Guidelines for Survey Administration

Guidelines for School Development Surveys

Context

The Internal Review component of the school development model requires schools to gather data about their school community using provincially established Criteria Statements. There are three categories of data: 1. School actions/practices 2. Student assessment 3. Survey or focus group results.

Student, staff and parent surveys are available to schools to help answer some of the questions under the criteria statements. The surveys were developed collaboratively by the Department of Education, district personnel and teachers. The surveys reflect specific questions within the criteria statements and should be used in conjunction with the results from the other sources of data. Provincial surveys will be available to schools completing an Internal Review using the provincial School Development Model. As a part of that model, schools are required to administer surveys only once in the 3-5 year cycle.

Survey Format

There are three student surveys; grades 1-3, grades 4-6 and grades 7-12. Each one is designed to match the general grade level of students. There is also a parent and a staff survey.

Surveys are color coded and designed in a bubble sheet format using a Likert scale. The Grade 1-3 survey scale uses happy and sad faces; the Grade 4-6 and Grade 7-12 survey scales range from Disagree a Lot to Agree a Lot; and the Parent and Staff survey scales range from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree.

Surveys must be completed in pencil, be free of wrinkles and contain no stray marks.

The student surveys have a section to record the school name, student gender and grade. Student names will not be recorded. The staff and parent surveys are also anonymous. Each set of surveys requires a header sheet (provided) to identify the school and the type of survey.

Provincial School Development Guidelines for Survey Administration Small School Model 2010-11 How to Access Surveys

Surveys are available for viewing in PDF format on the School Development website. Schools undertaking an Internal Review can order surveys by contacting the School Development Program Specialist/Senior Education Officer responsible for their school. Upon notification from the District Personnel, surveys will be mailed to the school for administration.

The number of surveys sent to a school will depend upon the size and grade configuration of the school. All students, present at the time of the administration of the survey, will be surveyed. All staff (teachers and support staff) will be surveyed. Also, surveys will be sent to all parents/guardians. This will help ensure a representative sample. Having parents complete the survey on parent nights will result in a biased sample. The conclusions drawn from these results will reflect only those parents in attendance.

Administering Surveys

Surveys should be administered in a timely manner and be coordinated with the collection of other data outlined in the Criteria Statements. Surveys are available to schools only once in a 3-4 year cycle. The information gathered from them is valuable to the creation of the School Development Plan, therefore it is essential that they be administered using the following guidelines:

 Where appropriate, inform parents that their children are going to complete an anonymous survey about the school. Check school and district policies to see if permission slips are required.

 Select an appropriate time to administer the surveys. Allow sufficient time for respondents to complete the survey without feeling rushed. Where possible, avoid administering the surveys during the last part of a period or at the end of a day. Below are approximate times required to complete the surveys:

Student 1-3 Student 4-6 Student 7-12 Parent Staff 30 min. 25 min. 25 min. 20 min. 20 min.

 Primary/Elementary teachers may assist a student’s understanding of a word or of an item on the Student Survey. They may read the survey to students if necessary.

 Parent surveys, and an accompanying letter, should be sent to parents using an appropriate delivery method. The letter (see sample letter) should include information about the purpose of the survey, along with administration guidelines and timelines for

Provincial School Development Guidelines for Survey Administration Small School Model 2010-11 completing and returning the survey.

 Create a climate that provides an understanding of the survey’s purpose; respondents should feel that their opinion is valued. Remind them that the survey is anonymous and encourage them to answer the questions honestly. Students should have the survey’s purpose explained to them by their teacher or survey administrator.

 Staff members should be given a set time, free from interruption, to complete the survey. There should be no discussion during the administration of the survey. Staff members may view the survey on the website for discussion prior to its administration.

 Surveys are anonymous; therefore do not put names on the surveys.

 Gender, Grade and School Name should be indicated in the appropriate box on student surveys.

 Staff surveys require the Grade Level Field(s) and School Name Field to be completed.

 Parents should indicate the Grade(s) of their child(ren) and the School Name in the appropriate box(es).

 If completing a certain field on the survey will jeopardize the anonymity of the person completing the survey, leave the field blank.

Returning Surveys

A header Sheet is required for each survey type (e.g. Staff). In the “Building Name” field of the Header Sheet, print in the school name and then shade the corresponding bubbles. In the “Sheet Count” field of the Header Sheet, enter the number of surveys completed for this particular type and shade in the corresponding bubbles.

In the “Codes” field, enter your 3 digit district number (e.g. 200) in boxes ABC and your 3 digit school number in boxes DEF.

Please bundle the surveys according to their type, with the appropriate Header Sheet.

Provincial School Development Guidelines for Survey Administration Small School Model 2010-11 Return completed surveys to the Department of Education using the address below: Kerry Pope School Development Surveys Evaluation and Research Division P.O. Box 8700 Department of Education St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6

Accessing Survey Results

Surveys results will be sent to each school electronically. The turn around time will be approximately 1 week after receipt of the surveys. In very small schools where anonymity may be compromised, the District Facilitator for School Development may request that survey results be sent directly to him/her. After analyzing the results, the District Facilitator will schedule a time to share and discuss the results with the school staff.

Districts can access survey results for their schools by following the links under School Development Surveys on the School Development website. The surveys are password protected and available to districts only. Instructions on how to find, print and download the surveys are provided on the site.

Provincial School Development Guidelines for Survey Administration Small School Model 2010-11 Sample Parent Letter

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Newfoundland and Labrador Academy is currently in the process of developing a plan to help guide our school’s direction for the next 3-4 years. In developing this plan, we are completing a school-wide Internal Review based on provincially established criteria. The Internal Review is a process of gathering information in four areas of the school environment: School Organization, Leadership, Teaching and Learning, and Climate and Culture. Information about the four areas is gathered, recorded and analyzed by reviewing the school’s actions and practices, student academic and achievement data, and student, parent and staff survey results. Data may also be gathered through focus group activities.

You are being asked to participate in this review by completing a Parent Survey. The enclosed survey asks questions about the school in the four areas mentioned above. The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. You are not required to put your name, or the name(s) of your child(ren), on the survey; however, please indicate the grade level of your child(ren) by shading the appropriate box(es). When completing the survey, please use a pencil to shade the bubbles. Try not to wrinkle the survey or put unnecessary marks on it as that will affect the scanning and analysis process.

Please return the survey to the school, or have your son or daughter return it. To ensure anonymity, there will be a box provided at the General Office to deposit completed surveys. Surveys should be completed and returned to the school by (insert date).

The surveys will be sent to the Department of Education for analysis and the results will be sent back to the school to be used in conjunction with other data gathered to complete the Internal Review.

Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey. Your input is sincerely appreciated.

Provincial School Development Guidelines for Survey Administration Small School Model 2010-11