First Year Teacher Survey 15-16
Welcome to the Chicago Teaching Pathways project survey!
You are receiving this survey because you student taught in CPS last year and are currently employed by the district.
What is this survey about? This survey is about your perceptions of preparedness during your first year of teaching, your teacher preparation, and your career plans. It should take about 20 minutes to complete. The survey is voluntary, but researchers at the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, University of Michigan, and Stanford University greatly appreciate your honest feedback and thank you for your participation!
What is this study about? We are undertaking a study to learn more about the conditions and consequences of student teaching—with a particular focus on student teaching placements and mentor teachers— in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) across various types of preparation programs. We are following up with student teachers from last year to learn about their first year of teaching.
How will my information be shared? Responses will only be shared in aggregate or summary form. Your information will never be linked with your name or other identifying information in any report or presentation. Individual responses will not be shared with your teacher preparation program, your placement site, your mentor teacher, your current or potential future employers. Your responses will be combined with various existing CPS administrative data on teachers, classrooms, and schools for our analyses.
What about benefits, rights, and risks? Your participation will contribute to the larger benefits of the project including potentially improving new teacher training in Chicago. Additionally, you will receive a $25 gift card for completing the survey. Your participation in this research is completely voluntary. If you do decide to participate in this research, you may stop participating at any time. If you decide not to participate or stop participating, you will not be penalized. Information gathered cannot affect your future employment status.The only potential risk to you for participating in this study could be loss of confidentiality, but we have safeguards in place to ensure the risk is minimal. All researchers sign confidentiality forms; all data are stored on a password-protected server. We will not identify any participant by name internally or in any published or oral reports about this study. Once data collection for this survey is concluded, we will replace your email address with a study ID in our data files. These data will only be accessible to researchers and will have no other identifying information. The link between your study ID and email will be stored separately and accessible only to researchers on this project. All files pertaining to this study will be stored on secure, password-protected databases, and will be destroyed 3 years after the end of this project.
Questions about the study? If you have any questions about the research study itself, please contact Jennie Jiang ([email protected]) at the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, 1313 East 60th Street, Chicago IL 60637.
Questions about your rights as a research subject? If you have questions about your rights as a research subject, please contact: The Social and Behavioral Sciences Institutional Review Board, University of Chicago, 1155 E. 60th Street, Room 414, Chicago, IL 60637, Phone: (773) 834-7835, Email: [email protected].
This survey is organized into six different sections: 1) Role in CPS in 2015-2016 2) Reflections on Your Teacher Preparation Experiences 3) School Conditions in 2015-2016 4) Supports in 2015-2016 5) Career Aspirations 6) A Little About You
For the survey click "Next" below
During the 2015-2016 academic school year, did you ever hold a teaching position in CPS? (By "teaching position," we mean a full or part time position in CPS as a classroom teacher, being a classroom assistant, or substitute teacher, working during the regular school day) Yes No
Display This Question: If Across 2015-2016, did you have a classroom teaching position? Yes Is Selected What grade(s) did you teach in CPS in 2015-2016? (Please check all that apply) Pre-K Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade 9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade
Display This Question: If Across 2015-2016, did you have a classroom teaching position? Yes Is Selected What subject (s) did you teach in CPS in 2015-2016? (Please check all that apply) Self-contained classroom (multiple subjects) English language arts Mathematics Sciences Social studies Arts (music, dance, fine arts) Foreign language Physical education Special education ESL Other, please specify ______
Display This Question: If During 2015-2016 academic school year, did you ever hold a teaching position in CPS? (By teaching position, we mean a full and/or part time position, and/or being a classroom assistant or substitute... Yes Is Selected Were you a FULL-TIME lead classroom teacher in CPS at any point during the 2015-2016 academic year? (If you were a substitute teacher, teacher's assistant, or part-time teacher then please answer "no"). Yes No
Display This Question: If Were you a FULL-TIME lead classroom teacher in CPS at any point during the 2015-2016 academic year... No Is Selected Did you want to be a FULL-TIME lead classroom teacher in CPS during the 2015- 2016 academic year? Yes No
Display This Question: If Were you a FULL-TIME lead classroom teacher in CPS at any point during the 2015-2016 academic year... No Is Selected Are you going to apply for a FULL-TIME lead classroom teaching position in CPS for the 2016- 2017 academic year? Yes No
Display This Question: If During 2015-2016 academic school year, did you ever hold a teaching position in CPS? (By teaching position, we mean a full and/or part time position, and/or being a classroom assistant or substitute... No Is Selected During the 2015-2016 academic school year, did you want a teaching position in CPS? Yes No
For what type of position were you initially hired by CPS during the 2015-2016 academic year ? Full-time teacher Part-time teacher Substitute Teacher Classroom Assistant/Teacher's Aide Other ______
Did you finish the fall semester (2015-2016) in the same position for which you were initially hired? Yes No. Please explain: ______
Did you finish the academic year (2015-2016) in the same position for which you were initially hired? Yes No. Please explain: ______
Other than the position(s) you initially held in 2015-2016, how many 2015-2016 teaching positions did you apply for? None; I only applied for the position(s) I initially held in 2015-2016 1-5 6-10 11-20 21-40 41-60 61-80 81-100 100+
Display This Question: If Other than the position(s) you initially held in 2015-2016, how many teaching positions did you a... None; I only applied for the position(s) I initially held in 2015-2016 Is Not Selected Of all the teaching positions you applied for as part of the 2015-2016 school year, how many were in CPS? None 1-5 6-10 11-20 21-40 41-60 61-80 81-100 100+
Other than the position(s) you held in 2015-2016, how many other job offers did you receive for teaching positions? None; I was only offered the position I held in 2015-2016 1 2 3 4 or more
Why did you accept the position you held in 2015-2016? This was the only offer I received This was the best offer I received This was not the best offer I received, but it was in the school I desired This was not the best offer I received, but it was in the grade level and/or subject that I desired I received a better offer but couldn’t accept it for outside reasons Other. Please explain: ______
During 2015-2016, did you work in a school in which you had previously been a student teacher? Yes No
You are about to move to the next section of the survey. Please know that you will not be able to shift your answers in this section once you hit "NEXT"
The next set of questions will ask you how PREPARED you were to take on different aspects of teaching during the 2015-16 year: How PREPARED were you to Not at all Slightly Moderately Very Exceptionally Prepared Prepared Prepared Prepared Prepared (5) (1) (2) (3) (4) Plan Lessons? Design student assessments? Select instructional outcomes? Use results from assessments to improve your teaching? Anticipate student misconceptions about content when planning for class?
The next set of questions will ask you how PREPARED you were to take on different aspects of teaching during the 2015-16 year: How PREPARED were you to Slightly Moderately Very Not at all Exceptionally Prepared Prepared Prepared Prepared (1) Prepared (5) (2) (3) (4) Develop relationships with students? Manage students' behaviors? Implement classroom routines and procedures? Develop classroom communities that are conducive to learning?
The next set of questions will ask you how PREPARED you were to take on different aspects of teaching during the 2015-16 year: How PREPARED were you to Not at all Slightly Moderately Very Exceptionally
Prepared (1) Prepared (2) Prepared (3) Prepared (4) Prepared (5) Use instructional language that is developmentally appropriate for students? Pose a variety of questions to probe student understanding? Facilitate discussions? Maintain student interest? Use a variety of instructional methods? Adapt curricula to fit students' needs? Teach your subject matter?
The next set of questions will ask you how PREPARED you were to take on different aspects of teaching during the 2015-16 year: How PREPARED were you to Not at all Slightly Moderately Very Exceptionally
Prepared (1) Prepared (2) Prepared (3) Prepared (4) Prepared (5) Maintain accurate grades and student data? Perform administrative tasks (e.g. take attendance, make announcements, etc.)? Interact with school administrators? Communicate with families? Reflect on your teaching for the purposes of improvement?
The next set of questions will ask you how PREPARED you were to take on different aspects of teaching during the 2015-16 year How PREPARED were you to Not at all Slightly Moderately Very Exceptionally Prepared Prepared (2) Prepared (3) Prepared (4) Prepared (6) (1) Work with students with limited English proficiency (e.g., ESL)? Work with students with special needs? Work with low- income students? Design instruction to meet a variety of student abilities? Respond to nonacademic challenges facing individual students? Use knowledge about urban schools and communities to inform your work with students and families? Plan culturally relevant teaching strategies? Use culturally relevant teaching strategies?
The next set of questions will ask you how PREPARED you were to take on different aspects of teaching during the 2015-16 year: How PREPARED were you to Not at all Slightly Moderately Very Exceptionally
Prepared (1) Prepared (2) Prepared (3) Prepared (4) Prepared (5) Plan lessons aligned to Common Core standards? Create formative assessments aligned with Common Core standards? Work with Common Core aligned curriculum?
How well PREPARED were you to assume the responsibilities of a teacher? Not at all Prepared Slightly Prepared Moderately Prepared Very Prepared Exceptionally Prepared
Having gained teaching experience in CPS in 2015-2016, how prepared are you NOW to do each of the following going forward? Not at all Slightly Very Moderately Exceptionally Prepared Prepared Prepared Prepared (3) Prepared (5) (1) (2) (4) Plan lessons? Create and maintain a positive classroom environment? Deliver instruction? Model professionalism? Teach in culturally responsive ways? Teach Common Core curriculum?
For the next set of questions, please reflect on how well your teacher education program prepared you for the teaching you did in academic year 2015-2016. How helpful were the following aspects of your TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM? Does not Not at all A little helpful Very helpful Helpful (3) apply to my helpful (1) (2) (4) program (6) My student teaching experiences My early field experiences prior to student teaching My mentor teacher(s) My university field supervisor My methods or methods- related coursework My coursework about educational foundations and theory My coursework about teaching diverse student populations My coursework about the subject matter I taught in 2015- 2016 My cohort of fellow student teachers in my program Opportunities I had to engage with families and communities
Were there other aspects of your teacher preparation that you found to be helpful? No Yes (Please explain): ______
Did your TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM provide enough of each of the following? Not Applicable Just the Right Not Enough (1) Too Much (3) to My Program Amount (2) (4) Student teaching experiences Field experiences prior to student teaching Time with your mentor teacher(s) Time with your university supervisor Methods or methods-related coursework Coursework about educational foundations and theory Coursework about teaching diverse student populations Coursework about the subject matter taught in 2015- 2016 Opportunities to engage with families and communities
If you could advise faculty/staff in your teacher preparation program about one way they might improve student teaching to better prepare future graduates, what would you tell them?
If you could advise faculty/staff in your teacher preparation program about one way they might improve other aspects of their program besides student teaching to better prepare future graduates, what would you tell them?
For the next set of questions, please reflect on your teaching experiences during academic year 2015-2016 and the degree to which the MENTOR TEACHER you had during student teaching prepared you for them. If you had more than one mentor teacher for student teaching please respond about the mentor with whom you spent the most time.
How effectively did your student teaching MENTOR TEACHER do the following? Not enough Not at all Somewhat Very Effectively information effectively Effectively Effectively (3) to evaluate (1) (2) (4) (5) Plan lessons? Create and maintain a positive classroom environment? Deliver instruction? Model professionalism? Teach in culturally responsive ways? Teach Common Core curriculum?
How much did you learn about the following skills from the conversations you had with your student teaching MENTOR TEACHER? We did not A fair A great deal have Nothing (1) A little (2) amount (3) (4) conversations about this (5) Planning lessons Creating and maintaining a positive classroom environment Delivering instruction Modeling professionalism Teaching in culturally responsive ways Teaching the Common Core curriculum
To what extent do you agree with the following statements about your student teaching MENTOR TEACHER? Strongly Strongly agree Disagree (10) Agree (12) disagree (9) (13) My mentor observed me teach frequently enough My mentor provided me with feedback frequently enough The feedback that my mentor offered helped me learn to teach The feedback that my mentor offered was consistent with the feedback I got from my field instructor/supervisor
To what extent do you agree with the following statements? Strongly Strongly agree Disagree (10) Agree (12) disagree (9) (13) Overall, I would recommend other student teachers to work with my student teaching MENTOR TEACHER Overall, I would recommend my placement SCHOOL during student teaching to other student teachers Overall, I learned a lot about teaching during my student teaching experiences During student teaching I was able to use strategies and techniques I learned in my university classes
How often have you used specific materials or lessons that your mentor teacher used or created? Never Once in a while Often All the time
How often have you used specific materials or lessons that you obtained or created as a part of a course in your teacher education program(s)? Never Once in a while Often All the time
Please respond to the following items about the 2015-2016 academic year. If you worked in more than one school, please respond about the school in which you spent the most time.
To what extent do you agree with the following statements about the SCHOOL in which you worked during the 2015-16 academic year? Strongly Strongly agree Disagree (2) Agree (3) Disagree (1) (4) Teachers were willing to collaborate with me about instruction School leadership supported me when I needed it I felt welcomed at faculty and departmental meetings I felt included in the daily activities of the school Families were involved in the school
Did you participate in a new teacher induction program during the 2015-2016 academic year? Yes No I'm not sure
Display This Question: If Did you participate in a teacher induction program this year?
Did you have a formal or informal mentor teacher in academic year 2015-2016? Yes No
Display This Question: If Did you have a mentor(s) this year (2015-2016)?
Display This Question: If Did you have a mentor in 2015-2016?
Display This Question: If Was at least one of the mentors formally assigned? Yes Is Selected How frequently did you work with your formally assigned mentor? If you had more than one formal mentor, please respond about the one with whom you spent the most time. At least once a week Once or twice a month A few times a year Never
Display This Question: If Was at least one of the mentors formally assigned? Yes Is Selected Did your formally assigned mentor teacher ever instruct students in the same subject as yours? If you had more than one formal mentor, please respond about the one with whom you spent the most time. Yes No
Display This Question: If Was at least one of the mentors formally assigned? Yes Is Selected To what extent was the formal mentor helpful in improving your teaching? If you had more than one formal mentor, please respond about the one with whom you spent the most time. Not at all helpful To a small extent To a moderate extent To a great extent
Display This Question: If Was at least one of the mentors formally assigned? Yes Is Selected Which of the following best describes your formal mentor teacher? If you had more than one formal mentor, please respond about the one with whom you spent the most time. My formal mentor was a teacher at my school My formal mentor was a school leader or administrator My formal mentor was a teacher from my school's network My formal mentor was a teacher from my district My formal mentor was from my teacher education program Other (please explain) (______
Display This Question: If Did you have a mentor teacher in academic year 2015-2016? Yes Is Selected Was at least one of the mentors an informal mentor? Yes No I'm not sure
Display This Question: If Was at least one of the mentors an informal mentor? Yes Is Selected How frequently did you work with your informally assigned mentor? If you had more than one informal mentor, please respond about the one with whom you spent the most time. At least once a week Once or twice a month A few times a year Never
Display This Question: If Was at least one of the mentors an informal mentor? Yes Is Selected Did your informal mentor teacher ever instruct students in the same subject as yours? If you had more than one informal mentor, please respond about the one with whom you spent the most time. Yes No
Display This Question: If Did you have any informal teaching mentors during academic year 2015-2016? Yes Is Selected To what degree was the informal mentor helpful in improving your teaching? If you had more than one informal mentor, please respond about the one with whom you spent the most time. Not at all helpful To a small extent To a moderate extent To a great extent
Display This Question: If Did you have any informal teaching mentors during academic year 2015-2016? Yes Is Selected Which of the following best describes your informal mentor teacher? If you had more than one informal mentor, please respond about the one with whom you spent the most time. My informal mentor was a teacher at my school My informal mentor was a school leader or administrator My informal mentor was a teacher from my school's network My informal mentor was a teacher from my district My informal mentor was from my teacher education program Other (please explain) (______
Did you receive any of the following supports during the 2015-2016 academic year? Yes (1) No (2) Regular supportive communication from your principal, other administrators, or department chair about your teaching Reduced teaching schedule or number of preps Common planning time with teachers in your subject Seminars or classes for beginning teachers Extra classroom assistance (e.g teacher’s aides)
To what do you MOST attribute the successes you had this year? Personal motivation and effort Support from induction mentor Support from colleagues Supportive school leader(s) Supportive school environment Teacher preparation Other (Please describe): ______
To what do you MOST attribute the challenges you faced this year? Limited personal motivation and effort Limited support from induction mentor Limited support from colleagues Limited support from school leader(s) Limited support from school environment Limited teacher preparation Other (Please describe): ______
For the next three questions, please think about your plans over the course of your entire career. How long do you plan to work in education (as a teacher or in any other role) AFTER the 2015-2016 academic year? Not at all 1-2 years 3-4 years 5-6 years 7-8 years 9-10 years More than 10 years My entire working life
Display This Question: If For the next three questions, please think about your plans over the course of your entire career. How long do you plan to work in education (as a teacher or in any other role) AF... Not at all Is Not Selected How long do you plan to work as a classroom teacher AFTER the 2015-2016 academic year? Not at all 1-2 years 3-4 years 5-6 years 7-8 years 9-10 years More than 10 years My entire working life
How long do you plan to work in CPS AFTER the 2015-2016 academic year? Not at all 1-2 years 3-4 years 5-6 years 7-8 years 9-10 years More than 10 years My entire working life
What are your plans for NEXT YEAR (select the one that best fits your plans)? I plan to continue the position I held in 2015-2016 I plan to teach in a classroom I plan to work in education but not teach I plan to work in a field other than education I plan to stay out of the workforce I am unsure about my plans for next year
Display This Question: If What are your plans for NEXT YEAR (select the one that best fits your plans)? I plan to teach in a classroom but not in my current position Is Selected What type of school do you plan to work in NEXT YEAR? I plan to work in a CPS school (non-charter) I plan to work in a CPS charter school I plan to work in a Chicago private school I plan to work in a public school outside of Chicago I plan to work in a charter school outside of Chicago I plan to work in a private school outside of Chicago
What is the name of the teacher education program in which you completed your student teaching? (mark all that apply) AUSL Chicago Center for Urban Life and Culture Chicago Semester Chicago State University Columbia College Chicago DePaul University Dominican University Eastern Illinois University Elmhurst College Erikson Institute Golden Apple Governors State University Grand Canyon University Grow Your Own Hebrew Theological College Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois State University Illinois State University/Teacher Pipeline Kendall College Lewis University Loyola University Chicago Monmouth College National Louis University North Park University Northeastern Illinois University Northern Illinois University Northwestern University Quincy University Roosevelt University St. Xavier University School of the Art Institute of Chicago Trinity Christian College University of Chicago UTEP University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of Illinois at Chicago VanderCook College Western Illinois University Wheaton College Other
Display This Question: If What is the name of the teacher education program in which you completed your student teaching? (mark all that apply)
This year, did you take any courses related to teaching or your subject area? Yes No
With which racial / ethnic group(s) do you identify? [mark all that apply] African American Asian Asian/Pacific Islander Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Hispanic Multi-Racial Native American/Alaskan White Other
With which gender group do you identify? Male Female Other
Please indicate ALL the degrees you have earned (MARK ALL THAT APPLY; do not include any degrees you are currently in the process of earning): High School Degree Associate's Degree Bachelor's Degree Master's Degree Doctoral Degree Other (please specify) ______
To help us make sure you get your gift card, please provide the following information. Your information will never be linked with your name or other identifying information in any report or presentation. Additionally, individual responses will not be shared with your teacher preparation program, your placement site, your mentor teacher, or current or potential future employers. Your responses will be combined with various existing CPS administrative data on teachers, classrooms, and schools for our analyses. Your First Name Your Last Name Your Primary Email Address
Thank you for taking the time to complete our survey! You should receive a $25 gift card via email within 1-3 weeks.
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