You are invited to take part in the VISTA survey. The purpose of this survey is to provide ESE your feedback on your district and the state’s programs to support statewide reform efforts. The survey is divided into five main modules, plus a small number of demographic questions:

i.Demographic questions

A.State Curriculum Frameworks

B.Educator Growth and Development

C.Role of Evaluation in Supporting Educator Growth and Development

D.Social and Emotional Learning

E.ESE Overall Support

The survey should take approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete.

You may wish to have a designee from your district staff complete one or more of the five modules. If you do so, you will need to provide them with your link to the survey. If you are unsure about a question, please respond in a manner that most closely reflects your experiences or seek information from others (e.g., Curriculum Directors) to provide an answer.

Taking part in this study is completely voluntary. You can withdraw from the study at any time bydiscontinuing the survey and you may choose not to respond to any question within the survey (except the required demographic questions in the first section). There are no known risks or discomforts associated with this survey. Although you will receive no direct benefits for completing the survey, doing so will provide information that may be useful to improve teaching and learning.

Your responses will be kept confidential and stored in secure electronic files. Any report of this research that is made available to the public will not include your name or any other individual information by which you could be identified. No individual responses will be reported.

If you have questions or want a copy or summary of this study’s results, contact Laura Egan, Westat VISTA Project Director, at . If you have questions about your rights and welfare as a research participant, please call the Westat Human Subjects Protections office at 1-888-920-7631. Please leave a message with your full name, the name of the research study that you are calling about (the VISTA study), and a phone number beginning with the area code. Someone will return your call as soon as possible. Please feel free to print a copy of this consent page to keep for your records.

Clicking the “Next” button below indicates that you are 21 years of age or older and indicates your consent to participate in this survey.

i1. What grade levels does your district serve?

1□All Grades, K–12

2□Kindergarten

3□grade 1

4□grade 2

5□grade 3

6□grade 4

7□grade 5

8□grade 6

9□grade 7

10□grade 8

11□grade 9

12□grade 10

13□grade 11

14□grade 12

15□grade 13 (special education students aged 18 – 22)

i2.Including the current school year (2016-17), how long have you worked as a district-level and/or schoollevel administrator?

Please do not include student practicum.

Years
  1. Total amount of time as a district-level administrator
/ | | |
  1. Total amount of time as a district-level administrator in current district
/ | | |
  1. Total amount of time as a school-level administrator
/ | | |

i3.Since September 2011, how many different people have served as Superintendent (or acting/interim Superintendent) in your district?

Please include the current superintendent.

_ _ / Number of Superintendents since September 2011

i4.Are you a leader of a Charter school/district?

1□Yes

2 □ No

1

To protect confidentiality, survey responses will not be reported at the individual-level.

This module asks for your views on the alignment, support and implementation of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks (English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Revised Science and Technology/Engineering) in your district.

A1.Please indicate your agreement with the following statements about the 2011Massachusetts English Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum Framework.

Disagree Strongly / Disagree Somewhat / Agree Somewhat / Agree Strongly / Don’t Know
a.The current2011ELA Curriculum Framework sets appropriate expectations for student learning at each grade level. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3□ / 4□ / -1□
b.The current 2011ELACurriculum Frameworkpositively affects the degree to which students are prepared for college or career. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3□ / 4□ / -1□
c.Teachers have made instructional shifts over the last year to ensure students meet the expectations of the state’s current 2011ELA Curriculum Framework. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3□ / 4□ / -1□
d.ELA state assessments provide useful information about how well students in my district are mastering the state’s2011 ELA standards. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3□ / 4□ / -1□

A2.Please indicate your agreement with the following statements about the 2011Mathematics Curriculum Framework.

Disagree Strongly / Disagree Somewhat / Agree Somewhat / Agree Strongly / Don’t Know
a.The current2011 MathematicsCurriculum Framework sets appropriate expectations for student learning at each grade level. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3□ / 4□ / -1□
b.The current 2011MathematicsCurriculum Frameworkpositively affects the degree to which students are prepared for college or career. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3□ / 4□ / -1□
c.Teachers in my district have made instructional shifts over the last year to ensure students meet the expectations of the state’s current 2011 MathematicsCurriculum Framework. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3□ / 4□ / -1□
d.Mathematics state assessments provide useful information about how well students in my district are mastering the state’s 2011Mathematics standards. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3□ / 4□ / -1□

A3.Please indicate your agreement with the following statements about the 2016Science and Technology/Engineering (STE) Curriculum Framework.

Disagree Strongly / Disagree Somewhat / Agree Somewhat / Agree Strongly / Don’t know
a.The current 2016 Science and Technology/Engineering(STE) Curriculum Framework sets appropriate expectations for student learning at each grade level. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3□ / 4□ / -1□
b.The current 2016 STECurriculum Frameworkpositively affects the degree to which students are prepared for college or career. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3□ / 4□ / -1□
c.Teachers in my district have made instructional shifts over the last year to ensure students meet the expectations of the state’s current 2016 STE Curriculum Framework. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3□ / 4□ / -1□
d.STE state assessments provide useful information about how well students in my district are mastering the state’s 2016 STE standards. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3□ / 4□ / -1□

A4.Please indicate the degree to which you think the following district or school resources are aligned to the stateCurriculum Frameworks.

Not At All Aligned / Somewhat Aligned / Aligned / Strongly Aligned / Don’t know
  1. District-wide summative assessments
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1□
b.Assessments created or selected by teachers / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1□
c.Mathematics textbooks used in your schools / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1□
d.EnglishLanguage Arts textbooks used in your schools / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1□
e.Science and Technology/Engineering textbooks used in your schools / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1□
f.Mathematics curriculum selected or developed by your district / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1□
g.EnglishLanguage Arts curriculum selected or developed by your district / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1□
h.Science and Technology/Engineering curriculum selected or developed by your district / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1□
i.Professional development activities that principals have or will participate in this school year / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1□

A5.How much of the following resources would you like in the future, compared to what you have now?

Resource is not available / Resource is available
Compared to what I have now, I need:
Less / Same
Amount / More
a.Curriculum resources aligned to the 2011 ELA Curriculum Framework / 0 □ / 1 □ / 2□ / 3 □
  1. Curriculum resources aligned to the 2011Mathematics Curriculum Framework
/ 0 □ / 1 □ / 2□ / 3 □
  1. Curriculum resources aligned to the 2016Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework
/ 0 □ / 1 □ / 2□ / 3 □
d.Digital tools (on-line textbooks, webinars, videos, online communities, applications, etc.) / 0 □ / 1 □ / 2□ / 3 □
e.Information about how state standards change what students are expected to learn / 0 □ / 1 □ / 2□ / 3 □
f.Information about how state standards change what is expected of teachers’ instructional practice / 0 □ / 1 □ / 2□ / 3 □
g.Guidance on how to embed students’ social and emotional learning into the district’s curricula / 0 □ / 1 □ / 2□ / 3 □
h.Professional development for principals on the state standards / 0 □ / 1 □ / 2□ / 3 □
i. Other (specify): ______/ 0 □ / 1 □ / 2□ / 3 □

A6.To what extent is each of the following a challenge to your district’s efforts to implement the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks in your district?

Not a Challenge / Minor Challenge / Moderate Challenge / Major Challenge / Not Sure
  1. Lack of support from parents
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □
  1. Inadequate instructional resources
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □
  1. Principal turnover
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □
  1. Teacher turnover
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □
  1. Lack of school resources needed to provide extra help forstruggling students
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □
  1. Level of difficulty of the Massachusetts standards
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □
  1. Conflicting state initiatives
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □
  1. Deployment of resources (people, time, and fiscal resources) to maximize teaching and learning
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □
  1. Insufficient understanding of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks by teachers
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □
  1. Insufficient understanding of the MassachusettsCurriculum Frameworks by principals
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □
  1. Lack of high quality teaching
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □
  1. Lack of high quality administrators
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □
  1. Amount of time required for additional district-administered tests
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □

A7. Please indicate your agreement with the following statements.

Disagree Strongly / Disagree Somewhat / Agree Somewhat / Agree Strongly
  1. The district rewards or recognizes principals based on their schools’ MCAS or PARCC scores.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. The district rewards or recognizes teachers based on their students’ MCAS or PARCC scores.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. The district rewards or recognizes principals based on their schools’ implementation of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. The district rewards or recognizes teachersbased on their classroom implementation of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. There are negative repercussions for principals in my district if their schools poorly implement the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. There are negative repercussions for teachers in my district who poorly implement the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. There are negative repercussions for me if students in my school do not perform well on state standardized assessments.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □

A8.Please indicate your agreement with the following statements about the 2011English Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum Framework.

Disagree Strongly / Disagree Somewhat / Agree Somewhat / Agree Strongly
  1. The 2011ELACurriculum Framework clearly indicates the content (topics and cognitive demands) teachers should teach.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3□ / 4□
  1. The 2011ELACurriculum Framework clearly indicates the content (topics and cognitive demands) teachers should not teach.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3□ / 4□
  1. Teachers have received guidance from my district or state that clearly indicates the order in which they should teach each content area in the 2011ELACurriculum Framework.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3□ / 4□
  1. Teachers have received guidance from my district or state that clearly indicates how much time they should spend on each content area in the 2011ELA Curriculum Framework.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3□ / 4□

A9.Please indicate your agreement with the following statements about the 2011Mathematics Curriculum Framework.

Disagree Strongly / Disagree Somewhat / Agree Somewhat / Agree Strongly
  1. The 2011MathematicsCurriculum Frameworks clearly indicate the content (topics and cognitive demands) teachers should teach.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. The 2011MathematicsCurriculum Frameworks clearly indicates the content (topics and cognitive demands) teachers should not teach.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. Teachers have received guidance from my district or state that clearly indicates the order in which they should teach each content area in the 2011Mathematics Curriculum Frameworks.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. Teachers have received guidance from my district or state that clearly indicates how much time they should spend on each content area in the 2011MathematicsCurriculum Frameworks.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □

A10. Including this current school year, how much longer do you believe each of the following will remain in effect?

1 – 2 years / 3 years / 4 years / 5+ years
  1. The current 2011English Language Arts Curriculum Framework
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. The current 2011Mathematics Curriculum Framework
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. The current 2016Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. The next generation MCAS test
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □

The Educator Growth and Development section of the survey is divided into two parts. Thefirst part of this section(Module B) asks for your views on opportunities foreducatorgrowth and development used in your schools or district. The second part of the section (Module C) asks for your views on the role of evaluation in supporting educator growth and development during the 2016-2017 school year (including summer 2016).

B1.Indicate your agreement with the following statements about the impact of the professional developmentactivities that were offered to teachers in your district during the 2016-17 school year (including summer 2016). The professional development activities are…

Disagree Strongly / Disagree Somewhat / Agree Somewhat / Agree Strongly
a.improving teachers’ content knowledge of the academic subjects they teach. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
b.advancing teachers’ understanding of effective instructional strategies. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
c.having a lasting impact on teachers’ classroom instruction. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
d.helping teachers improve their teaching of the current state curriculum frameworks. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
e.helping teachers use the analyses of student performance data to identify the needs of struggling students. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. helping teachers address the social and emotional needs of their students.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
g.helping teachers teach content aligned to the current curriculum frameworks to students with disabilities. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
h.helping teachers teach content aligned to the current curriculum frameworks to English Language Learners. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
i.well-aligned to the MA Standards and Indicators of Effective Teaching. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
j. Other (specify)
______/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □

B2.During the 2016-17 school year (including summer 2016), how often has your district engaged in the following activities to evaluate the quality of its professional development offerings to teachers?

SELECT ONE RESPONSE PER ROW
Never / Rarely / Sometimes / Often / Don’t Know
a.Solicitedinformal feedback from teachers on the professional development activities / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □
b.Examined whether professional development correlates to gains in student achievement / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □
  1. Solicited formal evaluations from teachers on the professional development activities
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □
  1. Conducted observations of instructional practice
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □ / -1 □

B3. Of all the professional development for teachers provided in your district, what percentage is developed in-house by your district?

______% (enter #)

B4. To help students master the Massachusetts’ state standards, to what extent could teachers in your district benefit from support in the following areas?

To help students master the Massachusetts’ state standards, teachers need support to… / Not At All / Minimal Extent / Moderate Extent / Large Extent
  1. implement accommodations, modifications, and specially designed instruction as described in students’ Individualized Education Plans.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. implement strategies to specifically address the instructional needs of English language learners.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. supplement core teaching strategies with additional supports for students with varying intensity of academic need.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. implement inclusive practices to support the needs of all learners in core academic areas.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □

B5.To help students master the Massachusetts’ state standards, to what extent could principals in your districtbenefit from support in the following?

Principals could benefit from strategies to… / Not At All / Minimal Extent / Moderate Extent / Large Extent
  1. support teachers as they integrate the development of students’ social and emotional competencies into their lesson content (e.g., self-awareness and management, social awareness and relationship skills, and responsible decision-making).
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. integrate the development of students’ social and emotional competencies into their instructional leadership, and school-wide systems and structures.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
  1. support students with different types of social and emotional learning needs within their school.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □

B6.Thinking of your district’s student support system, to what extent coulditbenefit fromdistrict-widesupport in the following areas?

Not At All / Minimal Extent / Moderate Extent / Large Extent
Connecting students with different intensities of academic need to appropriate interventions / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
Connecting students with different intensities of social and emotional/behavioral need to appropriate interventions / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
Monitoring the impact ofacademic interventions on the progress of individual students / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □
Monitoring the impact of social emotional/behavioral interventions on the progress of individual students / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4 □

The second part of the Educator Growth and Development section (Module C) asks for your views on the role of evaluation in supporting educator growth and development in your schools or district. It first asks for your views on the role of evaluation in supporting principal growth and development. It then asks for your views on the role of evaluation in supporting teacher growth and development in your district.

C1. Please indicate your agreement with the following statements about the principal evaluation systemused in your district.

Disagree Strongly / Disagree Somewhat / Agree Somewhat / Agree Strongly
a.The principal evaluation system is effective in identifying outstanding school leaders. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
b.The principal evaluation system is effective in identifying school leaders who are struggling. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
c.The principal evaluation system helps the district identify specific areas where the district can improve academiclearning. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
d.The principal evaluation system helps the district identify specific areas where the district can improve school leadership. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
e.The principal evaluation system helps the district identify specific areas where the district can improve student social and emotional learning. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
f.Educators’ personal SMART goals are aligned to school and district goals. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
  1. The Massachusetts’ Standards and Indicators of Effective Administrative Leadership capture the most important aspects of being an administrator.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
h.Overall, the evaluation system used in my district for assessing administrators generates fair results. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□

This next series of questions asks your views on the role of evaluation in supporting teacher growth and development in your district.

C2. Indicate your agreement with the following statements about theteacher evaluation system in your

district.

The district’s teacher evaluation system helps… / Disagree Strongly / Disagree Somewhat / Agree Somewhat / Agree Strongly
a.teachers identify specific areas where they can improve student learning. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
b.teachers identify specific areas where they can improve their practice. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
c.teachers make instruction accessible to all learners. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
  1. teachers identify specific areas where they can further develop students’ social and emotional competencies (e.g., self-awareness and management, social awareness and relationship skills, and responsible decision-making).
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
  1. teachers use better assessment practices (such as getting better at setting student learning goals, monitoring progress, and providing students with feedback).
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
f.promote constructive conversations between teachers and their evaluators. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
  1. maintain a high bar for teachers to receive Professional Teacher Status.
/ 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
h.the district determine whether teachers receive teacher leadership opportunities. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
i.the districtrecognize and reward exemplary teachers. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
j.the district assign teachers to classes/students. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□
k. the district assign teachers across schools. / 1 □ / 2 □ / 3 □ / 4□

C3.1. When implementing your district’s educator evaluation system this school year, which of the following procedures does your district employ?

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY

1□All evaluators are equipped with relevant classroom observation protocols.

2□All evaluators received training in how to use the observation protocols.

3□All evaluators received training to calibrate practice related to conducting observations.

4□All evaluators received training to calibrate practice related to providing high quality feedback.

5□All evaluators are assessed to determine the extent they are applying the evaluation system validly and reliably.