Colorado’s Student Perception Survey

1. Colorado’s Student Perception Survey Planning Webinar for Districts Student Perception Survey Toolkit

2. AGENDA • Survey overview • Planning timeline • Engaging stakeholders • Key decision points • Developing a communication strategy • Data collection • Survey Administration • Preparing reports • Distributing results

3. WHY USE A STUDENT PERCEPTION SURVEY? • The survey is a unique form of actionable feedback that districts, schools and teachers can use to inform practice. • Students are in unique position to contribute to a comprehensive view of classroom practice because they experience it more than anyone else in the education system. • Student perception data can offer a big-picture view of what is happening in classrooms as well as school- and district-wide trends.

4. WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS… • The Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) Project had two significant findings around student perception 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 of them alone. • Student perception survey results are correlated to student achievement gains. • The use of student feedback has also been shown to promote both reflection and responsibility on the part of the students. Research Overview Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2012). Asking students about teaching: Student perception surveys and their implementation. (MET Project Policy and Practice Brief). Retrieved from http://www.metproject.org/downloads/Asking_Students_Practitioner_Brief.pdf Wiggins, G. (2011). Giving students a voice: The power of feedback to improve teaching. Education Horizons, 89(3), 23-26.

5. COLORADO’S STUDENT PERCEPTION SURVEY • 34-item survey asking a teacher’s students about their learning experiences • Two versions of the survey, grades 3-5 and grades 6-12 • Developed by the Colorado Education Initiative • Piloted in 16 Colorado districts representing a range of diversity • Rigorous analyses confirm that the survey is fair, valid, and reliable • The survey maps to Colorado’s Teacher Quality Standards • Survey measures elements of student experience that have been demonstrated to correlate most closely to student growth Full Technical Report

6. WHAT DOES THE SURVEY MEASURE? See the full surveys for grades 3-5 and 6-12 Standards I and III Standard II Standard II Standard II

7. PLANNING TIMELINE Student Survey Planning Guide

8. ENGAGING STAKEHOLDERS • Assign a survey coordinator • Form a planning committee • Chairperson: District survey coordinator • District and building administrators • Teachers • District data staff member(s) • Make key decisions

9. KEY DECISION: USE A VENDOR OR MANAGE ADMINISTRATION INTERNALLY? Take the following into account: • Budget • Internal capacity • Other administration decisions Student Survey Planning Guide

10. KEY DECISION: ONLINE OR PAPER/PENCIL SURVEY ADMINISTRATION?

11. KEY DECISION: WHEN WILL SURVEY ADMINISTRATION TAKE PLACE? • Recommended window is November – January • Also consider the following: • Other testing windows • School holidays and breaks • The timeline for results

12. KEY DECISION: HOW WILL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS BE SAMPLED? • Which teachers will participate? • Sample size • Scheduling • How will students be sampled? • At the secondary level, consider having a representative sample of students complete surveys for each teacher, rather than having all students complete surveys for all of their teachers • At the elementary level students usually complete a survey for their homeroom teacher • Students with disabilities Student Survey Planning Guide

13. KEY DECISION: HOW WILL SURVEY RESULTS BE USED? • Consider a “hold-harmless” pilot year • As a formative tool • Reflect on practice, complete self-reflections, and create goals. • Professional growth among colleagues • Identify over-arching trends and create strategies to address them • As a part of an evaluation • Used as an artifact for determining ratings for professional practices • Included as one of several multiple measures

14. KEY DECISION: HOW WILL SURVEY RESULTS BE USED? • Sharing results • Work with your teachers and association representatives to determine how teacher-level data will be shared Student Survey Planning Guide

15. DEVELOPING A COMMUNICATION STRATEGY:GUIDING PRINCIPLES • By itself, a reliable and valid instrument does not ensure that teachers will receive good feedback • Messaging matters • Engage stakeholders early and often • Make the process as transparent as possible • Give stakeholders real decision-making power

16. DEVELOPING A COMMUNICATION STRATEGY:BUILDING EDUCATOR INVESTMENT • Brief all instructional staff prior to survey administration • Survey purpose • Administration plans and timeline • How results will be used Communication Tools for Teachers

17. Developing a Communication Strategy:Building student understanding • Inform students of the survey in advance and to talk explicitly with them about the process and purpose • It is essential for students to feel comfortable and respond honestly to survey items Student Information Sheet in English and Spanish

18. DEVELOPING A COMMUNICATION STRATEGY:INFORMING OTHER KEY STAKEHOLDERS • Parents, school board members, and other community members should also be informed about the student survey purpose and process. • Use the following resources to communicate with these stakeholders: • Drop-in articles • A sample parent letter in English and Spanish • Overview of Student Perception Surveys

19. DATA COLLECTION PRIOR TO ADMINISTRATION • Assign a district point-person for data collection • Relevant data • Teacher ID numbers • Student ID numbers • Teacher, student, and course names • Grade level and period • Additional data • Non-relevant data • Data verification Data Checklist and Sample Data File

20. SURVEY ADMINISTRATION • Customize materials to reflect key decisions: • Protocols and instructions • Survey materials • Ensure that students know their confidentiality is being maintained: • Proctoring • Receiving survey materials in a way that protects confidentiality • Accommodations: • Students with disabilities • Other students who need accommodations

21. PREPARING REPORTS • Ensuring data quality • Data cleaning • Confidentiality • Including the open-ended question • Aggregating data • Mean score • Percent favorable • Report structure • By the survey elements • By individual question • As an aggregate score of all questions

22. DISTRIBUTION OF RESULTS • Timing • If possible, release results on a day and time when teachers will have some “alone-time” to review and reflect • Consider a gradual release of data • Communication • Share the timeline for report release with teachers, evaluators, coaches, etc. • Using the results • Have district- and school-level plans in place for professional development Resources for Engaging with Results

23. THE DISTRICT PLANNING TOOLKIT • A comprehensive planning guide • Communication tools for teachers, principals, parents, students, and other stakeholders • Survey materials for online or paper/pencil administration • Resources for engaging with results • The full technical report from the survey pilot http://www.coloradoedinitiative.org/studentsurvey/

24. TEACHER REFLECTION AND COACHING TOOLKITS • Tools to introduce the survey to teachers • Instructional strategies for each survey item • Resources for setting goals around survey results • A guide for discussing results with teachers