Teacher Questionnaires

	Spring 2011 Kindergarten Teacher Questionnaire
	Prepared for the U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics by: Westat 1600 Research Boulevard Rockville, Maryland 20850

L A B E L

Use a black or blue ball point pen or #2 pencil to complete this questionnaire.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1850-0750. Approval expires 03/31/2012. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information requested. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions for improving the survey instrument, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202‑4537. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual response to this survey, write directly to: National Center for Education Statistics, 1990 K Street, N.W., Room 9086, Washington, D.C. 20006-5650.

The collection of information in this survey is authorized by Public Law 107-279 Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part C, Sec. 151(b) and Sec. 153(a). Participation is voluntary. You may skip questions you do not wish to answer; however, we hope that you will answer as many questions as you can. Your responses are protected from disclosure by federal statute (PL 107-279, Title I, Part C, Sec. 183). All responses that relate to or describe identifiable characteristics of individuals may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose, unless otherwise compelled by law. Data will be combined to produce statistical reports. No individual data that links your name, address, telephone number, or identification number with your responses will be included in the statistical reports.

Dear Teacher,

This questionnaire is an important part of a major longitudinal study of children’s early educational experiences beginning with kindergarten and continuing through grade 5. You have received this questionnaire because you are the teacher of one or more of the children who are participants in this study.

This questionnaire contains several sections:

1. Classroom and student characteristics

2. Class organization and resources

3. Instructional activities and curricular focus

4. Parent involvement

5. Evaluation and grading practices

6. School and staff activities

7. Views on school readiness, school climate, and the school environment

Taking part in the study is voluntary. You may stop at any time or choose not to answer a question you do not want to answer. However, only you can provide this information. Although we realize you are very busy, we urge you to complete this questionnaire as completely and accurately as possible. The information you provide is being collected for research purposes only and will be protected from disclosure to the fullest extent allowable by law. Information from multiple individuals will be combined to produce statistical reports; no information that identifies you will be included in any reports or provided to students, their parents, or other school staff.

Please record your answers directly on the questionnaire by marking the appropriate answer (as instructed on the next page) or by writing your responses in the space provided. Your best estimates are acceptable answers.

Many of the questions ask that you respond separately for each kindergarten class that you teach – half-day morning and/or afternoon or full-day.

• Report on half-day morning and half-day afternoon classes separately, in the appropriate columns. If you teach only half-day classes, do not report any information in the full-day class column.

• If you teach a full-day class (the same children are with you for the full day), please record your answers in only the full-day class column; do not report on the morning and afternoon sessions of the class separately.

• If you teach a class with a day care component, please report only on the instructional portion of the class, in the appropriate class column. For example, if the instructional portion of the class is held in the morning, and the day care portion in the afternoon, record your answers in the morning class section.

DEFINITIONS

Reference is made in this questionnaire to Title I and Title III programs, English language learners (ELL), individualized education programs (IEP), individualized family service plans (IFSP), and Section 504 plans. For this study, the following definitions apply:

• Title I: “Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged”: Title I is a program of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, as reauthorized under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The purpose of this program is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments.

• Title III: “Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students”: Title III is a program of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, as reauthorized under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. One of the main purposes of this program is to help ensure that children who are limited English proficient, including immigrant children and youth, attain English proficiency, develop high levels of academic attainment in English, and meet the same state academic content and student academic achievement standards as all students are expected to meet.

• English language learner (ELL): A student whose native language is one other than English and whose skills in listening, speaking, reading, or writing English are such that he or she has difficulty understanding school instruction in English.

• Individualized Education Program (IEP): A written statement of the educational program designed to meet the individual needs of a school-aged child with a disability that is judged to affect the child’s educational performance. Children who receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are expected to have an IEP or an IFSP.

• Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP): A written statement of the educational program and other services designed to enhance the family’s capacity to meet the developmental needs of an infant or toddler (preschool-aged) with a disability. The plan includes a description of the appropriate services needed to assist transition into elementary school.

• Section 504 plan: A written plan to provide appropriate services to a child with a disability, whether or not the disability is judged to affect the child’s educational performance. Speech therapy services may often be specified as part of a Section 504 plan.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR HELP.

MARKING DIRECTIONS

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AND USE A BLACK OR BLUE BALL POINT PEN OR A SOFT LEAD (#2) PENCIL TO COMPLETE THIS QUESTIONNAIRE. DO NOT USE A FELT-TIP PEN.

MARKING BOXES

It is important that you mark an “X” in the box next to your answers and print clearly.

Shown below is the correct way to mark your answers, along with examples of incorrect ways.

Correct Mark:

Incorrect Marks:

Light and thin, outside the box, thick or scrawled.

      

How to Change an Answer:

Completely black out the box of the incorrect answer and mark an “X” in the box next to the correct answer.

      

PRINTING ANSWERS IN BOXES:

Print entire answer in box. Answers should be printed clearly and should not touch or cross any of the box lines. Do not cross zeroes or sevens. That is, do not write a zero with a line through it like this – 0, and do not write a seven with a line through it like this – 7.

Write digits like this:

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  0

Write words like this:

John Smith

section a. classroom and student characteristics

A1. Which of the following describes the kindergarten class or classes you currently teach? MARK YES OR NO ON EACH ROW.

	Yes	No
a. Full-day
b. Morning half-day class
c. Afternoon half-day class
d. One class, some children stay for a full-day, some for a half-day

FOR THE QUESTIONS BELOW, PLEASE ANSWER FOR EACH OF THE CLASSES YOU TEACH.
SEE COVER PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS.

A2. As of today’s date, how many children…

WRITE NUMBER IN BOX FOR EACH CLASS YOU TEACH. IF THERE ARE NO CHILDREN IN A PARTICULAR CATEGORY, WRITE “0.”

	Number of Children
	Morning class	Afternoon class	Full-day class
a. Are currently enrolled?
b. Have joined the class since the beginning of the school year?
c. Have left the class since the beginning of the school year?

A3. How many children in each of your classes…

WRITE NUMBER IN BOX FOR EACH CLASS YOU TEACH. IF NONE, WRITE “0.”

	Number of Children
	Morning class	Afternoon class	Full-day class
a. Are classified as Gifted and Talented?
b. Are participating in a Gifted and Talented program?
c. Are below grade level in their reading skills?
d. Are below grade level in their mathematics skills?
e. Are tardy, on an average day?
f. Are absent, on an average day?

A4. At this point in the school year, how would you rate the behavior of the children in each of your classes?

MARK ONE FOR EACH CLASS YOU TEACH.	Morning class	Afternoon class	Full-day class
Group misbehaves very frequently and is almost always difficult to handle.
Group misbehaves frequently and is often difficult to handle.
Group misbehaves occasionally.
Group behaves well.
Group behaves exceptionally well.

A5. How many children in each of your classes have a diagnosed disability and need special accommodations or services? IF NONE IN A CLASS, WRITE “0” AND SKIP TO A8 FOR THAT CLASS.

Number of children
Morning class	Afternoon class	Full-day class

A6. How many of these children have the following diagnosed disabilities? IF NONE IN A CATEGORY, WRITE “0.”

	Number of Children
	Morning class	Afternoon class	Full-day class
a. Speech or language impairments
b. Specific learning disabilities
c. Emotional disturbance
d. Mental retardation
e. Developmental delay
f. Visual impairments (including blindness)
g. Hearing impairments (including deafness)
h. Orthopedic impairments
i. Other health impairments
j. Autism
k. Traumatic brain injury
l. Deaf-blindness

A6. (CONTINUED) How many of these children have the following diagnosed disabilities? IF NONE IN A CATEGORY, WRITE “0.”

	Number of Children
	Morning class	Afternoon class	Full-day class
m. Multiple disabilities (children included in this category should be those who have more than one primary disability which do not include deaf-blindness or developmental delay)
n. Other (PLEASE SPECIFY)

A7. For how many of these children do the following apply? IF NONE IN A CATEGORY, WRITE “0.”

	Number of Children
	Morning class	Afternoon class	Full-day class
a. Are currently receiving special health or educational services or accommodations for their disabilities, e.g., speech therapy, assistance by an aide in the classroom, or testing accommodations
b. Need more help than they are currently receiving

THE NEXT SERIES OF QUESTIONS ASKS ABOUT THE USE OF DIFFERENT LANGUAGES IN THE CLASSROOM BY TEACHERS, CHILDREN, AND OTHER ADULTS

A8. Are any languages other than English used by teachers, aides, or other adults in your classroom?

Yes (GO TO Q A9)

No (SKIP TO Q A11)

A9. How often is a non-English language used by teachers, aides, or other adults in each of your classes in the following ways? MARK ONE FOR EACH CLASS YOU TEACH.

a. For academic instruction in reading/literacy	Morning class	Afternoon class	Full-day class
Never
Less than half the time
About half the time
More than half the time
All the time
b. For academic instruction in mathematics
Never
Less than half the time
About half the time
More than half the time
All the time
c. For academic instruction in other subjects
Never
Less than half the time
About half the time
More than half the time
All the time
d. For instructional support (e.g., explaining directions, etc.)
Never
Less than half the time
About half the time
More than half the time
All the time

A9. (CONTINUED) How often is a non-English language used in each of your classes in the following ways? MARK ONE FOR EACH CLASS YOU TEACH.

e. For conversation	Morning class	Afternoon class	Full-day class
Never
Less than half the time
About half the time
More than half the time
All the time

A10. How much time per day do you and any other teacher or aide speak any non-English language in each of your classes? MARK ONE FOR EACH CLASS YOU TEACH.

	Morning class	Afternoon class	Full-day class
1 - 15 minutes
16 - 30 minutes
31 - 60 minutes
More than 60 minutes

A11. Do you have any children who are English language learners in each of your classes? (English language learners are children whose native language is one other than English and whose skills in listening, speaking, reading, or writing English are such that they have difficulty understanding school instruction in English.) MARK YES OR NO FOR EACH CLASS THAT YOU TEACH.

	Morning class	Afternoon class	Full-day class
Yes (GO TO Q 12)
No (IF “NO” FOR ALL CLASSES TAUGHT, SKIP TO Q B1)

A12. How often do English language learners (ELL children) in your class or classes do each of the following activities?

MARK ONE ON EACH ROW. INCLUDE ACTIVITIES IN YOUR CLASSROOM OR IN A PULL-OUT PROGRAM.

	Once a month or less	2-3 times a month	1-2 times a week	3-4 times a week	Daily
a. Take assessments to monitor their English language acquisition
b. Take assessments to assess their progress in English reading and literacy skills
c. Work in small groups of ELL children or individually on intensive English reading and literacy skills
d. Work in a structured peer-assisted setting (i.e., ELL child is paired with a non-ELL child)

section b. CLASS ORGANIZATION AND RESOURCES

B1. In a typical day, how much time does a child in your class or classes spend in the following activities? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW. DO NOT INCLUDE LUNCH OR RECESS BREAKS.

	No time	Half hour or less	About one hour	About two hours	About three hours	Four hours or more
a. Teacher-directed whole class activities
b. Teacher-directed small group activities
c. Teacher-directed individual activities
d. Child-selected activities

B2a. How often does the typical child in your class or classes usually work on lessons or projects in the following general subject areas, whether as a whole class, in small groups, or in individualized arrangements? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Never	Less than once a week	1 day a week	2 days a week	3 days a week	4 days a week	5 days a week
a. Reading and language arts
b. Mathematics
c. Social studies
d. Science
e. Music
f. Art
g. Physical education
h. Dance/creative movement
i. Theater/creative dramatics
j. Foreign language

B2b. On the days children work in these areas, how much time does the typical child in your class or classes usually work on lessons or projects in the following general subject areas? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Not Applicable/ never	Less than ½ hour a day	½ hour to less than 1 hour	1 to less than 1 ½ hours	1 ½ to less than 2 hours	2 to less than 2 ½ hours	2 ½ to less than 3 hours	3 hours or more
a. Reading and language arts
b. Mathematics
c. Social studies
d. Science
e. Music
f. Art
g. Physical education
h. Dance/ creative movement
i. Theater/ creative dramatics
j. Foreign language

B3. In an average week, how often do you divide your class or classes into achievement groups for reading and math activities or lessons? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Never	Less than once a week	1 day a week	2 days a week	3 days a week	4 days a week	5 days a week
a. Reading
b. Mathematics
	IF YOUR RESPONSE IS “NEVER’” FOR BOTH a AND b, PLEASE SKIP TO Q B6.

B4. On days when you use achievement grouping, how many groups do you have in your class or classes? How many minutes are your class or classes usually divided into achievement groups for reading and math activities or lessons?

IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE CLASS, WRITE THE AVERAGE FOR YOUR CLASSES. IF YOU DO NOT USE ACHIEVEMENT GROUPING IN THE SUBJECT LISTED, PLEASE WRITE "0" IN THE NUMBER BOX AND SKIP TO THE NEXT QUESTION.

	Number of achievement groups	1-15 minutes/ day	16-30 minutes/ day	31-60 minutes/ day	More than 60 minutes/ day
a. Reading
b. Mathematics

B5. How often do children in your class or classes who need more help with reading receive the following kinds of services while at school?

MARK ONE ON EACH ROW AND WRITE IN THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF MINUTES PER SESSION, NOT COUNTING TIME SPENT MOVING BETWEEN CLASS AND THE SERVICE.

	Never	Less than once a week	Once or twice a week	Three or four times a week	Daily	Minutes per session
a. Extra individual assistance from you
b. Individual tutoring from an aide or volunteer
c. Individual tutoring by a specialist
d. Pull-out instruction in small groups

B6. How often do the children in your class or classes do the following activities? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	No library or media center in this school	Once a month or less	Two or three times a month	Once or twice a week	Three or four times a week	Daily
a. Go to the school library or media center
b. Borrow materials from the library or media center

B7. How many days a week do children have recess? WRITE NUMBER IN BOX. IF NONE, WRITE “0.”

Days

B8. Between the school day starting time and the dismissal time, how many times a day do children have recess? MARK ONLY ONE.

Once

Twice

Three or more times

B9. In a typical day, how much time do children in your class or classes spend in the following activities? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	No time	1-15 minutes	16-30 minutes	31-45 minutes	Longer than 45 minutes
a. Lunch
b. Free play indoors
c. Free play outdoors (including recess)

B10. How many hours a week do different types of paid aides usually assist in you in the following ways? WRITE THE NUMBER OF HOURS IN THE APPROPRIATE BOXES BELOW. IF NONE, WRITE “0.”

	Regular aides	Special education aides	ESL or bilingual education aides
a. Working directly with children on instructional tasks	hours/week	hours/week	hours/week
b. Doing non-instructional work (e.g., photocopying, preparing materials, etc.)	hours/week	hours/week	hours/week

B11. How many hours a week do volunteers usually assist in your class or classes in the following ways? IF NONE, WRITE “0.” IF THERE ARE TWO OR MORE VOLUNTEERS PLEASE ADD UP THEIR WEEKLY HOURS.

	Number of hours a week
a. Working directly with children on instructional tasks
b. Doing non-instructional work (e.g., photocopying, preparing materials, etc.)

B12. Which of the following statements is true about how well your school provides you with the instructional materials and other resources to teach the following subject areas? (MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.)

	I get all the resources I need.	I get most of the resources I need.	I get some of the resources I need.	I don't get any of the resources I need.
a. Reading
b. Math
c. Science

B13. In general, how adequate is each of the following for your class or classes? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	I don’t use these at this grade level	Never adequate	Often not adequate	Sometimes not adequate	Always adequate
a. Textbooks
b. Tradebooks
c. Basal reader books
d. Manipulatives (e.g., blocks, puzzles)
e. Audiovisual equipment (e.g., DVD player, TV)
f. DVDs, videotapes, or films
g. Computer equipment
h. Computer software
i. Paper and pencils
j. Photocopier
k. Art materials, paints, clay
l. Musical instruments
m. Musical recordings
n. Materials for teaching ELL children
o. Materials for teaching children with disabilities
p. Heat and air-conditioning
q. Classroom space

B14. How often are the following materials or resources used in your class or classes? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Not available	Never	Once a month or less	Two or three times a month	Once or twice a week	Three or four times a week	Daily
a. Art materials
b. Musical instruments
c. Costumes for creative dramatics/theater
d. Cooking or food related items
e. DVD player or VCR
f. TV for watching broadcast programs
g. CD or other music player
h. Science equipment (e.g., magnifying glass, scales, thermometers)

section C. INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES AND CURRICULAR FOCUS

Reading and Language Arts Instruction

C1. How often do you use the following resources to teach reading in your class or classes? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Never or hardly ever	Once or twice a month	Once or twice a week	Almost every day
a. Basal reading series
b. Children’s newspapers and/or magazines
c. Reading kits
d. Computer software for reading instruction
e. A variety of trade books (e.g., novels, collections of poetry, nonfiction)
f. Materials from other subjects (e.g., science, social studies)

C2. How often do children in your class or classes do each of the following READING and LANGUAGE ARTS activities? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Never	Once a month or less	Two or three times a month	Once or twice a week	Three or four times a week	Daily
a. Practice writing the letters of the alphabet
b. Discuss new or difficult vocabulary
c. Dictate stories to a teacher, aide, or volunteer
d. Work on phonics
e. Listen to you read stories where they see the print (e.g., Big Books)
f. Listen to you read stories but they don't see the print
g. Retell stories
h. Read aloud
i. Read from basal reading texts
j. Read silently
k. Work in a reading workbook or on a worksheet
l. Write words from dictation, to improve spelling
m. Write with encouragement to use invented spellings, if needed
n. Read books they have chosen for themselves
o. Compose and write stories or reports
p. Do an activity or project related to a book or story
q. Perform plays and skits
r. Write stories in a journal
s. Work in mixed-achievement groups on language arts activities
t. Peer tutoring
u. Read text with controlled vocabulary
v. Read text with strong phonetic patterns
w. Read text with patterned or predictable text

C3. For this school year as a whole, please indicate how often each of the following READING and LANGUAGE ARTS skills is taught in your class or classes. MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Not Taught		Taught
	Taught at a higher grade level	Children should already know	Once a month or less	2 to 3 times a month	1 to 2 times a week	3 to 4 times a week	Daily
a. Conventions of print (left to right orientation, book holding)
b. Alphabet and letter recognition
c. Matching letters to sounds
d. Writing own name (first and last)
e. Rhyming words and word families
f. Blending separate sounds of a word to say the word (e.g., “/c/ /a/ /t/ - cat”)
g. Verbally manipulating syllables within a word (e.g., what is cowboy without cow?)
h. Reading multi-syllable words, like adventure
i. Common prepositions such as over and under, up and down
j. Identifying the main idea and parts of a story
k. Making predictions based on text
l. Using context cues for comprehension
m. Communicating complete ideas orally
n. Remembering and following directions that include a series of actions
o. Using capitalization and punctuation
p. Composing and writing complete sentences
q. Composing and writing stories with an understandable beginning, middle, and end

C3. (CONTINUED) For this school year as a whole, please indicate how often each of the following READING and LANGUAGE ARTS skills is taught in your class or classes. MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Not Taught		Taught
	Taught at a higher grade level	Children should already know	Once a month or less	2 to 3 times a month	1 to 2 times a week	3 to 4 times a week	Daily
s. Conventional spelling
t. Alphabetizing
u. Reading aloud fluently

Mathematics Instruction

C4. How often do children in your class or classes do each of the following MATH activities? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Never	Once a month or less	Two or three times a month	Once or twice a week	Three or four times a week	Daily
a. Count out loud
b. Work with geometric manipulatives
c. Work with counting manipulatives to learn basic operations
d. Play math-related games
e. Use a calculator for math
f. Use music to understand math concepts
g. Use creative movement or creative drama to understand math concepts
h. Work with rulers, measuring cups, spoons, or other measuring instruments
i. Explain how a math problem is solved
j. Engage in calendar-related activities
k. Do math worksheets
l. Do math problems from their textbooks
m. Complete math problems on the chalkboard
n. Solve math problems in small groups or with a partner
o. Work on math problems that reflect real-life situations
p. Work in mixed achievement groups on math activities
q. Peer tutoring
r. Use a number line to understand number concepts

C5. For this school year as a whole, please indicate how often each of the following MATH skills is taught in your class or classes. MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

		Not Taught		Taught
	Taught at a higher grade level		Children should already know	Once a month or less	2 to 3 times a month	1 to 2 times a week	3 to 4 times a week	Daily
a. Correspondence between number and quantity
b. Writing all numbers between 1 and 10
c. Counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s
d. Counting beyond 100
e. Writing all numbers between 1 and 100
f. Recognizing and naming geometric shapes
g. Identifying relative quantity (e.g., equal, less, more, least, most)
h. Sorting objects into subgroups according to a rule
i. Ordering objects by size or other properties
j. Making, copying, or extending patterns
k. Recognizing the value of coins and currency
l. Adding single-digit numbers
m. Subtracting single-digit numbers
n. Place value
o. Reading two-digit numbers
p. Reading three-digit numbers

C5. (CONTINUED) For this school year as a whole, please indicate how often each of the following MATH skills is taught in your class or classes. MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

		Not Taught		Taught
	Taught at a higher grade level		Children should already know	Once a month or less	2 to 3 times a month	1 to 2 times a week	3 to 4 times a week	Daily
q. Reading simple graphs
r. Performing simple data collection and graphing
s. Fractions (e.g., recognizing that ¼ of a circle is colored)
t. Ordinal numbers (e.g., first, second, third)
u. Using measuring instruments accurately
v. Telling time
w. Estimating quantities
x. Estimating probability
y. Writing math equations to solve word problems

Science and Social Studies Instruction

C6. For this school year as a whole, please indicate if each of the following SCIENCE or SOCIAL STUDIES topics or skills is taught in your class or classes. MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Taught in my class or classes	Not taught in my class or classes
a. Human body
b. Plants and animals
c. Dinosaurs and fossils
d. Solar system and space
e. Weather (e.g., rainy, sunny)
f. Understand and measure temperature
g. Water
h. Sound
i. Light
j. Magnetism and electricity
k. Machines and motors
l. Tools and their uses
m. Health, safety, nutrition, and personal hygiene
n. Important figures and events in American history
o. Community resources (e.g., grocery store, police)
p. Map-reading skills

C6. (CONTINUED) For this school year as a whole, please indicate if each of the following SCIENCE or SOCIAL STUDIES topics or skills is taught in your class or classes. MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Taught in my class or classes	Not taught in my class or classes
q. Different cultures
r. Reasons for rules, laws, and government
s. Ecology
t. Geography
u. Scientific method
v. Social problem solving
w. Hands-on activities or investigations in science
x. Laboratory skills or techniques
y. Communicating ideas in science
z. Relevance of science to society
aa. Community service
bb. Current events in the news

C7. On days when homework is assigned, how much time do you expect children to spend on homework in the following areas? MARK ONE RESPONSE FOR EACH ROW.

	I never assign homework	1 to 10 minutes	11 to 20 minutes	21 to 30 minutes	More than 30 minutes
a. Reading and language arts
b. Math

section D. PARENT INVOLVEMENT

D1. How many regularly scheduled conferences do you have with a parent or guardian of each child in your class or classes during the school year? MARK ONLY ONE.

No conferences

One conference

Two conferences

Three or more conferences

D2. What percentage of children in your class or classes have parents who participate in the following activities? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	None	1-25%	26-50%	51-75%	76% or more
a. Attend teacher-parent conferences
b. Volunteer regularly to help in your classroom or another part of the school
c. Attend open houses or parties
d. Attend art/music events or demonstrations

D3. During this school year, have you made contacts with parents in the following ways? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Never	One to two times	Three to five times	Six to ten times	11 to 14 times	15 or more times
a. Sent home letters, newsletters, or other notices addressed to all parents
b. Shared portfolios or other collections of children's work for parents to see
c. Used e-mail or list-serve to send out classroom updates or information to parents
d. Used e-mail or written notes to address individual questions or concerns of parents
e. Talked to parents by telephone

section E. EVALUATION AND GRADING PRACTICES

E1. How important is each of the following in evaluating the children in your class or classes? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Not important	Somewhat important	Very important	Extremely important
a. Individual child's achievement relative to the rest of the class
b. Individual child's achievement relative to local, state, or professional standards
c. Individual improvement or progress over past performance
d. Effort
e. Class participation
f. Daily attendance
g. Classroom behavior or conduct
h. Cooperativeness with other children
i. Ability to follow directions

E2. Which of the following best describes your evaluation and grading practices for different types of children? MARK ONLY ONE.

I hold the same standards for most children, but I make exceptions for children with special needs (for example, children with disabilities, children who are English language learners).

I hold different standards for different children based on what I think they are capable of.

I hold the same standards for everyone in my class.

E3. How often do you use the following to assess your students? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Never	One or two times a year	One or two times a month	One or two times a week	Three or more times a week
a. State or local standardized tests
b. Commercially-produced tests or quizzes
c. Teacher-made tests or quizzes
d. Individual or group projects
e. Tests from textbook series (e.g., end of unit or chapter)
f. Worksheets
g. Work samples
h. Teacher observation of specific objectives

E4. Which of the following do you use to provide kindergartners' parents with information about their children's performance? MARK YES OR NO ON EACH ROW.

	Yes	No
a. Standard report card (e.g., a letter grade assigned for each subject)
b. Progress report form (narrative report)
c. Competency based checklists
d. Portfolio of child's work
e. Assessments/standardized test scores

SECTION F. SCHOOL AND STAFF ACTIVITIES

F1. How often have you participated in the following school-related activities since the beginning of the school year? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Never	Once a month or less	Two or three times a month	Once or twice a week	Three or four times a week	Daily
a. Meeting with other teachers to discuss lesson planning
b. Meeting with other teachers to discuss curriculum development

F2. In which of the following staff development and training activities have you participated during the current academic year? MARK YES OR NO ON EACH ROW.

	Yes	No
a. Workshops involving study groups or small-group problem solving
b. Direct instruction from an outside consultant on a specific topic
c. Peer observation and feedback
d. Visits to, or observations of, other schools
e. Release time for attending professional conferences
f. Enrollment in college or university courses related to your profession
g. Professional development via distance learning (web-based, etc.)
h. Workshops on using computers and technology in the classroom

section G. VIEWS ON SCHOOL READINESS, SCHOOL CLIMATE, AND SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

G1. Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about your school. MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
a. The level of child misbehavior (for example, noise, horseplay, or fighting in the halls or cafeteria) in this school interferes with my teaching
b. Many of the children I teach are not capable of learning the material I am supposed to teach them
c. I feel accepted and respected as a colleague by most staff members
d. Teachers in this school are continually learning and seeking new ideas
e. Routine administrative duties and paperwork interfere with my job of teaching
f. Parents are supportive of school staff
g. There is a great deal of cooperative effort among the staff members
h. In this school, staff members are recognized for a job well done
i. The academic standards at this school are too low
j. There is broad agreement among the entire school faculty about the central mission of the school
k. The school administrator sets priorities, makes plans, and sees that they are carried out
l. The school administration's behavior toward the staff is supportive and encouraging

G2. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Agree	Strongly agree	Not applicable
a. I am adequately trained to teach the children with disabilities who are in my class
b. Inclusion of children with disabilities in my class has worked well
c. I am adequately trained to teach English language learners in my class
d. Inclusion of English language learners in my class has worked well

G3. To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? MARK ONE ON EACH ROW.

	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
a. If I try really hard, I can get through even to the most difficult or unmotivated students.
b. If some students in my class are not doing well, I feel that I should change my approach to the subject.
c. By trying a different teaching method, I can significantly affect a student’s achievement.
d. There is really very little I can do to ensure that most of my students achieve at a high level.
e. I work to create lessons so my students will enjoy learning and become independent thinkers.
f. I feel sometimes it is a waste of my time to try to do my best as a teacher.
g. The attitudes and habits students bring to my class greatly reduce their chances for academic success.
h. My success or failure in teaching is due primarily to factors beyond my control rather than to my own effort or ability.
i. The amount a student can learn is primarily related to family background.
j. If a student did not remember information I gave in a previous lesson, I would know how to increase his/her retention in the next lesson.
k. If a student in my class becomes disruptive and noisy, I feel assured that I know some techniques to redirect him/her quickly.
l. I really enjoy my present teaching job
m. I am certain I am making a difference in the lives of the children I teach
n. If I could start over, I would choose teaching again as my career

Date Questionnaire Completed:

				2011
MONTH		DAY		YEAR