure smooth administration process.

Directly After AdministrationAdministration Building coordinators { Collect survey materials

{ Prepare survey materials for vendor or internal entry process.

1 Week After AdministrationCommunication Building & district

coordinators { Debrief with staff on the survey administration process. { Review the timeline for reports and plans for engaging with results.

1-3 Months After AdministrationCommunication Building & district

coordinators { Distribute reports and engage with staff on results.

Planning Timeline

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Engaging StakeholdersAppoint a District CoordinatorHave one point person at the district who can manage the survey process across all schools. This person should have access to all principals and schools in the district and a working knowledge of district data systems and processes. This person should also be a trusted colleague who can help build good will.

Create a Planning CommitteeBuilding trust and investment in the survey process is a key first step in planning. We recommend forming a planning committee with representatives from all stakeholder groups in the district. If your district is overburdened with demands on employee time, taking this step may feel cumbersome at first. However, engaging all stakeholders in the planning process helps to ensure that they are invested from the very beginning.

Having a variety of people on the planning committee will build transparency and create strong communication throughout your district. The committee members can also ensure that the reasoning behind key decisions is shared with a broad audience of stakeholders. In addition to planning for survey administration, this committee should also be responsible for creating a communication strategy and vetting communication materials.

We recommend that districts include the following representatives in the planning committee:

•Chairperson: District survey coordinator.•District and building administrators.• Teachers, including representatives from the teachers

union.•District data staff member(s) (for example, a member of

the IT and/or assessment/data office).

District-Level Planning CASE STUDYEngaging the Teachers Association in Thompson School DistrictPatrick Mount, Strategic Data Fellow

The fact that the survey was being piloted for the first time and on such a broad scale led to significant communication challenges. We often felt that we were building the plane as we were flying it, and therefore were not always able to share accurate information in a timely manner. This reality added to an already complicated process, but also made clear the absolute necessity of ensuring that all stakeholders were consistently informed regarding the purpose, procedure, and expected products of these activities.

Perhaps the most significant stakeholders needing this consistent communication were the teachers themselves. Because Thompson was participating in the pilot year of the survey, we wanted to make sure that we were deliberately building buy-in among teachers throughout the process. At the very beginning of the student survey rollout, we realized that we needed a plan for engaging association representatives, as they are a powerful and valued voice in our district. Right away, we deployed survey project leaders to regularly scheduled meetings with the building-level association representatives to listen to concerns and respond with the most up-to-date information possible.

Together we created a plan to enhance communication and increase positive participation in the survey. It was ultimately two key decisions made by district and union leadership that helped everyone feel more comfortable with the process. First, we allowed teachers to opt in to participate in the survey during the pilot year. I was shocked by the high participation rates: 98 percent of our teachers participated in the fall administration, and 99 percent participated in the spring administration. Second, we decided that during the pilot, individual teacher results would only be shared with teachers, not building or district administrators. This cultivated a sense of safety in teachers who were receiving this kind of feedback from students for the very first time. I think that both of these decisions went a long way in building buy-in from all stakeholders. We have already begun to build a broad community of support as we contemplate using this in future years as part of our district feedback process.

BEST PRACTICES

Engage stakeholders early and often. •••••

Empower your planning committee to make decisions, not just provide input.

•••••Make the process as

transparent as possible.

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Key DecisionsAs you begin planning to use Colorado’s SPS in your district, there are several key decision points to consider. Thinking through these issues at the beginning of the planning process will help ensure that your process and administration plan will best meet the goals and needs of your unique context and provide valuable, actionable feedback to your instructional staff.

Should the District Use a Vendor or Manage Administration Internally?Depending on the budget and internal capacity of your district, you may elect to use an external vendor to manage survey administration, analyze results, and/or produce reports. Using a vendor may cost more initially, but it may ultimately result in a smoother survey process if your internal capacity is limited. However, if your district has the capacity to manage all aspects of planning, administration, and reporting, it may make more sense to handle everything internally. As you decide the best strategy for your district, we recommend that you read through this guide and consider all aspects of coordinating the administration logistics and reporting to decide if there is enough internal capacity to manage the survey process alone. If you plan to use a third-party vendor for survey administration, the vendor must enter into a licensing agreement with CEI. Please contact info@coloradoedinitiative.org to obtain a list of vendors with current SPS licensing agreements or to initiate the process for a vendor to execute a new licensing agreement.

Should the District Administer an Online or Paper/Pencil Survey?Another important decision is how the surveys will be administered to students. Several factors should be considered when deciding whether to administer your surveys online or in paper/pencil format:

Online

• Technology: Technological capacity is an issue for many districts. If your district decides to use an online survey, make sure that there are enough computers for all participating students to complete the survey within the survey administration window. Test your Internet bandwidth to make sure that it is adequate for accessing the survey platform and that it is sufficient to accommodate a large number of students accessing the Web at the same time.

•Scheduling: All students do not need to complete the survey on the same day, but you should construct your survey schedule so that all students have access to a computer at some point during the administration window. See the scheduling section for examples of online administration schedules.

•Data quality: Administering the survey online provides two advantages for data quality. First, online survey tools can be programmed to automatically capture the amount of time students spend on the survey. This information can be useful in assuring teachers that students take the survey seriously. Second, online platforms allow for more complex programming to redirect students who should not be taking the survey (such as students assigned to respond about a teacher they have never had or students assigned to respond about a noninstructional course like study hall). In an online platform, the survey can be halted for those cases; furthermore, it captures this data, which may prove useful to districts as they consider the quality of their existing data system(s).

• Timeline for Reports: Online survey administration can usually ensure that reports are received sooner than with paper surveys. The exact timing of reports will depend on the vendor you choose (if you opt to use a vendor) or on your internal district capacity (if district staff will prepare reports).

•Cost: If employing a vendor, please note that costs vary for different online administration options. Overall, if you are using a vendor, costs will generally be less for online administration vs. paper/pencil.

Paper/Pencil

•Data entry: Data entry can be cumbersome for districts that administer paper/pencil surveys, especially for districts that manage the survey process internally. Even if your district has a Scantron system, you will need a staff member to spend time entering survey responses into the system.

•Scheduling: Paper/pencil surveys do not require technology for administration, and surveys could be administered on the same day and/or period for an entire school or district.

• Timeline for Reports: Due to the time associated with data entry as explained above, the exact timing of reports will depend on the vendor you choose or your internal district capacity.

•Cost: Should you choose to go with a vendor, costs vary for paper/pencil surveys. Be sure to investigate all options thoroughly.

Student Survey

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When will the Survey be Administered?•SPS results can be a powerful tool to inform practice. For this reason, we recommend administering the survey

early enough in the school year to give teachers time to reflect on their results and use them to inform practice during the current school year.

•Research suggests that students can accurately complete student surveys as early as six weeks after the beginning of the school year. Given that some teachers only see students one or two times each week, we recommend an administration window between October and December.

•Districts can administer the survey once a year or more than once so that educators can see change over time. •When planning an administration window, please remember to consider the following:

à Other testing windows (district benchmarks, course finals, TCAP, etc.). à School holidays and breaks. à The timeline for results (for example, if you want teachers to have results for midyear reviews or other goal-setting conversations).

Which Teachers and Students will Participate in the Survey?Your district coordinator should work with your planning committee to decide which teachers will participate in survey administration and which students will take surveys about them (referred to as “sampling”). When thinking about sampling, there is a tension between a desire to survey a large group of students for each teacher and the equally important desire to limit the number of surveys completed by each individual student. In making decisions about sampling, districts should consider which teachers are sampled and which students are asked to respond about their respective teachers.

Which teachers will participate?•Consider whether to have all teachers (core teachers and specialists) participate in the survey administration.

à Sample size: Consider sample size when making this decision. We recommend a sample size of at least 10 students for each teacher to protect student anonymity. This does not mean that specialists with less than 10 students cannot participate, but it may be necessary to decide that teachers with less than 10 students will receive only multiyear data reports displaying pooled data from 10 total student responses across multiple years. For example, a teacher who has four student responses in the 2013-2014 school year and six student responses in the 2014-2015 school year would not receive a report at all in the 2013-2014 school year. Instead, she would receive a report in the 2014-2015 school year showing combined data from two years.

à Scheduling: If your district decides that students in grades 3-5 will complete more than one survey (that is, their homeroom teacher and a specialist), students will need two separate 30-minute sittings to complete the surveys. In grades 6-12, students can complete two surveys in one 45-minute sitting.

How will students be sampled?•At the elementary level, all students typically complete surveys about their homeroom teachers. As mentioned

above, your district can decide if students will also complete surveys about specialists, resource teachers, etc. • If students are completing surveys for specialists or other teachers in addition to their homeroom teacher, we

recommend a similar random sampling criteria for these additional teachers (for example, an art teacher would have a random sample of all of the students who complete a survey for her).

•At the secondary level, where each student likely has multiple teachers, districts should consider having a representative sample of students complete surveys for each teacher rather than having all students complete surveys for all of their teachers. Having a student complete a survey for each of his or her teachers can feel unreasonable for the student and lead to inaccurate survey results if students are overburdened with too many surveys. We recommend a random sampling criteria across all courses. Although it is likely easier to pick students using the periods within a teacher’s schedule (for example, all students complete the survey on their 2nd and 6th period teachers), our research suggests that it is better to randomly select students across all periods taught by a teacher. Contact CEI for a sampling syntax file that you can use for random sampling in your district.

•Students with disabilities, in general, should complete the survey using proper accommodations as necessary based upon each student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Decisions to exclude students with disabilities from the survey should be made on a case-by-case basis when the nature and severity of a student’s disability are such that the student likely would not be able to meaningfully complete the survey.

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Include an Open-Ended Question on the Survey?During the pilot, students were asked an open-ended question at the end of the survey: “Do you have any other thoughts or feedback for your teacher?” The majority of student responses to this question were actionable, demonstrating that students take the survey seriously and provide substantive feedback about their instructional experiences.

While including this open-ended question can yield rich, actionable feedback for teachers, it also entails an added layer of analysis and reporting. All open-ended responses need to be read before sharing them with teachers to protect student confidentiality (for example, student signing his or her name in the lower grades).

For more information about the open-ended question and factors to consider in your decision whether to include it, see the results and reflection section of this guide.

How will Results be Used?We cannot underscore this point enough: It is critical to the success of your survey administration that there is a thoughtful consideration of this question, and that teachers and school leaders are engaged in district decision-making. It is also important to communicate these decisions with teachers early and often so that they understand the ways the data will (and will not) be used to inform practice, make decisions, and evaluate educators.

If this is the first year that your district is using the SPS, you can make these decisions after you have piloted the survey in your district. Many districts use the first year of survey administration to introduce educators to the concept of student surveys, build buy-in, and work collectively to decide how results should be used moving forward. If you choose not to formally use survey results during your first year, make sure that all staff members are aware of that decision and the process and timeline for deciding how results will be used in the future.

There are many ways that results can be used to inform teacher, school, and district goals. Some options include:

As a formative tool:• Teachers can use results as a formative tool to reflect on their practice,

complete their self-reflection, and create goals.•Principals can use results to pair teachers who need growth in an area

with teachers who have demonstrated strength in that same area. •Schools and districts can use results to identify trends and create

strategies to address them.

As part of teacher evaluation:•Survey results at the item level could be used as an artifact for

determining ratings for professional practices (Teacher Quality Standards I-III).

•Survey results could also be considered as one of your multiple measures.

• Teachers could be evaluated on the plan that they create around their results but not necessarily the results themselves (Teacher Quality Standard IV only).

See the results and reflection section of this guide for more information about preparing reports and using results.

BEST PRACTICES

Take special care to build buy-in if this is the first time your district

is using a student survey.•••••

Engage your teachers in the discussion about the

use of results.

This is not a mutually exclusive choice; results could be used formatively by teachers to inform their practice during the year and also be included as a part of their formal evaluation.

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Communication StrategyDeveloping a communication strategy that engages and informs all stakeholders early and often is possibly the most important component of preparing for survey administration. Transparency and communication can result in better buy-in during administration and ultimately an increased confidence in the accuracy and usefulness of results.

Guiding Principles•By itself, a reliable and valid instrument does not ensure that

teachers will receive good feedback. If teachers do not trust the process, they will not use the data, so implementation fidelity and transparency are very important.

•Messaging matters! à Engage stakeholders early and often. à Make the process as transparent as possible.

•Give stakeholders real decision-making power. • Teachers care about their practice and especially about their

students. They also may experience nervousness and anxiety about the surveys, and district and school leaders must acknowledge those fears.

Building Educator Investment •Colorado’s SPS was built by teachers for teachers and

is intended to provide educators with unique, actionable feedback about their practice.

•Before survey administration, all instructional staff should be briefed on the survey, its purpose, administration plans and timeline, and how results will be used.

• In districts where student surveys are being used for the first time, extra care should be taken to build buy-in and provide a transparent process for teachers.

Resources•Webinar for Teachers on Colorado’s Student Perception

Survey• Teacher FAQ• Introductory PowerPoint presentation•Overview of research behind student surveys•Overview of students giving feedback on instruction •Sample email to inform teachers of the process•A guide for teachers on using survey results • The full survey instruments for grades 3-5 and 6-12

Informing Other Key StakeholdersParents, school board members, and other community members should also be informed about the student survey purpose and process. Districts can use the following resources to communicate with these stakeholders:

•Prepared drop-in articles can be incorporated in existing district and school communications or newsletters.

•A sample parent letter in English or Spanish can be sent home prior to administration.

•Our overview of Colorado’s SPS can be shared with board members and other community stakeholders.

CASE STUDYCommunicating with Teachers in Archuleta School District

Linda Reed, Assistant Superintendent

In the Archuleta School District, communication with teachers was a priority from the beginning. District administrators prioritized transparency, and they felt it was important for the entire process to be as open and candid as possible. Principals were informed about the purpose and process of survey administration early to build their buy-in and ensure consistent communication with staff.

Superintendent Mark DeVoti visited each school before survey administration. He talked personally with teachers about the survey, and his message was clear: Student perception surveys are all about feedback and are unique tools that can help everyone in the district improve. Superintendent DeVoti made sure that staff had access to information about the survey and created an environment where principals and teachers felt comfortable asking questions about the process.

Transparency continued throughout the survey administration process with strategic emails before each administration and clear communication about when survey results would be shared, who would see teacher-level reports, and how data would be used in the district.

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Data quality is extremely important in ensuring a smooth administration process and building confidence in the accuracy of results. A full data quality checklist and sample data file are available on CEI’s website.

District Point Person for Data CollectionAccurate and consistent data across the district is important. Sometimes the data you need may exist in different systems at the district and school level, which can complicate data collection efforts. If this is true in your district, build in time to combine data from various sources. It is helpful to have one person collect the data needed for survey administration and aggregate it so that it is consistent across all schools within the district.

Relevant DataCertain data elements are imperative for accurate administration and reporting, including:

• Teacher ID numbers•Student ID numbers• Teacher, student, and course names•Grade level and period (secondary only) information

for every studentYour district may also choose to include additional data so that results can be disaggregated by specific subgroups, such as:

•Relevant student demographics, including race/ethnicity, gender, FRL eligibility, and disability status

•Expected course grade•Other student achievement data•Attendance data

All data not relevant to the survey administration should be removed, for example:

•School staff who should not be assessed (such as administrative staff, librarians, counselors, homeroom teachers, advisory and career path teachers)

•Student teachers •Records for other semesters, trimesters, or

quarters • Teachers who opt out of the survey if that option is

made available to them in your district

Data Verification After the survey administration data has been collected and aggregated at the district level, building administrators should review the data before it is used to assign surveys. Below is a sample data verification process from Pittsburgh Public Schools:5

BEST PRACTICES

Designate one person to be in charge of data collection and

verification. •••••

Be clear about the data needed.•••••

Verify data several times throughout the planning

process.

Before survey administration During survey administration After survey administration

•After determining which periods to survey in each school, the central office creates lists showing what each teacher teaches during those periods and which students are in those classes.

•Principals check and correct these lists before survey forms are printed for each class to be surveyed.

• Teachers review and correct roster lists they receive with the survey forms for their classes.

• Teachers are given extra survey forms with unique identifiers to assign to students missing from rosters provided.

•Completed surveys go to Cambridge Education—distributors of Tripod—which manages survey procedures and works with district administrators to assure data quality before it is released to teachers.

5 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Asking Students about Teaching: Student Perception Surveys and Their Implementation. MET Project Policy and Practice Brief, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.metproject.org/downloads/Asking_Students_Practitioner_Brief.pdf.

Data Collection Before Survey Administration

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Customizing Survey MaterialsSurvey Protocols and Instructions You will need to create (or work with your vendor to create) protocols for building coordinators and survey proctors that reflect all of the key decisions:

•Online or paper surveys•Sampling and participation of students and teachers•Materials that proctors will receive•How materials will be delivered to schools and then to proctors•How materials should be collected or disposed of after administration

Survey materials need to be collected or disposed of in a manner that preserves student confidentiality.

Districts can utilize the following templates on CEI’s website as a starting point for protocols:

•Proctor guides à Primary proctor guide—paper/pencil à Primary proctor guide—online à Secondary proctor guide—paper/pencil

à Secondary proctor guide—online•Building coordinator guides

à Building coordinator guide—paper/pencil à Building coordinator guide—online

Survey Administration MaterialsYou will need to compile (or work with your vendor to compile) survey administration materials for each school and each proctor.

Every school should receive the following:

•A building coordinator guide•A master list of all students in the school with their survey assignments

Every proctor should receive the following:•A proctor guide.•A master list of the students in the proctor’s group. This list can also be used to indicate any students who do not

participate or are absent and need to take the survey at a later time.•Student materials: either paper surveys or information to login to the online survey platform. Student materials

should ensure that confidentiality is protected and that students complete the surveys as assigned. Some options for ensuring that teacher assignments are kept confidential include having assignments covered in an envelope or with a sticker, using barcodes to label surveys, etc.

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Informing StakeholdersAppoint a Building CoordinatorEach school should have a building coordinator—a point person who can manage all aspects of survey administration in the building. The building coordinator should be the principal or another administrator because this person will have access to confidential information about student-teacher survey pairings.

Inform and Engage TeachersBefore administering the survey, all instructional staff should be briefed on the survey instrument, its purpose, administration plans and timelines, and how results will be used.

•Districts can use the introductory PowerPoint presentation template to present the survey information to relevant stakeholders. This presentation also includes a recommended activity to encourage teachers and staff to begin familiarizing themselves with the survey.

•All instructional staff should receive the survey questions and proctor guides even if they are not proctoring the survey.

•Building coordinators can use the sample email to communicate with instructional staff about the process.

Build Student Understanding and Comfort • For many students, this may be the first time they have been asked to provide this kind of feedback about their

teachers. It is important to inform students of the survey administration in advance and to talk explicitly with them about the process and purpose.

•Districts can share CEI’s student information sheet (in English and Spanish) with students before the survey administration.

• It may also be helpful to teach a mini-lesson on what a survey is, why opinions matter, and why feedback is important.

• It is equally important to debrief with students after they have completed the survey so that they can share their experience with the survey and understand that their feedback was valuable. Internal and external research has

shown that student confidentiality is essential for students to feel comfortable and respond honestly to survey items.• The MET study found that “[if] students believe their responses will negatively

influence how their teachers treat them, feel about them, or grade them, then they’ll respond so as to avoid that happening.”6

• In interviews that we conducted with students regarding Colorado’s SPS, students indicated that they would feel more comfortable responding honestly if the teacher they were assessing were not in the room.

• Administrators and teachers should communicate with students, in words and actions, that their responses are confidential. For example, proctors should not be walking around the room while students are taking the survey unless someone has a question.

Inform ParentsParents should also be informed about the purpose and process of survey administration. Districts can use the sample parent letter in English and Spanish and drop-in articles to inform parents.

6 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Asking Students about Teaching: Student Perception Surveys and Their Implementation. MET Project Policy and Practice Brief, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.metproject.org/downloads/Asking_Students_Practitioner_Brief.pdf.

School-Level Planning BEST PRACTICES

Create a clear plan for students who need accommodations.

••••• Ensure that all instructional staff members

are aware of the testing schedule and conditions, even if they are not proctoring the

survey. •••••

Work with staff to create a schedule that works for your school.

••••• Make sure that students know

that their privacy will be protected.

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Testing ConditionsAlthough the SPS is not a high-stakes assessment, the conditions under which the survey is administered are very important. Ensuring that students take the surveys under appropriate conditions will help ensure that their feedback is reliable and useful.

Building coordinators should ensure that all instructional staff reviews the proctor guides, even teachers who are not proctoring any surveys. This not only ensures that all staff members are aware of appropriate testing conditions but also builds confidence in survey results for teachers who are having surveys completed about them but are not proctoring surveys.

Districts and schools should take steps to ensure that students know their confidentiality is being maintained:

• In any class that is completing a survey about a single teacher, that teacher should not proctor the survey (e.g., elementary homeroom teachers)

à This is not meant to isolate the teacher or create an atmosphere of secrecy, but instead to ensure that students feel comfortable answering honestly.

à This does not mean that the survey administration has to feel overly prescriptive or formal; for example, teachers could swap classes with colleagues or work with instructional assistants or other staff members to proctor the survey at a convenient time.

• In classes where random sampling is being used, teachers may proctor a class where some of the students are completing a survey about them

à Students should receive survey materials in a way that protects their confidentiality.

à Some options for ensuring that teacher assignments covered in an envelope or with a sticker, using bar codes to label surveys, etc.

• In all classes, the words and actions of teachers and administrators should also communicate to students that their answers are private and that they should feel comfortable answering honestly.

Proctors should feel comfortable providing any accommodations that students need to access the survey.

•Proctors should use the IEPs of students with disabilities to identify any accommodations those students might need. Decisions to exclude students from the survey should be made on a case-by-case basis when the nature and severity of a student’s disability are such that the student likely would not be able to meaningfully complete the survey. Alternate arrangements should be made for these students in advance of administration day.

•Because the survey does not test students’ academic knowledge, proctors can read the entire survey out loud to any group of students. In fact, for elementary students we strongly recommend that the entire survey is read aloud.

•Proctors can also help students with any questions that are not about the teacher being reviewed.

The testing area will depend on the type of administration, size of school, and proctor group.

•Classroom administration works best for larger schools.

•Common area administration, such as in the school library or cafeteria, can work well for very small schools, but complications did arise when schools with over 200 students elected to administer the survey this way (the logistics of getting all students in one place in a timely manner, distracting environments, etc.).

• In schools and districts using online survey administration the testing area will need computers with Internet access.

SchedulingTypically, each district should select a survey administration window and then allow schools to choose administration dates within that window. The length of the administration window will vary depending on the size of the district; a small district may be able to complete all surveys in a week, whereas a large district may need several weeks.

If using online surveys, schools will likely need to create a schedule for computer access. Some suggestions include:

•Have administrators, librarians, computer teachers, instructional assistants, and other staff members proctor all surveys over a few days in the computer lab.

•Have all students take the survey during one period but over the course of a week or several weeks. For example, administer the survey during 4th period and send two or three classes to the computer lab each day during that period. If you use this approach at the secondary level, make sure that any students with an off-block or unassigned period are assigned to take the survey in some location.

• Choose a class that all students take (such as language arts or homeroom) and have all surveys proctored during that class over the course of a week or several weeks.

Planning for Administration

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In grades 3-5, create a schedule that ensures student confidentiality during administration. Teachers can swap classes with colleagues or work with another staff member to proctor.

The schedule must include provisions for any students who need accommodations, including students who may need the entire survey read aloud in Spanish.

During AdministrationEnsure That Proctors are Prepared

•Have a plan for delivering materials to proctors and communicate this ahead of time. •As materials are delivered, remind proctors:

à About the administration plan: who, when, and where they are proctoring à About the plan for collecting survey materials after administration à To read the protocols before they administer the survey à To review the list of any students who need accommodations

•Be available throughout survey administration in case any issues arise.

After AdministrationDirectly After Administration

•Collect and/or dispose of survey materials.• If your school is using paper surveys, all surveys should be collected afterward.• If your school is using online surveys, student information sheets should be disposed of in a way that protects

student confidentiality (for example, collected by the survey coordinator and disposed of in the central office or shredded at the school).

•Complete make-up surveys as needed.

1-2 Weeks After Administration•Debrief with students about the survey administration process. •Debrief with staff about the survey administration process.•Review the timeline for distribution of results.

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How to Prepare Reports and AnalysisWhen preparing results and conducting analyses related to the SPS, consider how to:

•Aggregate data to the teacher level•Ensure data quality (for example, cleaning and preparing

data for analysis)•Organize reports so teachers and administrators can

understand and apply the results•Debrief with staff about the survey administration process.

•Review the timeline for distribution of results.

Aggregating DataCEI recommends presenting teacher-level results by:

•Mean score: Calculate results by item, element, and overall.

•Percent of responses in the top two categories, referred to as “percent favorable”: Calculate results by item, element, and overall.

The decision to use either method is defensible and should be made based on the needs of your teachers.

In focus groups, teachers in the pilot expressed a strong preference for the percent favorable method for its simplicity and ease of interpretability. For example, they said it is easier to understand the concept that 78 percent of students responded favorably to a given item than to interpret a mean score of 3.2.

In general, the two measures produce nearly identical substantive results. When teachers are assigned a percentile rank based on each method, the results are almost perfectly correlated (r = 0.988).

•Mean scores produce a slightly more normal distribution, while the percent favorable approach is slightly poitively skewed. (See the full technical report for more information.)

• The percent favorable calculations are more highly correlated (than mean scores) to teacher performance ratings on professional practice with respect to Colorado’s Teacher Quality Standards.

Ensuring Data QualityPre-Questions on the Survey InstrumentThe full survey instrument for grades 3-5 and 6-12 includes several questions designed to ensure accurate assignment of students to teachers:

•Students are asked to enter their grade, school name, and teacher name(s). à Analysts should compare this data to the original district data to ensure it matches. In instances where the student-entered data does not match the assigned data, those responses should be invalidated.

•Students are also asked to verify that they have the assigned teacher and that the course is an instructional course (that is, not homeroom, office aide, etc.).

à Analysts should remove data where students indicate that they do not have the assigned teacher or that the course is not an instructional course.

à Online administration platforms can be programmed to automatically redirect students out of the survey if they indicate that they do not have the assigned teacher or that the course is not an instructional course.

Duplicate ResponsesAnalysts should also remove duplicate codes or student responses. In the pilot administration, these most often occurred when students had been kicked out of the survey due to Web connectivity issues. In these instances, CEI recommends including only completed surveys in analysis and removing any incomplete responses.

Results and Reflection

BEST PRACTICES

Decisions about how data will be used should guide report development

and data analysis.•••••

Teachers should be consulted and included in decisions about report organization.

•••••Data should be thoroughly cleaned and reviewed to ensure student and teacher confidentiality; accurate assignment of

students to teachers; and accurate, actionable results.

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Protecting Confidentiality To ensure data quality and protect student confidentiality, teachers with fewer than 10 responses should not be given teacher-level results. This does not mean that specialists with fewer than 10 students cannot participate, but it may be necessary to decide that teachers with fewer than 10 students will receive only multiyear data reports displaying pooled data from 10 total student responses across multiple years.

Analysts should also ensure that there is a sufficient sample and response rate at the school and district levels to justify including school and district results.

District personnel and analysts should always consider potential unintentional violations of confidentiality when reporting on the SPS data. For example, in a small district, providing comparison data for other schools could potentially yield information about the scores and trends in a specific building. The same concern holds for teachers in similar grades and/or content areas.

Including the Open-Ended QuestionYour district may include the following open-ended question at the end of the survey: “Do you have any other thoughts or feedback for your teacher?” If your district includes this question, it is critical that this data be used carefully. Because it provides such rich, actionable feedback to teachers, we recommend sharing open-ended responses directly with teachers. However, this involves a significant time commitment and several safeguards to protect student confidentiality:

•All open-ended comments must be read and reviewed before sharing with teachers. Potential threats to confidentiality (for example, a student in the lower grades signing his or her name) should be edited or deleted.

•Note: Per statute, confidentiality provisions do not apply if schools or districts have reasonable cause to suspect or believe that a child has been abused or neglected. If open-ended responses indicate that a specific student is experiencing abuse, administrators are obligated to act on that information.

Organizing ReportsReport organization should align with the way you want to use the results. For example, if you want to include an aggregate score as one measure in a teacher’s final evaluation, your reporting should include some aggregate measure. At a minimum, teachers should always be provided with the same information that is shared with their district, principal, or evaluator.

Report StructureColorado’s SPS is organized into four elements that align to the Teacher Quality Standards:

•Student Learning: How teachers use content and pedagogical knowledge to help students learn, understand, and improve

•Student-Centered Environment: How teachers create an environment that responds to individual students’ backgrounds, strengths, and interests

•Classroom Community: How teachers cultivate a classroom learning community where student differences are valued

•Classroom Management: How teachers foster a respectful and predictable learning environment

CASE STUDYTeacher Reflections on Student Perception Survey Results from Partner Districts Using Teacher-Level Results to Improve My Practice

The Student Perception Survey has turned out to be a really purposeful tool. It is exciting feedback because our perception of what we are doing may be different than what our students perceive. The only thing that it compares to is an observation from an administrator, and I know that my principal can’t be in my room all the time like my students are. Overall I think that my results were a good reflection of how I teach. It is important to think about areas of strength and areas that need improvement, but it is easy for your mind to automatically focus on the areas in which you scored low.

The question I scored lowest on was “My teacher knows what my life is like outside of school.” At first I thought to myself, of course I do that! I tried to justify to myself all of the ways that I had interacted with my students outside of class, all of the things I knew about their personal lives, and how much time I had spent working with students and families to learn about them. Then I paused and started looking at all of the questions in that category as a whole.

A related statement that I scored pretty high on was “My teacher respects my cultural background.” Even though I initially saw these two statements as very similar, I began to think about what the difference was in how my students perceived my actions for each one. I was then able to look at the bigger picture and ask myself where the disconnect lay between what I think I am doing and how my students perceive it. That led me to think about strategies for improving my result on that statement next year. Maybe my students don’t know how much I know about their lives outside of school. Maybe I don’t know as much as I think I do. Maybe I only know a lot about certain students or certain groups of students and I know very little about others.

I think the starting point for me to improve on this statement will be a conversation with students. I want to engage them in creating our classroom community by building a common understanding of what it should look like. Without the results from the student survey, I would not have even known that this was a conversation that we needed to have.

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Reports can be organized by these four elements, by individual question, or as an aggregate score of all questions.

Engaging Meaningfully with Results Regardless of report structure, it is critical that teachers can meaningfully engage with their results. Whenever possible, CEI recommends providing comparison data (that is, to other teachers in the same school and/or district, and to other teachers in their content area). Contact CEI for norming data from the pilot to assist in providing these comparisons.

Planning for the Distribution of Survey ResultsAlthough results will be a powerful tool for understanding student experiences, it is natural for teachers to feel some anxiety or skepticism when reviewing the data for the first time. To ensure that teachers are best able to use the results to inform their practice, plan for the distribution of survey results during the initial planning stages.

Timing • If possible, release results on a day and time when teachers

will have uninterrupted time to review and reflect. This could be at the end of the school day or on a nonstudent contact day.

•Consider a gradual release of data that begins with giving teachers school and/or district level results. This approach will allow teachers to engage with the data in a nonthreatening way and to think about the implications of that data with their colleagues. See the case study on this page for an example of a staggered roll-out of results.

CommunicationDistricts should share the timeline for report release with teachers as soon as possible, perhaps during a staff meeting or via a simple email to all staff. Districts can use CEI’s sample email for teachers when releasing results.

If you plan to share teacher-level results with evaluators, coaches, or principals, make sure those groups are aware of the timeline to allow them to prepare supports for their staff and teachers.

Sharing ResultsWe urge you to work with your teachers and association representatives to determine how teacher-level data will be shared. Some districts may choose to share teacher-level data with school and district administrators while others may choose to have teachers see their individual results but only provide aggregate data to school and district administrators. At a minimum, teachers should always be provided with the same information that is shared with their district, principal, or evaluator.

This decision should also align with how you choose to use results. For example, if you want principals to pair teachers with complementary strengths and areas for growth, then they will need to see teacher-level results.

As is profiled in the Engaging the Teachers Association in Thompson School District case study, some of our partner districts found that keeping teacher-level data confidential in the first year of implementation helped build trust and teacher buy-in.

CASE STUDYThoughtful Report Rollout in Centennial School District Curtis Garcia, Principal

Centennial School District is a close-knit community that comprises three schools: an elementary, middle, and high school. From the beginning, our goal was to be considerate of teachers and thoughtful about what we wanted them to draw from the reports. We decided to release our school- and district-level results in advance of teacher-level results. This way, we could all have a shared experience and ground ourselves in the results of the district, and teachers could have exposure to the types of information they would be receiving in a nonthreatening manner.

We know that when you have your individual results in front of you, it is difficult to step back and think about the big picture. So we built that big picture context upfront. We sent the school and district results to all teachers in an email with information about when we would engage with them as a group and when they would get their individual results. We gave teachers a week to process school- and district-level results on their own, and then we came together on an in-service day to discuss our SPS outcomes as a district staff. We spent the morning looking at the district data and engaged in a few activities intended to facilitate thinking about how to process results. We talked about the three strongest survey items for the district and identified what professional practices they related to. We then completed this activity with our three strongest areas of need. We repeated these activities with the school-level results. This approach allowed us to get real-time feedback on where we are as a district and as individual schools, and we were able to celebrate our strengths and build staff investment in planning for improvement.

After sharing school- and district-level results and engaging with them together, we released the individual reports to each teacher and gave them time to process their results on their own or in groups of their choosing. This format gave teachers the opportunity to work with the data and understand the reports before engaging with their own results. Overall, I thought this was a really effective way of grounding their thinking so that they could look at their results and think about whether their strengths and weaknesses were personal or systematic.

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BEST PRACTICES

Start planning the process for report distribution early.

••••• Ensure that teachers are aware

of the timeline. •••••

Release results at a day and time when teachers will have uninterrupted time for review.

•••••Provide support (in groups or

individually) for teachers to process results.

CASE STUDY Teacher Reflections on Student Perception Survey Results from Partner Districts Using School-Level Results to Put My Own Practice in Context School-level Student Perception Survey results helped me put my own practice into perspective in relation to the other teachers in my school. Teachers are often isolated and don’t get to experience what other teachers are doing. Even though student survey results don’t replace actual interaction and observation in colleagues’ classrooms, it is an opportunity to get a big-picture view of what is going on in terms of school culture.

There were some areas of the survey where I scored higher than my school average, and it made me wonder what I was doing to cause students to perceive my classroom differently than the school as a whole. Likewise, other teachers may be doing something amazing to engage students in a certain way, and I might never know that until I see that my building overall is scoring higher on something that I am struggling in.

Using School-Level Results to Set Goals for Our Building I hope that we can use the results to facilitate some meaningful partnering and feedback from peers. Teachers could use their results to identify areas that need improvement and work with their principal to pair them with another teacher who is doing really well in that area. It would be great to learn from peers that are excelling in areas that may be hard for others.

I also help design professional development for my school, and it was really great to see our school-wide trends so that we can make sure to focus building-wide goals in those areas. There were areas where we scored low as a school that were directly related to initiatives that we had implemented throughout the past year. For instance, our school scored low on the statement “All of the kids in my class know what they are supposed to be doing and learning.” This was concerning to me because one of the things we had been focusing on as a staff was having learning objectives posted clearly in every classroom. Our low score on this question made me wonder whether teachers are actually posting learning objectives or not, or if they are but it is not being used as an effective tool the way it was intended. It is a really great way to get a big-picture view of what is going on and open up conversations with the staff about how we can grow and improve together.

Using the ResultsDistricts and schools should have plans in place for professional development around survey results. Some suggestions include:

•Group discussions about school- or district-level trends

•Department-level discussions about specific trends•One-on-one conversations with peers, coaches, or

administrators•Office hours with coaches or administrators•Strategic pairing with peers to match strengths and

weaknesses

Districts can use the following resources on CEI’s website to assist with the use of results:

•Digging Deeper: Using the Student Perception Survey with the Colorado State Model Evaluation System for Teachers

•Digging Deeper: Linking the Student Perception Survey Results with Your Local Evaluation System

•Sample guidance for using survey results for teachers, principals, and district staff

•Guidance for districts on using results for Unified Improvement Planning•Guide for using Student Perception Survey Results to Set Goals

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Administration WindowThe window of time that district survey administration will take place. The recommended window for administration is October to December.

Building Coordinator The person in charge of administration logistics at the building level.

Colorado Teacher Quality Standards

The six standards adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to Senate Bill 10-191, the educator evaluation law. The first five standards reflect professional practices of educators, and the sixth standard reflects student growth.

Colorado’s Student Perception Survey

A 34-item survey that asks students about their classroom experience.

District Coordinator The person in charge of administration planning and execution at the district level.

Pilot ProcessThe process to develop and test the surveys before introducing them more widely. Colorado's surveys were piloted over three administration periods in 16 districts across Colorado.

Professional PracticesThe most detailed level of the Rubric for Evaluating Colorado Teachers, professional practices describe the elements of each standard. They represent both teacher and student behaviors.

Sampling The selection of a subset of students from within a teacher’s overall class population to complete surveys about that teacher.

State Model Evaluation SystemThe comprehensive educator evaluation system developed by the Colorado Department of Education for full implementation of Senate Bill 10-191, the educator evaluation law.

Survey ElementOne of four categories of Colorado’s Student Perception Survey. These categories are Student Learning, Student-Centered Environment, Classroom Community, and Classroom Management.

Survey Instrument The actual survey questions.

Survey Item One of the 34 statements in Colorado’s Student Perception Survey to which students respond. Example: “Our class stays busy and does not waste time.”

Glossary

Copyright 2014 by The Colorado Education Initiative. All rights reserved. The Colorado Education Initiative is pleased to have organizations or individuals share its materials with others for noncommercial purposes. To request permission to excerpt or share this publication, either in print or electronically, please contact publications@coloradoedinitiative.org.

1660 Lincoln StreetSuite 2000Denver, CO 80264(303) 736-6477coloradoedinitiative.org

POSITIONING STUDENTS AS EXPERTS ON INSTRUCTION: AN ANALYSIS OF OPEN-ENDED RESPONSES FROM THE STUDENT PERCEPTION SURVEY

©The Colorado Education Initiative, August 2014 2

Table of Contents

Executive Summary _____________________________________________ 3

Methods of Analysis _____________________________________________ 4

Dominant Trends Across All Responses ______________________________ 5

A Closer Look: Students’ Views on Instruction ________________________ 10

Conclusion: Student Expertise on Teacher Effectiveness ________________ 13

©The Colorado Education Initiative, August 2014 3

Executive Summary

SURVEY PURPOSE AND GOALS

In the spring of 2013, The Colorado Education Initiative piloted a student perception survey (SPS) in 16 school districts across Colorado to engage elementary and secondary students in the educator effectiveness conversation.1 The survey asked students to respond to a variety of closed-ended questions concerning their teachers and classroom environments. Students could also respond freely to the question “Do you have any other thoughts or feedback for your teacher?” via an open-response option at the end of the survey. This report highlights key findings of the open-ended response data from Colorado students. In particular, we were interested in whether students took the survey seriously and in what ways responses were substantive in nature. This analysis can help address teacher and district concerns about the SPS and emerging questions about how student feedback will be used in conjunction with other measures of teacher effectiveness. In the second phase of analysis, student responses were coded for whether or not students commented on or made suggestions regarding the instructional practices in their classroom. These “instructional responses” were grouped into more specific categories that emerged from the data itself and represent more nuanced aspects of instruction.

SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS

This analysis of approximately 14,500 open-ended responses from both elementary and secondary students finds that the majority of students took the survey seriously, and many of the responses were specific and actionable in nature. (Teachers could likely alter or maintain their practices given student feedback.) Actionable responses came from students in all grades (3-12) and from a variety of different types of classrooms (including music, art, and physical education). Several themes emerged from the responses, including the help provided by teachers for enhanced understanding of material, personal relationships and connections with teachers, the care shown to students by teachers, teachers’ content knowledge, how prepared students felt for future endeavors (including assessments), instruction, classroom management, respect between students and teachers, grading policies, issues of justice and fairness, and issues of student voice and choice. With regard to students’ views on instruction, we find that “students view good teaching and learning in a remarkably consistent and elegantly simple way.”2 Several themes emerged from these responses, including clarity of explanation, teacher-provided tools for learning (physical and experiential), teachers’ pace of instruction, assessment design, allotted time on task, connections to real-life experience, differentiation, and opportunities for critical thinking.3 These themes not only indicate that students are in tune with how their teachers are teaching, but that they also have a sophisticated sense of what effective instruction looks and feels like in practice, and what they may need from their teachers to be more successful in school. These results suggest that students are well-poised to respond substantively — and even actionably — to survey items about the teaching practices they experience.

1Beginning in the spring of 2012 and concluding in the summer of 2013, The Colorado Education Initiative (CEI) developed and

piloted a student perception survey to gather information about students’ experiences in teachers’ classrooms. CEI engaged Julia Kantor, an independent external evaluator, to analyze students’ responses to the open-ended question that appeared at the end of the survey. This report presents a summary and findings of that analysis. 2Wilson, B., and Corbett, D. “Student Perceptions on Good Teaching: Implications for Adult Reform Behavior.” In International

Handbook of Student Experience in Elementary and Secondary School. Thiessen, D., and Cook-Sather, A. (eds.). Springer, 2007 238-311. 3While some of these aspects of instruction certainly overlap (e.g., connections to real-life experience is also a tool for learning), student references to each aspect were distinct enough to create separate categories.

©The Colorado Education Initiative, August 2014 4

Methods of Analysis Among the almost 30,000 student responses to the SPS were 14,539 responses to the question “Do you have any other thoughts or feedback for your teacher?”4 These responses were coded as substantive (the student response was on-topic and provided at least a general statement about the teacher and/or classroom environment) or off-topic (the student’s provided written response did not address the question). The substantive responses were then coded as actionable or not, where an actionable response represented feedback specific enough for teachers to take action to alter or maintain their current classroom practices. For example, the response, “My teacher is great!” would be deemed substantive but not actionable, whereas “My teacher is great because he provides us with multiple ways of understanding the material” would be considered actionable. Next, actionable responses were categorized thematically to get a sense of the overall trends across student feedback. This step revealed high-level insights into the nature of the actionable student responses and an overall sense of the feedback students had for their teachers. In the second phase of analysis, a random sample of 20 percent (N=1955) of the actionable responses (N=9643) was taken. This sample was coded for whether or not students commented on or made suggestions regarding the instructional practices in their classroom. These instructional responses were grouped into more specific categories that emerged from the data itself and represent more nuanced aspects of instruction. Themes from the entire data set and this sample set are outlined below, supported by representative quotes.

4Excluded from this number are the approximately 1,500 students who answered “No” or its equivalent to the open-ended

question. These responses were placed in the “nonresponse” group.

©The Colorado Education Initiative, August 2014 5

Dominant Trends Across All Responses Of the 14,539 student responses to the open-ended question, 98.6 percent (N=14,341) were considered substantive (i.e., they were on-topic and provided general information about what the student thought about a teacher). This finding was consistent across grades and subject areas. (See Tables 1 and 2.) Table 1. Percent of Responses Coded as Substantive or Actionable, By Subject Area

Subject Area Percent

Substantive Percent

Actionable

Art 98.8% 55.6%

Elementary (Homeroom) 99.1% 60.2%

Language Arts 98.4% 68.8%

Mathematics 98.5% 72.7%

Music 98.1% 68.6%

Physical Education and Health 98.0% 59.4%

Science 98.9% 72.3%

Social Studies 98.6% 70.1%

World Languages 98.6% 74.9%

Table 2. Percent of Responses Coded as Substantive or Actionable, By Grade

Grade Percent

Substantive Percent

Actionable

3 98.6% 45.8%

4 98.6% 60.3%

5 99.5% 69.7%

6 99.4% 69.6%

7 98.7% 68.1%

8 97.3% 69.2%

9 98.0% 66.9%

10 98.6% 70.0%

11 98.8% 73.9%

12 98.6% 70.7%

66.3 percent of student responses (N=9,646) were coded as actionable, meaning that they contained specific feedback that teachers could likely act upon. Although student responses in some subjects and grades were slightly more likely to provide actionable feedback (e.g., students in higher grades and in core academic subjects), in general, actionable responses came from students in all grades (3-12) and from a variety of classroom types (including music, art, and physical education). In general, the actionable responses from students can be categorized into the following themes (described in greater detail below):5

5Because the purpose of this analysis was to explore the extent to which student responses were substantive and actionable,

dominant themes identified in these responses were not quantified (e.g., percent of responses for each theme). They were, however, identified to show evidence of students taking the survey seriously and providing important feedback for their teachers. Furthermore, because of the final number of student responses (roughly half of the pilot sample), we do not believe these responses are necessarily representative of all students’ perception of their teachers and classrooms.

©The Colorado Education Initiative, August 2014 6

Help for understanding

Personal relationships

Care

Content knowledge

Preparation for the future

Instruction

Classroom management

Respect

Grading

Justice and fairness

Student voice and choice In some cases, students’ responses touched on matters of particular sensitivity and importance to school climate, such as race, gender, and bullying. Responses of this nature can help school and district leaders confront serious problems that may be hidden because students lack a safe place to discuss them. We have included a few responses of this type below to accurately convey the range and depth of topics that students addressed, and to help school and district leaders build a vision for how an SPS can aid efforts to create safe, welcoming school environments for all students.

HELP FOR UNDERSTANDING

Students commented on the additional help they received from their teachers when they needed to be more successful in school. Following are representative responses6 that demonstrate this theme:

“This teacher is a very good teacher. She helps me with everything I need help on and if I still don’t get the question or lesson, she will help me and explain it better to me until I understand.” (Grade 6)

“Sometimes my teacher doesn’t help me when I need it. Sometimes I feel scared to ask for help.” (Grade 5)

“When I look like I am having a hard time, she helps me most of the time.” (Grade 4)

“I love him as a teacher but when I need help, I usually don’t get help from him. He just tells me to go to another student for help.” (Grade 10)

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Students referred to the ways their teachers connected with them and got to know them beyond the classroom context. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme:

“You’re an amazing teacher. I really love being in your class. … I also really love how much you can relate to your students. It takes your relationship with your students to a more personal level, which makes it so that the student feels like you’re someone to trust.” (Grade 6)

“Wow, I just really love *teacher name+. She’s my favorite teacher. I just have to stop and think about how lucky I am to have such an amazing teacher like her because she understands me and treats me like family. It makes me feel really cared for and loved.” (Grade 11)

“You are my favorite teacher because you always make learning fun and explain things clearly and help the students when they need it. Try to learn about students’ personal *lives+ a little more so you can tell when something’s wrong or understand students and what their life is like.” (Grade 6)

CARE

6Spelling and grammar have been edited in responses without changing the meaning of student comments.

©The Colorado Education Initiative, August 2014 7

Students referred to the care shown by their teachers. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme:

“You are a very respecting, kind, caring, loving, and wonderful teacher, and I know that every time things get tough, I can go to you for help or support, and I just want to thank you.” (Grade 4)

“I feel like my teacher doesn’t like me. She doesn’t care. When I’m hurt, my teacher will sometimes say you’re OK.” (Grade 5)

“She honestly cares about us as students. As a theater teacher, people do not always rank her as the highest of importance to other teachers. But she is the go-to teacher when we need help, whether it be in our theater life, school life, or personal life. She is always there to lend an ear and help in any way she possibly can. When she tells us she loves her students, she truly means it.” (Grade 11)

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

Students referred to their teacher’s knowledge of the subject or discipline. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme:

“*My teacher+ has a wealth of knowledge in her subject and constantly searches for new ways to present the material that are relevant to students. I believe she could improve in her understanding of the IB curriculum as she is only a first-year IB teacher and seems to get stuck in an AP format when trying to teach IB.” (Grade 12)

“Very good teacher and knows a lot of the material. Very well-educated in everything that is taught and provides a lot of help when it is needed. Also, she works with you if something is wrong and is very reasonable.” (Grade 11)

“*Teacher name+ is a lovely music teacher. She knows a lot and picks music that she thinks will interest the whole class.” (Grade 7)

PREPARATION FOR THE FUTURE

Students referred to their teachers’ ability to prepare students for future endeavors, including more advanced classes or grades, college, jobs, and assessments. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme: Advanced Classes/Grades, College, Jobs

“I’ve known [teacher name] for three years, and she knows me and I know her. We work on what is necessary and I know she knows what I need to learn. I know what I need to learn, too. What I do with her in classes makes me think, ‘She is teaching me this for a reason. I will figure out why she is teaching this. She is teaching this because I will need these skills in the future.’” (Grade 4)

“*Teacher name+ is one of the best teachers I have had, and he makes learning fun for all of the students. … When I need help for a future job in my life, he helps me find jobs of what I like to do and want to be.” (Grade 9)

“Most students don’t care for this teacher. Sometimes he comes off [as] shy/aloof, and that bothers a few. Also, he does assign a lot of homework, and sometimes can’t get through what he’s grading in time (e.g., editing our essays). But, it’s all coming from a good place. He wants us to understand the materials and prepare us for the college workload.” (Grade 12)

Assessments

“[Teacher name] is the most amazing teacher at [school name]. She is literally the only teacher who 1. teaches EVERYTHING that is on the CFAs7 and/or tests, [and] 2. reviews what the class

7

CFA refers to Common Formative Assessment.

©The Colorado Education Initiative, August 2014 8

needs help on and explains it so it’s quick and easy to understand right before a difficult test.” (Grade 10)

“When there is going to be a large section about something on a test, spend more time on it instead of just glimpsing over the information.” (Grade 8)

“There are major concepts on AP practice exams which weren’t covered adequately in class, so I wish the class was more consistent with AP material on the test.” (Grade 12)

INSTRUCTION

Students referred to the instruction they experienced or did not experience in their classroom. These responses include suggestions for future instructional practices and comments about the nature of this instruction. (Note: A closer analysis of instruction follows this section.) Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme:

“My teacher understands that people learn in different ways and so she does a great job of challenging the advanced kids, giving the average kids work for their level of understanding, and giving the struggling kids plenty of reassuring help and encouragement.” (Grade 4)

“Sometimes I feel like [teacher name] just brushes on the surface of things, never really getting into the ‘nitty-gritty.’ Our lessons sometimes seem slightly one-dimensional. A student will ask a “why” question instead of the comfortable “what,” and she will sometimes respond with something like, ‘Well, that’s just how it is.’” (Grade 11)

“She restates ideas in different ways to reach kids that comprehend things differently.” (Grade 8)

“She tends to teach with just speaking and not much examples/doing. ... I often have a hard time understanding the tougher concepts because of this.” (Grade 11)

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Students referred to their teacher’s ability and willingness to manage student behavior in the classroom. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme:

“While I might get angry at her for being so persistent about every other little detail, I know [teacher name] is a great teacher. She is always so helpful and understanding. She has improved since the beginning of the year with handling inappropriate and unacceptable behavior.” (Grade 4)

“Well, when the class is really rowdy, she doesn’t exactly do anything about it. She usually just says, “Guys, quiet down,” and it’s really hard to learn. Kids in class are always browsing around everywhere, talking to people, and it’s distracting.” (Grade 6)

“She instills discipline in the classroom, but harbors an environment of acceptance and excitement to learn.” (Grade 11)

“Yes, I feel like a lot of kids are bullied and no one notices.” (Grade 5)

RESPECT

Students referred to the respect they had for their teachers and/or the respect they got from their teachers. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme:

“This teacher tells me she likes me, but I do not feel respected in this class.” (Grade 11)

“She pushes us way too hard in Fitness and I feel like she doesn’t have respect for those of us who are not as fit as others. She does not realize when people feel uncomfortable or are being bullied.” (Grade 9)

GRADING

Students referred to the grading policies and practices in their classroom. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme:

©The Colorado Education Initiative, August 2014 9

“When grading tests, try giving an answer partial credit for getting [a] majority of the question correct. Instead, one small mistake results in a full 0 on the question.” (Grade 10)

“She grades based on personal opinion of work and student rather than grading based on the rubrics she hands out and says that’s what she grades from.” (Grade 12)

JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS

Students referred to fairness in their classrooms, particularly in terms of how they or others are treated in relation to other students or groups. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme:

“My teacher is awesome! I feel like I can talk about anything to her. She is nice to each and every one even if she likes one better than the other. I know that she doesn’t care about your skin color, just about our personality.” (Grade 5)

“You single out students very frequently and do not treat all students the same.” (Grade 8)

“… He doesn’t treat everybody the same way, and he makes people feel uncomfortable in his class.” (Grade 9)

“She shows racist videos and she constantly puts me in an uncomfortable spot in front of the whole class.” (Grade 8)

STUDENT VOICE AND CHOICE

Students referred to the degree to which they felt listened to in their class and/or the amount of choice they had in the curriculum. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme:

“You are an amazing teacher and make me (and hopefully others, too) overjoyed to be one of your students. You make me feel like I always fit in and can express my ideas without being afraid to talk to you or the class out loud or in private.” (Grade 5)

“*Teacher name+ needs to treat kids better and have more respect for them and their thoughts and opinions.” (Grade 6)

“I like it that she respects my thoughts.” (Grade 3)

“When I try to state my opinions or ask questions, he just gets mad and walks away. Also, when I try to have a conversation with him stating my opinions on some things, he tells me I’m being disrespectful and to stop.” (Grade 8)

“I always feel sad because the teacher never listens to me.” (Grade 3)

©The Colorado Education Initiative, August 2014 10

A Closer Look: Students’ Views on Instruction Of the 1,955 student responses sampled from those determined actionable, 26 percent referred to instruction in the classroom. The following eight themes emerged from the student responses referring to their teachers’ instructional practices (described in greater detail below):

Explanation

Tools for learning

Pace of instruction

Assessments

Time on task

Real-life experiences

Differentiation

Critical thinking

EXPLANATION

Students referred to the amount and/or clarity of explanations their teacher gave concerning work or task directions. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme:

“She is amazing. … I wouldn’t ask for a better English teacher. Right now we are reading [a complex text] and it is very confusing, but she explains it all very well.” (Grade 9)

“I’ve had to do a lot of outside studying because I don’t feel like she does a good job at explaining things clearly.” (Grade 10)

“She explains the questions/problems in a way that is understandable.”(Grade 6)

“*Teacher name+ does a great job of explaining everything he teaches, and when we don’t understand it, he goes back over it to make sure that everyone gets it before we move on.” (Grade 10)

TOOLS FOR LEARNING

Students referred to the various tools that their teacher gave them to help them learn content and skills. They commented on the physical (e.g., textbooks, notes) and experiential (e.g., demonstrations, discussions) tools that their teachers did or did not provide. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme: Physical

“My teacher is really nice and I want to be in her class when I’m in 4th grade. She helps me learn 3D shapes by letting me use one if I really need it.” (Grade 3)

“Overall *teacher name+ does an excellent job at making sure we put in the effort to understand trigonometry. … I like that lately she has added more quizzes and review packets before a test so that we know what to expect.” (Grade 11)

“*Teacher name+ makes us teach ourselves most of the time. With homework, none of us know how to do what she is assigning. We need the notes to know how and she doesn’t give us the notes until the day the homework is due, so that doesn’t help us.” (Grade 10)

“*Teacher name+ is a pretty good teacher. He tries very hard to help us learn French and is pretty good at it. I just don’t like the teaching style. We frequently use textbooks that are not very fun, nor are they helpful in learning French.” (Grade 10)

Experiential

“*Teacher name+ is a great teacher! In First Aid, she gives us demos when we need to learn CPR, AED, or other things so that we really understand what to do in an emergency situation.” (Grade 10)

©The Colorado Education Initiative, August 2014 11

“Great teacher. … A lot of solo learning, such as reading and writing assignments. More class discussion would be a better benefit towards learning.” (Grade 10)

“*Teacher name+ is awesome, but should do more hands-on experiments to make class more interesting and understandable.” (Grade 6)

“She is one of my favorite teachers of the day. She always uses stories as well as life experiences and culture to explain and add things that catch our attention during lessons.” (Grade 8)

PACE OF INSTRUCTION

Students referred to how quickly their teachers taught them. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme:

“She is very nice, but sometimes she goes too fast over new subjects and it is hard to understand.” (Grade 10)

“She’s a great teacher. [She] connects with the students as if they’re her friends but the lesson can go slow sometimes.” (Grade 8)

“She goes really fast and doesn’t explain things or lessons correctly. She gives us too much work and doesn’t give us to time to do the work, only like 20 minutes and we never finish.” (Grade 11)

“My teacher likes to move quickly. That’s good, but sometimes it can get confusing.” (Grade 8)

ASSESSMENTS

Students referred to the qualities of the assessments they were given throughout the year. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme:

“I think that it’s a good class, but we never really finish projects we have started, which can get a little annoying. If we could follow through with projects we have started, it would be amazing.” (Grade 7)

“I feel like I am learning interesting information, however, the design of the tests makes it so that I never have to memorize the information and that is a problem.” (Grade 9)

“Less testing because tests don’t show kids’ abilities in the subject. It just shows if they can study or not.” (Grade 8)

TIME ON TASK

Students referred to the time teachers gave them to complete work or the time spent on particular content and skills. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme:

“*Teacher name+ is a good teacher. … We get to build cool things and learn lots of exciting activities. ... We even have a week to complete our projects before going on to the next module (or project) so everyone would have a fair amount of time for their module.” (Grade 6)

“She is an amazing teacher. She makes every day fun when I have her, but we could use some actual time to work on actual subjects, not just playing on the computer, and spend more time COOKING.” (Grade 8)

“I think in class we should use time that we need to practice instead of wasting it.” (Grade 4)

“I feel like we learn too much too fast. We get the worksheets one day and have part of class to finish them and that’s it. I wish there was more time to get things clarified or have more than one way of doing things or even just tricks to remember things.” (Grade 8)

REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCES

Students referred to the ways in which their teachers brought in connections from outside of school to deepen understanding of and investment in a discipline or subject. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme:

©The Colorado Education Initiative, August 2014 12

“*Teacher name+ is a kooky, but great teacher and I absolutely love having her class! She makes it a fun learning process and gives us art skills we can use in everyday life. I couldn’t tell you how much I’ve benefited from her class. It helps with all kind of art and drawing. The day she retires will be a sad day.” (Grade 8)

“Maybe try more hands-on activities. Try and connect calculus to the outside world, and explain why it is important for us to be learning it.” (Grade 11)

“*Teacher name+ is my favorite teacher. I am in his [specific course] and he tries his best to make the difficult material easy to understand by applying the knowledge to real life or other things that we have learned in the past.” (Grade 10)

“*Teacher name+ is a great teacher. She teaches us things that are relevant to real life, not just things that will help us in school.” (Grade 8)

DIFFERENTIATION

Students referred to the ways in which their teachers responded to students by providing different ways of accessing material and demonstrating mastery of content and skills. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme:

“*Teacher name+ is my favorite teacher. She’s really fun and makes learning very enjoyable. She is very funny and likes to do crafts and artistic things in class to help us learn in different ways.” (Grade 8)

“He’s very flexible with the different ways people learn!” (Grade 11)

“I understand that it’s difficult to plan when some students are more advanced than others, but I feel a lot of time is wasted for me waiting for other students to repeat what we have been working on for a while, five times every class.” (Grade 7)

“Needs to interact and show how to learn Spanish in different ways, not just one way.” (Grade 9)

CRITICAL THINKING

Students referred to the ways that their teachers pushed them beyond memorizing material so they could come to and question bigger, more conceptual understandings. Following are representative responses that demonstrate this theme:

“He is a really good teacher. … He makes sure that we understand what we’re learning and that we learn the roots of what we’re learning, not just the facts and dates. He gets us to understand the origin of it all.” (Grade 11)

“This teacher is very good! He really emphasizes the big picture of things and why and not just answers like dates, names, etc. He explains things well.” (Grade 10)

“[Teacher name] is a very good teacher who makes you think about problems critically instead of just giving us the answers.” (Grade 10)

“*Teacher name+ has an amazing personality and is very nice and respects all of us, although she is not a very good teacher. She doesn’t really teach us the lessons and only makes us memorize the answers.” (Grade 8)

©The Colorado Education Initiative, August 2014 13

Conclusion: Student Expertise on Teacher Effectiveness

This analysis of the open-ended responses from the SPS finds that students’ written perceptions of their schooling provide a rich and complex picture of life in their classrooms. Some of the responses were general in nature, but many students took the time to write specific comments, critique, praise, and suggestions for teachers that focused on their own learning. The majority of students who responded to the survey took it seriously and demonstrated their distinctive expertise on the nature of teaching and learning in their classrooms.

Student perception data is unique in that students spend more time with teachers than anyone else in the education system but are not often asked what they think about their teachers’ practice. As this report illustrates, students have valuable perspectives that are useful in combination with other measures of teacher effectiveness, such as observations and test scores. Students can likely provide a more comprehensive view of their learning environment than an outside observer (such as a principal) who may come into a classroom only a handful of times during the year. Additionally, the SPS gathers data from a representative sample of a teacher’s students, providing multiple viewpoints on one teacher. Perhaps the most illuminating outcome from the review of the open-ended responses, however, is the clarity and consistency with which students from all grades and types of classes commented on what was necessary for them to learn more effectively. These responses touched upon some of the most important measures of teacher effectiveness such as differentiation and the promotion of critical thinking. Test scores can show whether or not a student has mastered particular knowledge and skills, but the SPS can help us determine why students are or are not learning, and what is needed to help improve instruction.

These results demonstrate that students can identify effective teaching practices and are able to respond substantively to survey items about their educational experiences. Honoring students’ voices not only helps educators deepen their knowledge of teaching practices and learning environments, but it also gives students a voice in the conversation about teacher effectiveness.

Copyright 2014 by The Colorado Education Initiative. All rights reserved. The Colorado Education Initiative is pleased to have organizations or individuals share its

materials with others for non-commercial purposes. To request permission to excerpt or share this publication, either in print or electronically, please contact

publications@coloradoedinitiative.org.

Student Learning

How teachers use content and pedagogical knowledge to help students learn, understand, and

improve.

Student-Centered Environment

How teachers create an environment that responds to

individual students’ backgrounds, strengths, and interests.

Classroom Community How teachers cultivate a

classroom learning community where student differences are

valued.

Classroom Management How teachers foster a respectful

and predictable learning environment.

Colorado’s Student Perception Survey - Grades 3-5

Colorado’s Student Perception Survey is a 34 question1 instrument that measures elements of student experience that have been demonstrated to correlate most closely to a teacher’s ability to positively impact student growth. Students are asked to indicate how frequently they experience each item with a response scale of always, most of the time, some of the time, and never. The survey is organized by four elements2:

There are two versions of Colorado’s Student Perception Survey: one for grades 3 - 5 and another for grades 6 -12. The survey items for grades 3 - 5 are listed below and the version for grades 6 - 12 can be found at www.coloradoedinitiative.org/studentsurvey/.

Student Learning: How teachers use content and pedagogical knowledge to help students learn, understand, and improve.

The schoolwork we do helps me learn.

What I learn in this class is useful to me in my real life.

In this class, we learn a lot almost every day.

My teacher makes sure that we think hard about things we read and write.

When the work is too hard, my teacher helps me keep trying.

In this class, it is more important to understand the lesson than to memorize the answers.

My teacher uses a lot of different ways to explain things.

My teacher knows when we understand the lesson and when we do not.

Our classroom materials and supplies have a special place and things are easy to find.

In this class, we learn to correct our mistakes.

1 A number of items on the Colorado SPS were adapted from items made available for non-commercial use through the Measures of Effective

Teaching (MET) Project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 2 For administration purposes, survey items should be in the order that is outlined in our administration materials not by survey element.

Copyright 2014 by The Colorado Education Initiative. All rights reserved. The Colorado Education Initiative is pleased to have organizations or individuals share its

materials with others for non-commercial purposes. To request permission to excerpt or share this publication, either in print or electronically, please contact

publications@coloradoedinitiative.org.

My teacher tells us what we are learning and why.

My teacher asks questions to be sure we are following along.

My teacher talks to me about my work to help me understand my mistakes.

My teacher writes notes on my work that help me do better next time.

The schoolwork we do is interesting.

Student-Centered Environment: How teachers create an environment that responds to individual students’ backgrounds, strengths, and interests.

My teacher wants us to share what we think.

My teacher teaches us to respect people's differences.

My teacher knows what makes me excited about learning.

My teacher talks about things we learn in other classes, subjects, and years.

If I am sad or angry, my teacher helps me feel better.

My teacher would notice if something was bothering me.

The people we learn and read about in this class are like me.

My teacher knows what my life is like outside of school.

My teacher knows what is important to me.

Students feel comfortable sharing their ideas in this class.

Classroom Community: How teachers cultivate a classroom learning community where student differences are valued.

My teacher cares about me.

In this class, I feel like I fit in.

I feel like an important part of my classroom community.

I ask for help when I need it.

I feel like I do a good job in this class.

Classroom Management: How teachers foster a respectful and predictable learning environment.

Our class stays busy and does not waste time.

Students in my class are respectful to our teacher.

My classmates behave the way my teacher wants them to.

All of the kids in my class know what they are supposed to be doing and learning.

Copyright 2014 by The Colorado Education Initiative. All rights reserved. The Colorado Education Initiative is pleased to have organizations or individuals share its

materials with others for non-commercial purposes. To request permission to excerpt or share this publication, either in print or electronically, please contact

publications@coloradoedinitiative.org.

Student Learning

How teachers use content and pedagogical knowledge to help students learn, understand, and

improve.

Student-Centered Environment

How teachers create an environment that responds to

individual students’ backgrounds, strengths, and interests.

Classroom Community How teachers cultivate a

classroom learning community where student differences are

valued.

Classroom Management How teachers foster a respectful

and predictable learning environment.

Colorado’s Student Perception Survey - Grades 6-12

Colorado’s Student Perception Survey is a 34 question1 instrument that measures elements of student experience that have been demonstrated to correlate most closely to a teacher’s ability to positively impact student growth. Students are asked to indicate how frequently they experience each item with a response scale of always, most of the time, some of the time, and never. The survey is organized by four elements2: There are two versions of Colorado’s Student Perception Survey: one for grades 3 - 5 and another for grades 6 - 12. The survey items for grades 6 - 12 are listed below and the version for use with grades 3 - 5 can be found at www.coloradoedinitiative.org/resources/studentsurvey/.

Student Learning: How teachers use content and pedagogical knowledge to help students learn, understand, and improve.

My teacher makes learning enjoyable.

What I learn in this class is useful to me in my real life.

My teacher teaches things that are important to me.

My teacher knows the things that make me excited about learning.

In this class, we learn a lot every day.

In this class, it is more important to understand the lesson than to memorize the answers.

When the work is too hard, my teacher helps me keep trying.

My teacher accepts nothing less than my best effort.

1 A number of items on the Colorado SPS were adapted from items made available for non-commercial use through the Measures of Effective

Teaching (MET) Project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 2 For administration purposes, survey items should be in the order that is outlined in our administration materials not by survey element.

Copyright 2014 by The Colorado Education Initiative. All rights reserved. The Colorado Education Initiative is pleased to have organizations or individuals share its

materials with others for non-commercial purposes. To request permission to excerpt or share this publication, either in print or electronically, please contact

publications@coloradoedinitiative.org.

My teacher knows when we understand the lesson and when we do not.

If I don't understand something, my teacher explains it a different way.

My teacher explains difficult things clearly.

In this class, we have a say in what we learn and do.

My teacher talks to me about my work to help me understand my mistakes.

My teacher writes notes on my work that help me improve.

When we study a topic, my teacher makes connections to other subjects or classes.

Student-Centered Environment: How teachers create an environment that responds to individual students’ backgrounds, strengths, and interests.

My classroom is organized and I know where to find what I need.

Students feel comfortable sharing their ideas in this class.

My teacher respects my opinions and suggestions.

My teacher cares about me.

My teacher pays attention to what all students are thinking and feeling.

My teacher respects my cultural background.

My teacher respects me as an individual.

Classroom Community: How teachers cultivate a classroom learning community where student differences are valued.

My teacher would notice if something was bothering me.

Our classroom materials (books, articles, videos, art, music, posters, etc.) reflect my cultural background.

In this class, I feel like I fit in.

I feel like an important part of this classroom community.

My teacher knows what my life is like outside of school.

My teacher knows what is important to me.

I ask for help when I need it.

I feel like I do a good job in this class.

Classroom Management: How teachers foster a respectful and predictable learning environment.

Our class stays busy and does not waste time.

Students in this class treat the teacher with respect.

The students behave the way my teacher wants them to.

Students in this class respect each other’s differences.