NAEP 2011 Wave I (Reading, Math, Science, Economics)

NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF
EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS

Wave 1 Submittal for 2011
VOLUME II
Part 2g
BACKGROUND QUESTIONS
FOR 2011 ASSESSMENT

Teacher Grade 8 Science Questions

Part 2g contains:
Grade 8 Science Teacher Questions
The amount of time estimated to complete this form is 20 minutes.

March 31, 2010

2011 OMB Wave 1
Grade 8 -Part 2 of 3

TEACHER QUESTIONNAIRES
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2011 OMB Wave 1
Grade 8-Part 2 of 3

Science Teacher Questionnaire – Grade 8
Part I: Background, Education, and Training
For some questions on this survey, you are asked to fill in numbers. For these questions,
please print the appropriate number in each of the boxes provided. Please print legibly with
a No. 2 pencil. Keep all printing within the boxes, and erase any stray marks.
Using one number per box, fill in every box. For example, 95 students would be written as:

0 9 5

VB331330

1. Are you Hispanic or Latino? Fill in one or more ovals.

A No, I am not Hispanic or Latino.
B Yes, I am Mexican, Mexican American, or Chicano.
C Yes, I am Puerto Rican or Puerto Rican American.
D Yes, I am Cuban or Cuban American.
E Yes, I am from some other Hispanic or Latino background.
VB331331

2. Which of the following best describes you? Fill in one or more ovals.

A White
B Black or African American
C Asian
D American Indian or Alaska Native
E Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

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Questions 3–4. For the next two questions, include any full-time teaching assignments, parttime teaching assignments, and long-term substitute assignments, but not student teaching.

VB337243

3. Counting this year, how many years have you worked as an elementary or secondary
teacher? If less than 4 months total experience, enter “00.”

Years

VB595989

4. Counting this year, how many years have you taught science in grades 6 through 12?
If less than 4 months total experience, enter “00.”

Years

VC309863

5. Did you enter teaching through an alternative certification program?
(An alternative program is a program that was designed to expedite the transition of
non-teachers to a teaching career, for example, a state, district, or university alternative
certification program.)

A Yes
B No

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VC309874

6. What type of teaching certificate do you hold in the state where you currently teach?

A Regular or standard state certificate or advanced professional certificate ➔ Skip to
Question 8.

B Certificate issued after satisfying all requirements except the completion of a
probationary period ➔ Go to Question 7.

C Certificate that requires some additional coursework, student teaching, or passage of
a test before regular certification can be obtained ➔ Go to Question 7.

D Certificate issued to persons who must complete a certification program in order to
continue teaching ➔ Go to Question 7.

E I do not hold any of the above certificates in the state where I currently teach. ➔ Go
to Question 7.

VB595188

7. Do you hold a currently valid regular or standard certification from a state other than the
one in which you are currently teaching?

A Yes
B No

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VC309886

8. This school year, are you a Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) according to your state’s
requirements?
(Generally, to be Highly Qualified, teachers must meet requirements related to 1) a
bachelor’s degree, 2) full state certification, and 3) demonstrate competency in the
subject area(s) taught. The HQT requirement is a provision under the No Child Left
Behind (NCLB) Act.)

A Yes
B I meet my state’s requirements for a Highly Qualified Teacher in at least one
subject that I teach.

C No

VC309891

9. Are you certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in at least
one content area?
(The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is a nongovernmental
organization that administers National Board certification, a voluntary national
assessment program that certifies teachers who meet high professional standards.
In order to gain certification, the candidate must at least complete a portfolio of
classroom practice and pass one or more tests of content knowledge.)

A Yes, I am fully certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
B I am working towards my National Board certification.
C No

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HE001012

10. What is the highest academic degree you hold?

A High school diploma
B Associate’s degree/vocational certification
C Bachelor’s degree
D Master’s degree
E Education specialist’s or professional diploma based on at least one year’s work past
master’s degree

F Doctorate
G Professional degree (e.g., M.D., LL.B., J.D., D.D.S.)

VB333658

11. Did you have a major, minor, or special emphasis in any of the following subjects as part
of your undergraduate coursework? Fill in one oval on each line.
Yes,
a major

Yes, a minor
or special
emphasis

No

a. Biology or other life science

A

B

C

VB595990

b. Physics, chemistry, or other physical
science

A

B

C

VB595991

c. Earth or space science

A

B

C

VB595992

d. Mathematics or mathematics education

A

B

C

VB595993

e. Science education

A

B

C

VB556070

f. Engineering or engineering education

A

B

C

VC304764

g. Elementary or secondary education

A

B

C

VB595189

h. Special education (including students with
disabilities)

A

B

C

VE113515

i. English-language learning

A

B

C

VE113516

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VB345619

12. Did you have a major, minor, or special emphasis in any of the following subjects as part
of your graduate coursework? Fill in one oval on each line.
Yes,
a major

Yes, a minor
or special
emphasis

No

a. Biology or other life science

A

B

C

VB595994

b. Physics, chemistry, or other physical
science

A

B

C

VB595995

c. Earth or space science

A

B

C

VB595996

d. Mathematics or mathematics education

A

B

C

VB595997

e. Science education

A

B

C

VB556072

f. Engineering or engineering education

A

B

C

VC304761

g. Elementary or secondary education

A

B

C

VB595190

h. Special education (including students with
disabilities)

A

B

C

VE113560

i. English-language learning

A

B

C

VE113562

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VC304686

13. As part of either your undergraduate or graduate coursework, how many advanced
science courses (such as physiology, molecular biology, or biochemistry) did you take?

A None
B 1 or 2 courses
C 3 or 4 courses
D 5 or more courses

VC304721

14. As part of either your undergraduate or graduate coursework, how many science
education courses did you take?

A None
B 1 or 2 courses
C 3 or 4 courses
D 5 or more courses

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VC323259

15. During the last two years, did you participate in or lead any of the following professional
development activities related to the teaching of science? Fill in one oval on each line.
Yes, I have
participated.

Yes, I
have led.

No

a. College course taken after your first
certification

A

B

C

VC323264

b. Workshop or training session

A

B

C

VC323266

c. Conference or professional
association meeting

A

B

C

VC323269

d. Observational visit to another school

A

B

C

VC323272

e. Mentoring and/or peer observation
and coaching as part of a formal
arrangement

A

B

C

VC323273

f. Committee or task force focusing on
curriculum, instruction, or student
assessment

A

B

C

VC323277

g. Regularly scheduled discussion or
study group

A

B

C

VC323280

h. Teacher collaborative or network
(such as one organized by an outside
agency or over the Internet)

A

B

C

VC323281

i. Individual or collaborative research

A

B

C

VC323283

j. Independent reading on a regular
basis (for example, educational
journals, books, or the Internet)

A

B

C

VC323285

k. Co-teaching/team teaching

A

B

C

VC323286

l. Consultation with a subject
specialist

A

B

C

VC323288

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VC304726

16. Consider all of the professional development activities you participated in during the last
two years. To what extent did you learn about each of the following topics? Fill in one
oval on each line.
Not
at all

Small
extent

Moderate
extent

Large
extent

a. How students learn science

A

B

C

D

VC304728

b. Scientific inquiry and/or
technological design

A

B

C

D

VC304729

c. Content standards in science

A

B

C

D

VC304730

d. Curricular materials available in
science (units, texts)

A

B

C

D

VC304731

e. Instructional methods for teaching
science

A

B

C

D

VC304732

f. Instructional methods for teaching
technological design

A

B

C

D

VC304733

g. Effective use of laboratory activities
in science instruction

A

B

C

D

VC304734

h. Effective use of information and
communication technology (ICT)
in science instruction

A

B

C

D

VC304736

i. Methods for assessing students in
science

A

B

C

D

VC304738

j. Preparation of students for district
and state assessments

A

B

C

D

VC304739

k. Strategies for teaching science to
students from diverse backgrounds
(including English-language learners)

A

B

C

D

VC304740

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VC304724

17. During the last two years have you participated in activities associated with school
improvement efforts directed at issues such as adequate yearly progress and state
accountability standards?

A Yes
B No

VB598091

18. Do you have special leadership responsibilities for science education at your school—
for example, responsibilities as a mentor teacher, lead teacher, resource specialist,
departmental chair, or master teacher?

A Yes
B No

H2TQS-BET

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Part II: Classroom Organization and Instruction – Science
The following questions ask about the organization of your classroom for science
instruction. If you teach more than one eighth-grade class, please choose a single class to use
as the basis for answering the questions about classroom organization.
If you do not teach science, you have finished this questionnaire. Thank you for your
time.

VB598092

1. Which best describes your role in teaching science to this class? Fill in one oval.

A I do not teach science to this class.
B I teach all or most subjects, including science.
C The only subject I teach is science.
D We team teach, and I have primary responsibility for teaching science.

VB473856

2. How many students are in this class?

A 15 or fewer
B 16–18
C 19–20
D 21–25
E 26 or more

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VB598093

3. About how much time in total do you spend with this class on science instruction in a
typical week?

A Less than 1 hour
B 1–2.9 hours
C 3–4.9 hours
D 5–6.9 hours
E 7 hours or more

HE002412

4. Are students assigned to this class by ability?

A Yes
B No

VC305014

5. Do you create groups within this class for science instruction on the basis of ability?

A Yes
B No

H2TQS-COI

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VB610542

6. How often do you use each of the following to assess student progress in science? Fill in
one oval on each line.
Never or
hardly
ever

Once or
twice a
month

Once or
twice a
week

Almost
every
day

a. Multiple-choice tests

A

B

C

D

VB610543

b. Short written responses (e.g., a
phrase or sentence)

A

B

C

D

VB610544

c. Long written responses (e.g., several
sentences or paragraphs)

A

B

C

D

VB610545

VB608618

7. In this class, about how much time do you spend on each of the following areas of
science? Fill in one oval on each line.
None

Little

Some

A lot

a. Life science

A

B

C

D

VB608619

b. Earth and space science

A

B

C

D

VC759072

c. Physical science

A

B

C

D

VB608621

d. Engineering and technology

A

B

C

D

VC759073

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VC767836

8. About how often do your science students do each of the following? Fill in one oval on
each line.
Never or
hardly
ever

Once or
twice a
month

Once or
twice a
week

Every day
or almost
every day

a. Read a science textbook

A

B

C

D

VC767837

b. Read a book or magazine about
science

A

B

C

D

VC767838

c. Work with other students on a
science activity or project

A

B

C

D

VC767839

d. Prepare a written science report

A

B

C

D

VC767841

e. Watch a movie, video, or DVD
about science

A

B

C

D

VC767843

f.

A

B

C

D

VC767845

g. Do hands-on activities or
investigations in science

A

B

C

D

VC767846

h. Talk about the measurements and
results from students’ hands-on
activities

A

B

C

D

VC767849

i.

Take a science test or quiz

A

B

C

D

VC767850

j.

Identify questions that can be
addressed through scientific
investigations

A

B

C

D

VC767851

k. Discuss the kinds of problems that
engineers can solve

A

B

C

D

VC767852

l.

A

B

C

D

VC767854

A

B

C

D

VC767856

Watch a science teacher do a
science activity

Figure out different ways to solve a
science problem

m. Present what they have learned
about science

H2TQS-COI

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VC976013

9. To what extent do you emphasize each of the following objectives in teaching science to
your eighth-grade class? Fill in one oval on each line.
Not
at all

Small
extent

Moderate
extent

Large
extent

a. Increase students’ interest in science

A

B

C

D

VC976015

b. Teach scientific facts and principles

A

B

C

D

VC976017

c. Teach scientific methods

A

B

C

D

VC976018

d. Prepare students for further study in
science

A

B

C

D

VC976019

e. Develop inquiry skills

A

B

C

D

VC976020

f. Develop problem-solving (design)
skills

A

B

C

D

VC976021

g. Develop skills in lab techniques

A

B

C

D

VC976022

h. Increase awareness of the
importance of science in daily life

A

B

C

D

VC976023

i. Develop systematic observation
skills

A

B

C

D

VC976025

j. Learn about applications of science
to environmental issues

A

B

C

D

VC976026

k. Develop scientific writing skills

A

B

C

D

VC976027

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VC976028

10. How much of the following instructional materials and other resources does your school
system provide you with to teach science to your eighth-grade class? Fill in one oval on
each line.
None

Little

Some

A lot

a. Science textbooks

A

B

C

D

VC976031

b. Science magazines and books

A

B

C

D

VC976032

c. Supplies or equipment for science
demonstrations

A

B

C

D

VC976034

d. Supplies or equipment for science
labs

A

B

C

D

VC976035

e. Space to conduct science labs

A

B

C

D

VC976036

f. Computers for students’ use in class

A

B

C

D

VC976037

g. Computer labs

A

B

C

D

VC976039

h. Computers for teachers’ use

A

B

C

D

VC976040

i. Computerized science labs for
classroom use

A

B

C

D

VC976041

j. Audiovisual materials

A

B

C

D

VC976042

k. Science kits

A

B

C

D

VC976043

l. Scientific measurement instruments
(e.g., telescopes, microscopes,
thermometers, or weighing scales)

A

B

C

D

VC976045

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VC976046

11. To what extent do you use each of the following technological resources for eighth-grade
science instruction? Fill in one oval on each line.
Not
at all

Small
extent

Moderate
extent

Large
extent

a. Desktop computer

A

B

C

D

VC976050

b. Laptop computer

A

B

C

D

VC976051

c. Tablet PC (notebook-like computer
that allows users to write or draw
through the use of a stylus or
touch-screen)

A

B

C

D

VC976053

d. Digital projector (device that
connects to a computer to display
presentations, or demonstrate
lessons, such as an LCD)

A

B

C

D

VC976054

e. CD-ROM

A

B

C

D

VC976056

f.

A

B

C

D

VC976057

g. Digital music device (pocket-sized
music player used to listen to or
create audio files, such as an MP3
player)

A

B

C

D

VC976059

h. Cable/satellite/closed-circuit
television

A

B

C

D

VC976061

Online software

Continued on next page.

H2TQS-COI

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Not
at all

Small
extent

Moderate
extent

Large
extent

i.

DVD player and DVDs

A

B

C

D

VC976063

j.

Digital camera

A

B

C

D

VC976067

k. Graphing calculator

A

B

C

D

VC976068

l.

A

B

C

D

VC976071

m. Data collection sensors/probes (tool
that connects to a handheld device
or graphing calculator and detects
motion, pH, temperature, light)

A

B

C

D

VC976072

n. Online course management system
(web-based software used to
organize information, assignments,
grades, and discussions)

A

B

C

D

VC976073

o. Digital whiteboard (computerized
display panels that can respond to
fingertip command and creates a
shared interactive space, akin to
traditional chalkboards)

A

B

C

D

VC976075

Handheld device (pocket-sized
computing device, such as personal
digital assistant or smartphone)

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VC976076

12. In your eighth-grade class, how often do your students use a computer or other
technological resources to do each of the following? Fill in one oval on each line.
Never or
hardly
ever

Once or
twice a
month

Once or
twice a
week

Every day
or almost
every day

a. Conduct a search for science
information

A

B

C

D

VC976080

b. Simulate a physical or biological
process or see how something works
(for example, how planets orbit the
sun, how gas expands)

A

B

C

D

VC976081

c. Make a chart or graph that shows
results of science projects

A

B

C

D

VC976084

HE001022

13. Which of the following statements is true about how well your school system provides
you with the instructional materials and other resources you need to teach your class?

A I get all the resources I need.
B I get most of the resources I need.
C I get some of the resources I need.
D I don’t get any of the resources I need.

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VC976085

14. When you teach science to your eighth-grade class, do you do any of the following? Fill in
one oval on each line.
Not
at all

Small
extent

Moderate
extent

Large
extent

a. Use a different set of methods in
teaching some students

A

B

C

D

VC976086

b. Supplement the regular course
curriculum with additional material
for some students

A

B

C

D

VC976088

c. Pace my teaching differently for
some students

A

B

C

D

VC976091

d. Have some students engage in
different classroom activities

A

B

C

D

VC976092

e. Set different achievement standards
for some students

A

B

C

D

VC976094

VC767810

15. How often do you meet with students one-on-one to review their work and evaluate their
progress in science?

A Never or hardly ever
B A few times a year
C Once or twice a month
D Once or twice a week
E Every day or almost every day

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VC767829

16. How often do you do each of the following with individual students to evaluate their
progress in science? Fill in one oval on each line.
Never or
hardly
ever

A few
times a
year

Once or
twice a
month

Once or
twice a
week

Every day
or almost
every day

a. Discuss the student’s
current level of
performance

A

B

C

D

E

VC767830

b. Set goals for specific
progress the student
would like to make

A

B

C

D

E

VC767831

c. Discuss progress the
student has made toward
goals previously set

A

B

C

D

E

VC767832

d. Determine how to
adjust your teaching
strategies to meet the
student’s current learning
needs and to reflect the
student’s future goals

A

B

C

D

E

VC767834

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