Teacher
Perceptions of
Spring 2013 Spring 2014
CCGPS
Findings from three administrations of the Teacher Survey on CCGPS Implementation
Main Findings
Prepared by: Niah Shearer
The Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA), formerly the Office of Education Accountability, strives to increase student achievement and school completion across Georgia through meaningful, transparent, and objective analysis and communication of statewide data. In addition, GOSA provides policy support to the Governor and, ultimately, to the citizens of Georgia through:
An education report card that indicates the effectiveness of Georgia's education institutions, from Pre-K through college;
Research initiatives on education programs in Georgia and corresponding findings to inform policy, budget, and legislative efforts;
Thorough analysis and straightforward communication of education data to stakeholders; Audits of academic programs to ensure that education institutions are fiscally responsible with
state funds and faithful to performance accountability requirements; and Collaborative work with the Alliance of Education Agency Heads (AEAH) to improve education
statewide. GOSA also houses three innovative educational programs: The Governor's Reading Mentor Program places 15 reading instruction mentors in elementary
schools across the state to coach teachers on effective reading instruction. The Governor's Honors Program is a four-week, summer residential program designed to
provide intellectually gifted and artistically talented high school students challenging and enriching educational opportunities. The Innovation Fund, created under Georgia's Race to the Top plan, provides competitive grants for applied learning, teacher and leader recruitment, and charter planning with a particular focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). While GOSA's direct affiliation remains with the Governor's Office, it also works closely with all of Georgia's education agencies, including the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), the University System of Georgia (USG), the Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC), and the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC).
The contents of this report were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education,
and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
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Executive Summary
In July 2012, Georgia adopted the Common Core State Standards, a set of common performance standards in mathematics and English Language Arts in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The Common Core State Standards aim to support college and career readiness by ensuring that all students in the country are well-prepared for the future.
The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) began preparing educators for the transition to Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (CCGPS), Georgia's version of Common Core State Standards, in Spring 2011. During School Year (SY) 2011-2012, GaDOE curriculum staff engaged in a variety of efforts aimed at preparing educators for the transition to CCGPS. These efforts included presenting at over 85 conferences and meetings, providing training through webinars and Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) live-streamed videos, partnering with Regional Educational Service Agencies (RESAs) to offer face-toface training, and developing sample unit frameworks and other instructional support materials. GaDOE continues to support educators through newly revised unit frameworks, grade level/course overviews, and updated webinars. Links to all of the aforementioned resources can be found at http://www.georgiastandards.org/Common-Core.
Teachers fully transitioned to the new standards during SY 2012-2013. GOSA partnered with Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) to administer the Teacher Survey on CCGPS Implementation (Teacher Survey) to random samples of teachers in April 2013, December 2013, and May 2014. The purpose of this survey was to learn about teachers' early experiences implementing the standards.
Purpose of the report
The purpose of this report is to discuss the main findings from the Teacher Survey and identify opportunities for further research. Findings from these surveys are intended to inform state and local decision-making regarding ongoing implementation of CCGPS. In particular, these findings should help education leaders better understand teachers' perception of the accessibility and utility of CCGPSrelated support. Also, these findings should suggest if teachers are making use of the support in their classroom.
Methodology
GOSA and GaPSC administered the Teacher Survey to approximately 2,900 different teachers in each administration. GaPSC employed a stratified random sampling design to select the sample of teachers. GaPSC split the accessible population into subgroups, or strata, based on subjects taught and GaPSCassigned personnel categories (e.g., certificate level). Then, GaPSC proportionally selected teachers randomly from each subgroup. GaPSC focused the sample design on identifying mathematics teachers of kindergarten through ninth grade in the first administration and tenth grade in the second and third administrations. The sample also included English Language Arts teachers of kindergarten through
iii
twelfth grade. GaPSC selected these teachers because their subjects and grades were part of the CCGPS rollout during the SYs 2012-2013 and 2013-2014, the years in which the surveys were administered.
The following table shows the breakdown of teachers involved in the survey, including the response rates for each administration.
Administration
Number in sample
Spring `13 Fall `13
Spring `14
3,000 3,000 3,000
Number of surveys
successfully delivered
2,919 2,962 2,966
Number of respondents
1,095 1,242 980
Final number of respondents
after data cleaning
987 1,024 927
Response rate
33.8% 34.9% 31.2%
Between 6 and 18% of the responses in each administration were discarded due to incomplete responses, respondents not teaching CCGPS subjects, and other reasons. The response rates are considered average for online survey administration, and the respondents are reflective of the accessible and sample populations. The difference in the proportion of teachers represented in the survey is within five percentage points of the proportions in the accessible population and sample, with the exception of elementary teachers in the Fall 2013 administration.1
Major Findings
Respondents had professional development and resources aligned to CCGPS.
The Teacher Survey asked respondents to rate the amount of professional development they had in preparation for CCGPS, as well as, the degree to which support resources were aligned to CCGPS. More than half of the respondents, across administrations, shared that "substantial" amount or "all" of their professional development focused on CCGPS. In the second and third administrations, 93% of respondents indicated the resources they used were aligned to CCGPS over the first two years of CCGPS implementation. This was an increase of 10 percentage points from the first administration.
Usage of CCGPS resources was linked to whether respondents found accessing the resources convenient. Respondents who "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that they used resources aligned to CCGPS had much higher rates of agreement on the accessibility of materials. The reverse holds true for respondents who "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" that they used resources.
Respondents found utility in the CCGPS-aligned professional development and resources they used.
Over 80% of all respondents "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that the topics of the professional development they received in preparation for CCGPS implementation were relevant. Over two-thirds of
1 Elementary teachers were over-represented in the fall 2013 survey. iv
respondents "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that the professional development received contributed to their ability to implement CCGPS with fidelity.
Respondents also found utility in the CCGPS-aligned instructional support resources. The majority of respondents found it convenient to access various instructional support materials via the most popular sources, which were district or GaDOE websites, or search engines, like Google. Respondents in the second and third administrations found accessing resources more convenient than those in the first administration. In the second and third administrations of the Teacher Survey, 86% of respondents "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that CCGPS resources used contributed to their ability to implement CCGPS with fidelity. This was an increase of five percentage points from the first administration of the Teacher Survey.
Considering that, in general, respondents indicated they found value in the CCGPS training and resources for which they had access; GOSA examined potential patterns between perception of professional development and understanding of CCGPS. One way to gauge teachers' understanding of CCGPS was to determine if they understand the key shifts in mathematics and English Language Arts required by CCGPS. In general, a higher percentage of respondents selected the correct shifts in mathematics than in English Language Arts. The percentage of respondents who selected incorrect shifts was at least 12 percentage points higher for English Language Arts than mathematics across administrations.
GOSA then grouped respondents based on the degree to which they understood CCGPS and found no pattern between having a more positive experience with professional development and "understanding" CCGPS among English Language Arts teachers, with the exception of the first administration. In the first administration English Language Arts teachers who "understood" CCGPS applied what they learned statistically significantly more than those who did not understand. However, across administrations, for mathematics teachers, respondents who properly identified all the central shifts had a statistically significantly higher perception of professional development than teachers who only identified one correct shift.
Although survey results showed that, in general, respondents found CCGPS professional development topics relevant and access to CCGPS resources convenient, open-ended comments suggest that most of the respondents' CCGPS implementation challenges focused on the support received transitioning to CCGPS. Across administrations, respondents were most positive about their practices and their students' transition to CCGPS. However, respondents consistently expressed frustration with the training and support materials they had to prepare for CCGPS. Respondents found it difficult to locate resources and some felt the resources provided by the state were inadequate.
Respondents demonstrated engagement in CCGPS-aligned professional development and resources.
Over 80% of respondents, across all administrations, "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that they applied their CCGPS-professional development. When respondents found the CCGPS-aligned professional
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development topics relevant, they were more likely to apply the skills and knowledge they gained from the training in their classrooms.
Across the types of CCGPS resources, more respondents indicated using resources "always" or "very often" rather than "never" or "rarely." The resources used most frequently were teaching guides, curriculum maps, or unit frameworks, with 73-79% of respondents saying they used these resources "always" or "very often." The resources used least frequently were curriculum exemplars, with 38-44% of respondents saying they used these "always" or "very often." Across resources and survey administrations, respondents who believed CCGPS-resources contributed to their ability to implement CCGPS with fidelity used resources significantly more frequently than others.
Teachers and students engaged in practices and tasks associated with CCGPS.
The final step in the theory of change focuses on student achievement. This step is not covered by this study because it is too early to assess the impact CCGPS is having on student achievement. However, the Teacher Survey gave respondents an opportunity to provide feedback on how their own practices, as well as their students, are changing as a result of transitioning to CCGPS. Across administrations, respondents as a whole were implementing practices aligned with CCGPS and students were engaged in tasks aligned with CCGPS more frequently than prior to implementation.
Across administrations, the percentage of respondents who said their students "never" or "a few times a year" engaged in various mathematics and ELA learning tasks related to CCGPS decreased. The percentage of respondents who said their students engaged in these tasks "daily" increased. Using a paired t-test, the pre/post changes for all three administrations were statistically significant. In addition, the number of comments that focused on positive student adaptation outweighed the negative comments. Over one-third of the major successes that respondents shared related to students adapting well to CCGPS.
As it relates to teachers, across administrations, respondents indicated they were implementing strong practices; however, these were not always the practices most closely associated with CCGPS. Across administrations, 80-90% of respondents indicated they were asking students more questions and encouraging them to develop answers independently, which is a teacher practice closely associated with CCGPS. The second and third highest rated teacher practices were generally not practices closely associated with CCGPS.
In addition, GOSA found patterns between implementation of CCGPS practices and perception of professional development. Respondents who thought their professional development contributed to the fidelity of implementation were more likely to implement CCGPS-associated practices than those who did not think the training contributed to their implementation. Respondents who applied what they learned from their CCGPS-focused professional development implemented CCGPS-associated teacher practices more than respondents who did not apply what they learned from their CCGPSfocused professional development.
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary...................................................................................................................................... iii Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Methodology................................................................................................................................................. 6 Section I: Student Adaptation to CCGPS ..................................................................................................... 10
Student engagement in ELA tasks........................................................................................................... 10 Student engagement in math tasks ........................................................................................................ 12 Students adapting well to CCGPS............................................................................................................ 14 Section II: Teacher adaptation to CCGPS .................................................................................................... 18 Implementation of CCGPS Teacher Practices ......................................................................................... 18 Pattern exists between implementation of teacher practices and perception of professional development ........................................................................................................................................... 19 Understanding of CCGPS......................................................................................................................... 22 Pattern exists between understanding of CCGPS and perception of professional development .......... 23 Respondents' views about adapting to CCGPS fluctuated over the course of this study ...................... 27 Section III: Perception and Usage ............................................................................................................... 31 Relevance of CCGPS-related professional development topics and application of professional development in the classroom ............................................................................................................... 31 Convenience of access to CCGPS resources and usage of resources ..................................................... 32 Resources' contribution to fidelity of implementation and frequency of use of resources .................. 33 Feedback about training, resources, and other support for CCGPS transition ...................................... 34 Conclusion................................................................................................................................................... 37
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Table of Tables
Table 1: Breakdown of teachers involved in the Teacher Survey ................................................................. 6 Table 2: Teachers represented by accessible population, sample, and survey respondents....................... 7 Table 3: Average level of student engagement in ELA-related CCGPS tasks .............................................. 10 Table 4: Average level of student engagement in math-related CCGPS tasks ........................................... 13 Table 5: Major successes and challenges regarding student adaptation to CCGPS ................................... 15 Table 6: What practices are you implementing in your CCGPS classroom? Check all that apply. ............. 18 Table 7: Differences in implementation of CCGPS-associated teacher practices based on Professional Development's contribution to fidelity of implementation. ...................................................................... 20 Table 8: Differences in implementation of CCGPS-associated teacher practices based on applying professional development .......................................................................................................................... 21 Table 9: Which of the following are the central shifts required from CCGPS in English Language Arts/Literacy and mathematics? Check all that apply. ............................................................................... 22 Table 10: Differences in perceptions of professional development for ELA teachers (includes any respondent that teaches ELA)..................................................................................................................... 24 Table 11: Differences in perceptions of professional development for math teachers (includes any respondent that teaches math) .................................................................................................................. 26 Table 12: Major success and challenges regarding teacher adaptation to CCGPS..................................... 28 Table 13: Differences in perceptions of application of professional development in the classroom ........ 32 Table 14: Differences in perceptions of convenience of access to CCGPS-aligned resources.................... 33 Table 15: Differences in perceptions of resources' contribution to fidelity of implementation................ 34 Table 16: Major successes and challenges related to perception of CCGPS support................................. 35
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"I have really appreciated having the state-written units to
guide my planning."
"Of course, learning new approaches is time consuming. However, it is worth it because students do seem more challenged in ELA."
"The students want me to give them the
answers."
"It has given me the opportunity to allow students a chance to learn at higher levels."
"I have had challenges with the rigor of CCGPS."
"Getting students to `think and work at solving challenging and rigorous problems' on their own. Many students lack basic mark skills. Difficult to transition from traditional teaching students are
accustomed to in elementary."
"I have had strong support from my school and county in implementing CCGPS so far. I've been taught several new strategies to help teach the standards and make learning more
effective."
"The kindergarten math frameworks are absolutely
wonderful!"
"I feel that I am implementing the CCGPS standards effectively but I feel it is a constant struggle to keep up."
Teacher Survey on CCGPS Implementation
"My special education students' writing has improved."
"It is hard to change the old ways of teaching and parents think that the students need more memorization type activities."
"Creating more writing activities based on
literature students are reading has been successful."
"I miss some of the lessons that I no longer
have time to implement."
"[CCGPS is] Above the children's learning
level."
"The students being able to tell anyone that comes into the room what we are working on and their being able to explain why they were able to get
the answer when they solve a problem."
"Seeing my students understand math concepts easier and being able to problem solve on their own. My students are able to look at graphs and
create their own questions."
"Some of the expectations are too high for the average student which makes it difficult for them to achieve mastery."
Quotes represent major successes and challenges as told by respondents
1
Introduction
In July 2012, Georgia adopted the Common Core State Standards, a set of common performance standards in mathematics and English Language Arts in kindergarten through twelfth grade. According to the Common Core State Standards website, "as of June 2014, 43 states, the Department of Defense Education Activity, Washington D.C., Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands have adopted the CCSS in ELA/literacy and math."2 The only states not to adopt both ELA/literacy and mathematics standards are Alaska, Indiana, Minnesota (adopted ELA only), Nebraska, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Texas, and Virginia.3 The Common Core State Standards aim to support college and career readiness by ensuring "students, no matter where they live, are well prepared with the skills and knowledge necessary to collaborate and compete with their peers in the United States and abroad."4
Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) began preparing educators for the transition to Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (CCGPS), Georgia's version of Common Core State Standards, in Spring 2011. During SY 2011-2012, GaDOE curriculum staff presented at over 85 conferences and meetings to inform educators about CCGPS. Also, in September 2011, GaDOE, in concert with Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB), publicized the upcoming transition to CCGPS via a statewide orientation video. In January 2012, GaDOE started to provide training through webinars and GPB live-streamed videos. During Summer 2012, GaDOE worked with Regional Education Service Agencies (RESAs) to offer face-to-face training on a first come, first served basis. GaDOE also developed sample unit frameworks and other instructional support materials during the pre-implementation phase of the transition. GaDOE continues to support educators through updated unit frameworks, grade level/course overviews, and webinars. Links to all the aforementioned resources can be found at http://www.georgiastandards.org/Common-Core.
The Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) performed a comprehensive investigation of the instructional support that GaDOE provided to educators in November 2012.5 In this analysis, GOSA surveyed curriculum leaders at the state, regional, and district levels to examine their perception of GaDOE's support and implementation of CCGPS. GOSA also asked respondents their opinion regarding the educators' understanding of CCGPS. This study indicated that educators needed additional support to be more comfortable with and confident about the transition to CCGPS. Refer to http://gosa.georgia.gov/statewide-evaluation-goal-3#Eval Reports for the executive summary of this report.
2 "Development Process." Home. Common Core State Standards Initiative, June 2014. Web. 27 Nov. 2014 . 3 "Standards in Your State." Home. Common Core State Standards Initiative, June 2014. Web. 25 Nov. 2014 . 4 "Frequently Asked Questions," Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2012, 16 May 2013 . 5 Shearer Niah, Roll-out and Early Implementation of CCGPS: Analysis of the CCGPS Supports Inventory Survey, Rep. (Atlanta: Governor's Office of Student Achievement, 2013).
2
Based on findings from GOSA's first study of CCGPS, GOSA decided to survey teachers to learn about their experience implementing CCGPS. Teachers fully transitioned to the new standards during SY 20122013. GOSA partnered with Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) to administer the Teacher Survey on CCGPS Implementation (Teacher Survey) at three different points during the first two years of CCGPS implementation. GOSA, in partnership with GaPSC, administered the survey to random samples of teachers in April 2013, December 2013, and May 2014.
By administering the Teacher Survey, GOSA aimed to provide state and local education leaders and stakeholders with perceptual data from teachers regarding CCGPS implementation in order to strengthen implementation.
Using guidance from Achieve and U.S. Education Delivery Institute, GOSA based the evaluation of the CCGPS implementation on the following theory of change. 6
If educators at all levels of experience have sufficient access to teaching strategies through professional learning opportunities, instructional materials, and other resources that are aligned with their individual needs; and
If educators find those teaching strategies, instructional materials, and other resources to be useful;
Then educators will implement those teaching strategies, instructional materials, and other resources into their schools and classrooms; and
Then achievement for the students served by these educators will improve.
The final step in the theory of change focuses on student achievement. This step is not covered by this study because it is too early to assess the impact CCGPS on student achievement.
The purpose of this report is to discuss the main findings from the three administrations of the Teacher Survey and identify opportunities for further research. By administering the survey three times, GOSA and GaPSC were able to collect trend data over the first two years of full CCGPS implementation. Findings from these surveys are intended to inform state and local decision-making regarding ongoing implementation of CCGPS. In particular, these findings should help education leaders better understand how teachers feel regarding the accessibility and utility of CCGPS-related support, and if teachers are making use of the support in their classrooms.
6 Implementing Common Core State Standards and Assessments: A Workbook for State and District Leaders (Achieve and US Education Delivery Institute, 2012).
3
Theory of Change
Perceptual data from teachers who responded to all administrations of the Teacher Survey supported each step in the theory of change. Based on findings from the surveys:
Respondents had professional development and resources aligned to CCGPS
The Teacher Survey asked respondents to rate the amount of professional development they had in preparation for CCGPS, as well as, the degree to which support resources were aligned to CCGPS. More than half of the respondents, across administrations, shared that "substantial" amount or "all" of their professional development focused on CCGPS. The vast majority of respondents "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that the resources they used during school years 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 were aligned to CCGPS.
Respondents found utility in the CCGPS-aligned professional development and resources they used
While the Teacher Survey did not explicitly ask respondents to state whether they found the CCGPS-related training and support that they were receiving helpful, the survey did ask a series of questions that aimed at gauging how well this support aided them in transitioning to the new standards. Over 80% of all respondents "agreed" or "strongly agreed" the topics of the professional development they received in preparation for CCGPS implementation were relevant. Over two-thirds of respondents "agreed" or "strongly agreed" the professional development they received contributed to their ability to implement CCGPS with fidelity. Respondents also found utility in the CCGPS-aligned instructional support resources. The majority of respondents found it convenient to access various instructional support materials via the most popular sources, which were district or GaDOE websites, or search engines, like Google. Respondents in the second and third administrations found accessing resources more convenient than those in the first administration. In the second and third administrations of the Teacher Survey, 86% of respondents "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that CCGPS resources used contributed to their ability to implement CCGPS with fidelity. This was an increase of five percentage points from the first administration of the Teacher Survey.
4
Respondents demonstrated engagement in CCGPS-aligned professional development and resources
For the most part, survey respondents believed they had access to CCGPS resources that they found relevant, convenient to access, and that aided in their ability to implement CCGPS with fidelity. In addition, they reported using the skills and resources they gained from the CCGPS support in their classrooms. Over 80% of respondents, across all administrations, "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that they applied what they learned from their CCGPS-professional development in their classrooms. Across the types of CCGPS resources, more respondents indicated they were using resources "very often" or "always" than "never" or "rarely." The resources being used most frequently were teaching guides, curriculum maps, or unit frameworks, with 73-79% of respondents saying they used these resources "very often" or "always." The resources used least frequently were Curriculum exemplars, with 38-44% of respondents using these "very often" or "always."
Teachers and students engaged in practices and tasks associated with CCGPS
The final step in the theory of change focuses on student achievement. This step is not covered by this study because it is too early to assess the impact CCGPS is having on student achievement. However, the Teacher Survey gave respondents an opportunity to provide feedback on how their own practices, as well as their students, are changing as a result of transitioning to CCGPS. Across administrations, respondents as a whole were implementing practices aligned with CCGPS and students were engaged in tasks aligned with CCGPS more frequently than prior to implementation.
5
Methodology
GOSA and GaPSC administered the Teacher Survey on CCGPS Implementation through Survey Monkey on April 30, 2013, December 3, 2013, and May 22, 2014. Since GOSA and GaPSC needed to administer the survey electronically, the organizations could only derive a random sample from teachers who shared their e-mail addresses with GaPSC. GaPSC collects teacher e-mail addresses through registration in the myPSC database. Therefore, the accessible population for the survey was the pool of teachers who registered in the database. Teachers register in the myPSC database to view or print their GaPSC certificate, update personal information on file with GaPSC, and read correspondence from the agency. 7 Approximately 75% of all teachers in the state are registered in the myPSC database.
From teachers registered in the myPSC database, GaPSC employed a stratified random sampling design to select the sample of 3,000 teachers. GaPSC selected a different group of 3,000 teachers for each administration. Therefore, each administration had different teachers. Stratified sampling first separates the target population into "mutually exclusive, homogeneous segments (strata). Then a simple random sample is selected from each segment (stratum)."8 GaPSC split the accessible population into subgroups, or strata, based on subjects taught and GaPSC-assigned personnel categories (e. g., certificate level). Then, GaPSC proportionally selected teachers randomly from each subgroup. GaPSC focused the sample design on identifying mathematics teachers of kindergarten through ninth grade in the first administration and kindergarten through tenth grade in the second and third administrations, and English Language Arts (ELA) teachers of kindergarten through twelfth grade. GaPSC selected these teachers because their subjects and grades were part of the CCGPS rollout during SYs 2012-2013 and 2013-2014. Table 1 displays the breakdown of teachers who were sent surveys and replied to surveys.
Table 1: Breakdown of teachers involved in the Teacher Survey
Administration
Number in sample
Number of surveys
successfully delivered
Number of respondents
Final number of respondents
after data cleaning
Spring `13
3,000
2,919
1,095
987
Fall `13
3,000
2,962
1,242
1,024
Spring `14
3,000
2,966
980
927
Response rate
33.8% 34.9% 31.2%
GOSA and GaPSC encountered challenges sending the survey to some teachers because of undeliverable e-mail addresses or blocked access to Survey Monkey, which resulted in fewer than 3,000 teachers receiving the survey. Following the conclusion of the survey administration period, GOSA performed
7 "Homepage," MyPSC, 04 Oct. 2013 . 8 Johnnie Daniel, "Chapter 5. Choosing the Type of Probability Sampling," Sampling essentials: Practical guidelines for making sampling choices (Los Angeles: Sage Publications, 2012) 131.
6
manual data cleaning. Between 6 and 18% of the responses were discarded due to incomplete responses, respondents not teaching CCGPS subjects, and other reasons. 9 10 11
GaPSC's use of a stratified random sampling design ensured the sample of teachers surveyed would be representative of the accessible population. GOSA then reviewed responses and targeted follow-up to under-represented subgroups. These efforts resulted in response rates above 30% for all administrations. Not only is the response rate considered average for online survey administration, but as shown in Table 2 below, the respondents are reflective of the accessible and sample populations. 12
Table 2: Teachers represented by accessible population, sample, and survey respondents
Admin.
Accessible Population
Number Percent
Sample Number Percent
Respondents Number Percent
Diff in proportions
(sample respondents)
Teachers classified as Spr. `13 10,280 20%
605
20%
206
21%
-1
teaching
Fall `13 11,004 22%
667
22%
280
27%
-5
MATHEMATICS only Spr. `14 11,082 23%
682
23%
221
24%
-1
Teachers classified as Spr. `13 12,354 24%
727
24%
236
24%
0
teaching ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Fall `13 9,646 19%
585
19%
239
23%
-4
(ELA) only
Spr. `14 10,134 21%
624
21%
208
22%
-1
Teachers classified as Spr. `13 28,332 56% 1,668 56%
545
55%
1
teaching BOTH mathematics and
Fall `13 28,856 58% 1,749 58%
505
49%
9
ELA
Spr. `14 27,498 56% 1,693 56%
498
54%
2
TOTAL
Spr. `13 Fall `13
50,966 49,506
100% 100%
3,000 3,000
100% 100%
987 1,024
100% 100%
Spr. `14 48,714 100% 3,000 100% 927 100%
9 Spring 2013: GOSA removed 108 responses from the analysis duplicate responses (10), responses without verifiable subjectarea or district (4), and incomplete responses (94). GOSA considered responses incomplete if the respondent failed to respond to questions beyond the demographic questions (Questions 1 & 2). 10 Fall 2013: GOSA removed 218 responses from the analysis incomplete responses (157) and teachers who indicated that they did not teach mathematics or English Language Arts (61). GOSA considered responses incomplete if the respondent failed to respond to questions beyond the demographic questions (Questions 1 3). 11 Spring 2014: GOSA removed 53 responses from the analysis incomplete responses (10) and teachers who indicated that they did not teach mathematics or English Language Arts (43). GOSA considered responses incomplete if the respondent failed to respond to questions beyond the demographic questions (Questions 1 3). 12 McNulty, Darren. (2008). The adequacy of response rates to online and paper surveys: what can be done? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 33(2), 301 314.
7
As shown in Table 2, the difference in the proportion of teachers represented in the survey is within five percentage points of the proportions in the accessible population and sample, with the exception of elementary teachers in the Fall 2013 administration. Elementary teachers were over-represented in the Fall 2013 survey. The Teacher Survey on CCGPS Implementation is based on suggested implementation practices from Achieve and the U.S. Education Delivery Institute (EDI).13 In addition, GOSA and GaPSC used valid and reliable tools, as well as evidence- and research-based practices, to develop the survey.14 15 16 GaDOE curriculum and Race to the Top (RT3) staff, as well as a small group of teachers, vetted the survey questions. GOSA and GaPSC piloted the instrument with a group of teachers. Data are presented throughout the report in charts, tables and direct quotes. Additionally, GOSA presented question texts and/or scales in an abbreviated manner when data results are presented in charts or tables. All results from the survey are shown, along with the full text for questions and openended responses, in Appendix A: All Results. The next section discusses the results and findings from all three administrations of the survey.
13 Implementing Common Core State Standards and Assessments: A Workbook for State and District Leaders, Publication (Achieve and US Education Delivery Institute, 2012). 14 "Survey item bank," Feedback Loops for Common Core State Standards Implementation | U.S. Education Delivery Institute, 5 June 2012, U.S. Education Delivery Institute, 10 Mar. 2013 . 15 Cathy J. Lassiter, "Teaching Strategies for Reading for Information in the English Language Arts Common Core," Navigating the English language arts common core state standards, by Angela B. Peery (Englewood, CO: Lead + Learn P, 2011) 145-59. 16 Cathy J. Lassiter, "Strategies for Addressing Rigor in Mathematics Common Core," Navigating the mathematics common core state standards, by Jan Christinson (Englewood, CO: Lead + Learn P, 2012) 77-90.
8
"Trying to teach so many difficult standards at one time,
to socially disadvantaged children who receive little if
any help from home."
"The growth within my students. The `I can't' statements have turned into `I can' statements!"
"The biggest success reading scores are increasing due to nonfiction lessons. The students really enjoy reading."
"Above the children's learning level."
"My students' writing progress is amazing."
"There is a fast pace, and I feel the students that are behind in their learning are frustrated and
lost at times."
"The students don't like it when we ask
`why.'"
"I find that my students are
thinking more."
"The biggest challenge that I have had with implementing CCGPS are the type of students I receive in my classroom. They are not prepared to be challenged and moved forward...I find that even the
students that receive additional assistance from other teachers are still struggling. It is frustrating to see they are not progressing."
"The older kids are struggling, because they are not used to the type of work they have to do. Many of them
were not taught conceptually before."
"Students have problems moving away from multiple choice questions to questions with rigor."
Student adaptation to CCGPS
"I have noticed students being more intrigued with mathematical concepts. They now think "outside the box" rather than looking for concrete
answers. Children now understand that mathematics consists of more than just numbers."
"My students are beginning to rely more on each other than the teacher!!!"
"I feel the students I have received from 5th grade that have already had one year of CCGPS have a stronger foundation for receiving the content material in 6th grade."
"Hard to build on math if the majority of the students don't even know their facts. I am in a high performing school. I can't imagine what it
is like in a lower performing school."
"My greatest challenge is with students with significant disabilities... If you struggle with writing your numbers,
how can you solve equations? If you can't read the words, how can you read the required novels?"
"I love how all students are able to
use more higher order thinking skills."
"It is difficult to keep struggling students motivated to work on the more rigorous problems when they have foundational
gaps."
Quotes represent major successes and challenges as told by respondents
"Students at all reading levels are able to defend their thinking intelligently now and seem to have enjoyed rising to the
challenge."
9
Section I: Student Adaptation to CCGPS
Although it is too early to assess the standards' impact on student learning, this survey produced evidence that showed students are starting to think and learn differently, which is necessary to meet the rigor of CCGPS. The Teacher Survey asked respondents to state how frequently their students behaved in ways aligned to CCGPS. The change in how frequently students exhibit learning behaviors aligned with CCGPS is an interim measure of student outcomes. If students are learning in a way that is aligned with CCGPS, then it is more likely that they will be prepared for the summative assessments based upon these standards.
On both surveys, respondents indicated how frequently their students engaged in various tasks using the following scale: "never" - 0, "a few times a year" - 1, "once or twice a month" - 2, "once or twice a week" - 3, and "almost daily" - 4.17 Findings from the Teacher Survey suggest that students engaged in tasks associated with CCGPS more after the state transitioned to the new standards during SY 20122013. Across the board, the percentage of respondents who said their students "never" or "a few times a year" engaged in various mathematics and ELA learning tasks related to CCGPS decreased. The percentage of respondents who said their students engaged in these tasks "daily" increased.
Student engagement in ELA tasks
The following table shows the trends in student engagement in various ELA-related tasks. The following ELA-related tasks serve as examples of how students should be learning, engaging, and interacting with the curriculum as a result of the new standards.18
Table 3: Average level of student engagement in ELA-related CCGPS tasks
4
3.48
Task 1
3.5
3.42
3
3.33
Monitoring and reading by
2.5
slowing down, re-reading
2
sentences, and using context
1.5
clues to determine meaning
1
Before
3.67 3.65
3.60
After
Admin 1 Admin 2 Admin 3
17 Survey scale also included "not a teacher" and "I don't know." For the purposes of pre/post analysis, GOSA did not include respondents who answered with one of these options for a specific task in the analysis. 18 Maryann D. Wiggs, "Gaining a Deeper Understanding of the Common Core State Standards: The Big Picture," Navigating implementation of the common core state standards, by Douglas B. Reeves (Englewood, CO: Lead + Learn P, 2011) 25
10
Table 3 continued
4
Task 2
3.5
Comparing and contrasting,
3
analyzing, synthesizing,
2.5
evaluating, judging, and
2
defending ideas they encounter 1.5
in informational reading
1
2.89 2.80
2.77
Before
4
3.5
Task 3
3
2.5
Writing quality first drafts under
2
time constraints
1.5
1
2.22 2.16
1.95
Before
4
3.5
Task 4
3
Acquiring knowledge of
2.5
vocabulary by encountering
2
words in context more than once 1.5
1
3.29 3.20
3.15
Before
4
Task 5
3.5
Reading increasingly complex
3
2.86
2.82
texts with increasing
2.5
2.84
independence
2
Before
11
3.37 3.36
3.32
After
Admin 1 Admin 2 Admin 3
2.60 2.56
2.41
After 3.57
3.50 3.48
After
3.32 3.28
3.27
After
Admin 1 Admin 2 Admin 3
Admin 1 Admin 2 Admin 3
Admin 1 Admin 2 Admin 3
Table 3 continued
4
3.5
Task 6
3
Drawing evidence from texts to
support written responses
2.5
2
2.58 2.5
2.49
Before
3.25 3.17
3.15
After
Admin 1 Admin 2 Admin 3
Using a paired t-test, the pre/post changes for all three administrations were statistically significant.19 Across administrations and tasks, students were engaged in CCGPS-aligned ELA tasks more after CCGPS implementation than before. For half of the tasks, respondents indicated their students, on average, engaged in ELA-related tasks "once or twice a month" prior to implementing CCGPS, and the frequency increased to "once or twice a week" during the school year the survey was administered. For the other tasks, respondents indicated that, while their students engaged in ELA-related tasks more after CCGPS implementation, the average frequency remained at "once or twice a week." The only exception to these two trends was in task 3, which was writing quality first drafts under time constraints. During the third administration, respondents indicated that the frequency in which students engaged in this task increased from "a few times a year" to "once or twice a month."
While teachers' responses indicate that across administrations, their students engaged in all of the English Language Arts tasks more after CCGPS implementation than before, the average frequency of engagement was higher in the first administration and lower in the third administration. This suggests that as time went on, teachers did not believe their students were engaging in these CCGPS-associated tasks as much.
Student engagement in math tasks
The following table shows the trends in student engagement in various math-related tasks. The following math-related tasks serve as examples of how students should be learning, engaging, and interacting with the curriculum as a result of the new standards.20
19 P = 0.000 for all pairs in all administrations. 20 Maryann D. Wiggs, "Gaining a Deeper Understanding of the Common Core State Standards: The Big Picture," Navigating implementation of the Common Core State Standards, by Douglas B. Reeves (Englewood, CO: Lead + Learn P, 2011) 25
12
Table 4: Average level of student engagement in math-related CCGPS tasks
4
3.5
Task 1
3
Problem-solving that goes beyond story or word problems 2.5
2
2.56 2.52
2.40 Before
3.21 3.20
3.13
After
Admin 1 Admin 2 Admin 3
Task 2
Effectively struggling with problems to deepen their
understanding
4
3.5
3
2.63
2.5
2.58
2.53
2
Before
3.24 3.24
3.24
After
Admin 1 Admin 2 Admin 3
4
Task 3
3.5
Using various approaches and
3
drawing on knowledge to justify 2.5 ideas when solving problems
2
2.96 2.94
2.87
Before
3.52 3.52
3.46
After
Admin 1 Admin 2 Admin 3
4
Task 4
3.5
3
Using real data and current
2.5
2.11
events to create their own problems and solutions
2
2.14
1.5
2.04
1
Before
2.66 2.63
2.64
After
Admin 1 Admin 2 Admin 3
13
Table 4 continued
Task 5
4
Using tables, graphs,
3.5
words, symbols and
pictures to determine which
3
2.50
representations of data are
2.5
2.47
2.49
best in certain
2
Before
circumstances
Task 6 Offering speculations and
assumptions regarding open-ended questions
3.5
3
2.49
2.5 2.34
2
2.33
Before
2.95 2.92
2.89
After
3.14 3.06
3.02
After
Admin 1 Admin 2 Admin 3
Admin 1 Admin 2 Admin 3
Student engagement in CCGPS-related tasks in mathematics followed a similar pattern as ELA. Across administrations of the survey, respondents, for the most part, indicated their students engaged in mathematics tasks "once or twice a month" prior to implementing CCGPS, and the frequency increased to "once or twice a week" after CCGPS was implemented. Respondents indicated that frequency did not increase as much for tasks 4 and 5 as it did for the other tasks. Using a paired t-test, the pre/post changes for all three administrations were statistically significant.21
Students adapting well to CCGPS
The survey gave respondents an opportunity to share their major success and challenge while implementing CCGPS. The number of comments that focused on positive student adaptation outweighed the negative comments. GOSA codified the open-ended comments and determined that the following number of comments focused on student adaptation to CCGPS22:
21 P = 0.000 for all pairs in all administrations. 22 Some comments overlapped into multiple categories. These counts do not reflect multiple category responses.
14
Table 5: Major successes and challenges regarding student adaptation to CCGPS
189 of the 523 major successes shared by the Spring 2013 respondents focused on student adaptation to CCGPS.
Improvements in student ability in general (158) Student achievement gains (20) Students like CCGPS (11)
45 of 610 major challenges shared by the Spring 2013 respondents focused on student adaptation to CCGPS.
In general, students not able to meet CCGPS demands (45)
195 of the 526 major successes shared by Fall 2013 respondents focused on student adaptation to CCGPS.
Improvements in student critical thinking and problem-solving (50) Improvements in student ELA/reading abilities (44) Improvements in student math abilities (30) Student achievement gains (15) In general, students adapting well to CCGPS (56)
117 of the 646 major challenges shared by Fall 2013 respondents focused on student adaptation to CCGPS.
Helping students adjust to CCGPS demands (54) Special education/needs students (18) In general, students not able to meet CCGPS demands (45)
127 of the 427 major successes shared by Spring 2014 respondents focused on student adaptation to CCGPS.
101 of the 527 major challenges shared by Spring 2014 respondents focused on student adaptation to CCGPS.
Improved standardized test performance (24) Improved student engagement (6) Improvements in student ELA/reading abilities (28) Improvements in student abilities in general (46) Improvements in student math abilities (32) Improvements in student problem-solving and critical thinking (33) Special education student success (4)
Students struggling with problem-solving and critical thinking (19) Students struggling with ELA (12) ELL students are struggling (3) Students struggling with math (7) In general, students are not achieving (4) Students lack motivation (2) In general, students not able to meet CCGPS demands (42) Special education students are struggling (12)
These comments demonstrate that, while students are becoming more adept at critical thinking and problem solving and appear to be making gains in mathematics and English Language Arts, many students are struggling to adjust to the heightened rigor. Some teachers expressed frustration with trying to teach students how to think differently, grapple with complex texts and problems, and meet higher expectations. Others discussed the challenges related to teaching students who enter their
15
classrooms without foundational skills and knowledge to be successful. While the challenges in Table 5 highlight areas where teachers and students need additional support, these comments represent less than 20% of the total number of challenges. On a positive note, over one-third of the major successes are represented by comments falling into the categories in Table 5. Therefore, one of the best aspects of CCGPS implementation for many of the respondents had to do with their students seeing improvements. The next section discusses teacher adaptation to CCGPS.
16
"Being able to narrow the standards down to priority and supportive standards. It gives me a better focus and what to spend most of my precious teaching time
on."
"I find myself differentiating more."
"ELA standards are confusing and complicated." "I am using exemplar texts more
often and more efficiently."
"The standards are worded in a way that even the teachers have
a hard time understanding, let alone the students."
"We have had almost no guidance regarding the roll out of the CCGPS. When we started the GPS, there were
hours and hours of meetings and training...With the new standards, there were a few webinars and some paperwork for us to read and that was about it."
"Before CCGPS, I had my whole class reading novels but got the message that I wasn't working within the expectations of the grade level. Now all students are
required to do this. I think that's wonderful."
"I have had strong support from my school and county in implementing CCGPS so far."
"I dislike the webinars....I understand that is a great way to inform the state and everyone be on
the same page, but they are long and usually afterschool when we are not always most `alert'."
Teacher adaptation to CCGPS
"The biggest success that I have had...relates to standards based instruction. When I begin planning lessons...I always consult the standards and frameworks on the state site."
"Our county has offered a lot of professional learning for teachers. Teachers from different schools have been
working collaboratively to make sure that teachers have what they need."
"Dealing with the backlash from the
poor scores..."
"Just the challenge of making sure I am making the
right changes and implementing them into
class lessons."
"[My biggest challenge is] A lack of materials and ongoing training
on how to implement Common Core in ELA."
"Not enough training
"The biggest success I've had so far is being able to stick on one topic for a while so they have a chance master instead of rushing onto the next concept hoping they'll pick it up
eventually."
before implementing CCGPS. My district does not have any
money for training."
Quotes represent major successes and challenges as told by respondents
17
Section II: Teacher adaptation to CCGPS
CCGPS establish "what students need to learn, but do not dictate how teachers should teach."23 However, there are various practices and key elements of CCGPS that teachers should understand and follow in order to transition more successfully to CCGPS. Across administrations, teachers indicated they were engaging in practices associated with strong teaching, some of which are closely aligned with CCGPS. Generally, teachers also understood the key differences, or "shifts" between CCGPS and older standards.
Implementation of CCGPS Teacher Practices
Achieve, U.S. Education Delivery Institute (EDI), and Education First collaborated on an item bank of survey questions states could use to assess their transition to the Common Core State Standards. Each question in the item bank provided six instructional practices, with three of them being closely related to Common Core State Standards implementation. The collaborators consider all the practices to be strong; however, the three highlighted practices are more closely related to the new standards.24 Table 6 shows how teachers surveyed responded to this question.
Table 6: What practices are you implementing in your CCGPS classroom? Check all
that apply.
Spring `13
Fall `13
Spring `14
(n=987)
(n=1,024)
(n=927)
Practice 1: Incorporating new curricular materials and instructional strategies in
807 81.8% Second 965 90.1% Second 818 88.2% Second
my teaching.
Practice 2: Asking students more questions and encouraging them to
817 82.8% First 978 90.1% First 823 88.8% First
develop answers independently.
Practice 3: Structuring opportunities for students to develop and solve their own 692
70.1%
835 78.1% Third 673
72.6%
problems.
Practice 4: Increasing my use of out-ofstate teaching resources.
343
34.8%
377
35.6% 333
35.9%
Practice 5: Diversifying the ways I assess
student learning and providing feedback. 662
67.1%
785
73.8% 679
73.2%
23 "Frequently Asked Questions." Home. Common Core State Standards Initiative, June 2014. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. 24 "Survey item bank," Feedback Loops for Common Core State Standards Implementation | U.S. Education Delivery Institute, 5 June 2012, U.S. Education Delivery Institute, 10 Mar. 2013 http://www.deliveryinstitute.org/publications/feedback-loopscommon-core=state-standards-impelmentation.
18
Table 6 continued
Practice 6: Increasing my collaboration with colleagues within my school and in
735 74.5% Third 825
76.7%
other schools.
Common Core practices are highlighted. Respondents could select more than one practice.
729 78.6% Third
Table 6 shows that all of the practices, with the exception of Practice 4, were used by the majority of respondents across all three administrations of the Teacher Survey. While respondents in all administrations indicated they were implementing strong practices, they were not always the practices most closely associated with CCGPS. As shown in the Table 6, across administrations, respondents selected Practice 2 (a practice strongly aligned with CCGPS) the most, but the second most selected practice was not strongly aligned with CCGPS. However, respondents in the second administration indicated they were implementing two of the practices aligned with CCGPS most frequently (Practices 2 and 3).
Pattern exists between implementation of teacher practices and perception of professional development
GOSA examined the pattern between perception of professional development and implementation of CCGPS-associated practices. The logic model implies that if teachers have CCGPS-related supports that they find helpful, then they will use these supports and eventually, their practice will improve. The logic model concludes with the belief that strong teacher practice will contribute to improved outcomes for students. To measure this pattern, GOSA grouped respondents based on their responses to the professional development questions to examine how the two groups differed on implementation of CCGPS-related teacher practices.
By grouping participants based on their responses to questions on their experience with CCGPS professional development, GOSA found that respondents who thought their professional development contributed to their fidelity of implementation were more likely to implement CCGPS-associated practices than those who did not think the training contributed to their implementation. Table 7 shows how the two groups of participants responded to the question about implementation of CCGPS-related teacher practices based on whether they believe professional development contributed to their ability to implement CCGPS with fidelity.
19
Table 7: Differences in implementation of CCGPS-associated teacher practices based on Professional Development's contribution to fidelity of implementation.
Spring 2013
Fall 2013
Spring 2014
Group 1 Group 2
Group 1 Group 2
Sig.
Sig.
N=700 N=283
N=836 N=244
Group 1 Group 2 Sig.
N=706 N=212
Implemented Practice 1
86.3% (604)
71.4%
91.1%
.000**
(202)
(762)
81.1% .000**
(198)
91.1% (643)
78.3% .000**
(166)
Implemented Practice 2
87.6% (613)
71.7%
91.6%
.000**
(203)
(766)
84.4% .001**
(206)
91.8% (648)
78.3% .000**
(166)
Implemented Practice 3
74.4% (521)
59.7%
78.3%
.000**
(169)
(665)
67.6% .000**
(165)
75.6% (534)
61.8% .000**
(131)
Implemented Practice 4
34.9% 34.6%
34.7% 34.8%
.946
.966
(244)
(98)
(290)
(85)
34.8% (246)
40.1% .163
(85)
Implemented Practice 5
73.4% (514)
51.9%
75.7%
.000**
(147)
(633)
61.1% .000**
(149)
77.1% (544)
61.3% .000**
(130)
Implemented Practice 6
78.9% (552)
64.0%
78.6%
.000**
(181)
(657)
67.6% .000**
(165)
83.3% (588)
64.2% .000**
(136)
Group 1: Respondents that "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that professional development contributed to their ability to implement CCGPS with fidelity.
Group 2: Respondents that "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" that professional development contributed to their ability to implement CCGPS with fidelity. ANOVA, p-value: **p<.01, *p<.0525
Table 8 shows the difference in how teachers responded to the question about implementation of CCGPS-related teacher practices based on whether they "agreed" or "strongly agreed" (Group 1) or "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" (Group 2) that they are applying what they learned from CCGPS professional development in their classrooms.
25 In all cases where an ANOVA was used to compare means, GOSA selected this test because the variables are categorical, and therefore, the ANOVA is the appropriate test to compare the means.
20
Table 8: Differences in implementation of CCGPS-associated teacher practices based on applying professional development
Spring 2013
Fall 2013
Spring 2014
Group 1 Group 2
Group 1 Group 2
Sig.
Sig.
N=849 N=138
N=944 N=108
Group 1 Group 2 Sig.
N=798 N=102
Implemented Practice 1
85.0% (722)
61.6%
90.8%
(85) .000** (857)
80.6%
90.4%
(87) .001** (721)
75.5% (77) .000**
Implemented Practice 2
86.1% (731)
62.3% (86)
.000**
91.1% (860)
83.3% (90) .010*
91% (726)
74.5% (76) .000**
Implemented Practice 3
72.7% (617)
54.3% (75)
.000**
79.9% (754)
61.1%
75.1%
.000**
(66)
(599)
54.9% .000**
(56)
Implemented Practice 4
34.1% (296)
34.9% (47)
.854
34.6% (327)
34.3% (37)
.937
36.1% (288)
36.3% .971
(37)
Implemented Practice 5
69.8% (593)
50.0% (69)
.000**
75.5% (713)
50.9% .000**
(55)
75.9% (606)
56.9% (58)
.000**
Implemented Practice 6
76.4% (649)
62.3% (86)
.000**
77.9% (735)
65.7% .005**
(71)
82.0% (654)
57.8% (59)
.000**
Group 1: Respondents that indicated they are applying what they learned from professional development in their classrooms. Group 2: Respondents that indicated they are not applying what they learned from professional development in their classrooms. ANOVA, p-value: **p<.01, *p<.05
As shown in Tables 7 and 8, the differences regarding implementation of CCGPS-aligned teacher practices based on perception of professional development were statistically significant.26 More specifically,
Respondents who believed their CCGPS-focused professional development aided them in implementing CCGPS with fidelity implemented CCGPS-associated teacher practices more than respondents who did not believe their CCGPS-focused professional development aided them in implementing CCGPS with fidelity.
Respondents who applied what they learned from their CCGPS-focused professional development implemented CCGPS-associated teacher practices more than respondents who did not apply what they learned from their CCGPS-focused professional development.
Across administrations, respondents indicated they were implementing practice 4 (Increasing my use of out-of-state teaching resources) the least. In addition, this was the only practice that did not have a statistically significant difference between either set of groups.
26 GOSA did not conduct statistical tests to establish causality. Therefore, further investigation is needed to determine if relationships exist between teacher practice change and professional development.
21
According to the logic model, if respondents find value in their professional development then they will demonstrate teacher practices associated with the professional development. The results in Tables 7 and 8 support this claim.
Understanding of CCGPS
The transition to Common Core State Standards requires teachers to make three central shifts in their instruction of mathematics and English Language Arts.27 The Teacher Survey asked respondents to demonstrate their understanding of CCGPS by identifying the Common Core State Standards central shifts. As shown in Table 9, in most cases, 50-60% of the respondents identified the central shifts in English Language Arts and mathematics.
Table 9: Which of the following are the central shifts required from CCGPS in English Language Arts/Literacy and mathematics? Check all that apply.
English Language Arts Shifts
Mathematics Shifts
Building students' knowledge through content-rich non-fiction.
55.8% (551)
60.4% (618)
59.0% (547)
Spr `13 N=987
Fall `13 N=1,024
Spr `14 N=927
Focusing deeply on the concepts emphasized in the standards to
help students build strong foundations for learning.
55.7% (550)
59.3% (644)
60.5% (561)
Spr `13 N=987
Fall `13 N=1,024
Spr `14 N=927
Providing students reading and writing experiences grounded in evidence from text, both literary
and informational.
59.1% (583)
63.6% (651)
59.9% (555)
Spr `13 N=987
Fall `13 N=1,024
Spr `14 N=927
Creating coherent progressions within the standards from grade to grade so student knowledge
and skills build onto previous learning.
52.7% (520)
54.5% (592)
54.7% (507)
Spr `13 N=987
Fall `13 N=1,024
Spr `14 N=927
Strengthening students' understanding of narrative text
by making meaningful connections to their personal
experiences.
45.3% (447)
46.7% (478)
41.5% (385)
Spr `13 N=987
Fall `13 N=1,024
Spr `14 N=927
Introducing multiplication and division earlier in students' learning as foundations for
math concepts taught in later years.
25.8% Spr `13 (255) N=987
30.2% Fall `13 (328) N=1,024
29.3% Spr `14 (272) N=927
27 "Understanding the CCSS: The Shifts in Practice," Achievethecore.org, 2012, Student Achievement Partners, 13 July 2013 http://www.achievethecore.org/ela-literacy-common-core/shifts-practice/.
22
Table 9 continued
Providing students different levels of text based on their
reading abilities.
43.7% (431)
48.7% (499)
44.4% (412)
Spr `13 N=987
Fall `13 N=1,024
Spr `14 N=927
Developing students' conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and their ability to apply math in context.
Providing regular opportunities for students to practice with
complex grade-level text and its academic language.
49.3% (487)
51.6% (528)
52.6% (488)
Spr `13 N=987
Fall `13 N=1,024
Spr `14 N=927
Teaching each math topic as an independent, new concept that
is distinct from topics taught earlier or later.
Central shifts are highlighted. Respondents could select more than one shift.
57.0% Spr `13 (563) N=987
60.7% Fall `13 (659) N=1,024
61.3% Spr `14 (568) N=927
19.0% Spr `13 (188) N=987
19.6% Fall `13 (213) N=1,024
21.8% Spr `14 (202) N=927
In general, a higher percentage of respondents selected the correct shifts in mathematics than in English Language Arts. The percentage of respondents who selected incorrect shifts was at least 12 percentage points higher for English Language Arts than mathematics.
Pattern exists between understanding of CCGPS and perception of
professional development
To further study respondents' understanding of CCGPS, GOSA investigated patterns between professional development and selection of central shifts. One way that respondents could learn about CCGPS, including the central shifts, was through GaDOE's professional development efforts. Therefore, GOSA examined the differences in how respondents identified central shifts based on their perception of professional development.28 Statistically significant differences suggest that teachers who "understood" CCGPS had a different experience than other teachers, and would provide opportunities for deeper analysis.
GOSA grouped participants based on their identification of central shifts. GOSA considered respondents who selected the three central shifts in their respective content-area as those who "understood" CCGPS. Respondents who only identified one central shift were considered those who "did not understand"
28 The Teacher Survey did not differentiate between GaDOE professional development and other professional development that teachers received. GaDOE offered CCGPS professional development from fall 2011. This professional development addressed the central shifts. Teachers were expected to take part in GaDOE's professional development; however, since teachers are employees of local education agencies (LEAs), GaDOE could not mandate their participation. This study does not attempt to establish causality. Further investigation is necessary to determine the quality of professional development and its effect on teachers' understanding of CCGPS.
23
CCGPS as well. Tables 10 and 11 compare the two groups' perceptions of professional development relevance, application of professional development, and contribution to fidelity of implementation.29
Table 10: Differences in perceptions of professional development for ELA teachers (includes any respondent that teaches ELA)
Overall, the topics for which I received CCGPS-focused professional development/training over the last two school years were relevant.
Admin
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
N Mean
Group1 Understands CCGPS
Spring `13 Fall `13
Spring `14
0.0% (0) 0.0% (0) 0.0% (0)
14.5% (8) 58.2% (32) 27.3% (15) 55 3.13 8.9% (5) 76.8% (43) 14.3% (8) 56 3.05 7.1% (3) 76.2% (32) 16.7% (7) 42 3.10
Group 2
Does not understand CCGPS
Spring `13 Fall `13
Spring `14
3.2% (2) 2.8% (2) 0.9% (2)
19% (12) 61.9% (39) 15.9% (10) 63 2.90 16.7% (12) 70.8% (51) 9.7% (7) 72 2.88 11.1% (24) 69.0% (149) 19% (41) 216 3.06
Significance
Spring '13: .073
Fall '13: .073
Spring '14: .713
Overall, the CCGPS-focused professional development/training I have received over the last two school years has contributed to my ability to implement CCGPS with fidelity.
Admin.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
N Mean
Spring `13 3.6% (2) 23.6% (13) 56.4% (31) 16.4% (9) 55 2.85
Group1 Understands CCGPS
Fall `13
0.0% (0) 21.4% (12) 67.9% (38) 10.7% (6) 56 2.89
Spring `14 0.0% (0) 14.3% (6) 59.5% (25) 26.2% (11) 42 3.12
Group 2
Does not understand CCGPS
Spring `13 Fall `13
Spring `14
9.5% (6) 1.4% (1) 1.4% (3)
28.6% (18) 49.2% (31) 12.7% (8) 63 2.65 31.9% (23) 59.7% (43) 6.9% (5) 72 2.72 15% (32) 69.6% (149) 14% (30) 214 2.96
Significance
Spring `13: .161
Fall `13: .107
Spring `14: .121
29 Tables 10 and 11 do not include responses from all respondents. Only respondents who selected only the three central shifts or only one central shift (and possibly other non-central shifts) are represented in tables 10 and 11. All other responses were excluded because this analysis is only focused on the most extreme examples of correctly and incorrectly identifying shifts. The number of respondents who did not select any correct shifts was too small, and therefore, insufficient for analysis. Therefore, respondents who selected only one correct shift were used instead.
24
Table 10 continued
Overall, I have applied what I learned from the CCGPS-focused professional development/training I received over the last two school years in my classroom.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
N Mean
Group1 Understands CCGPS
Spring `13 Fall `13
Spring `14
0.0% (0) 0.0% (0) 0.0% (0)
9.1% (5) 63.6% (35) 25.5% (14) 54 3.17 5.7% (3) 77.4% (41) 17.0% (9) 53 3.11 7.1% (3) 59.5% (25) 33.3% (14) 42 3.26
Group 2
Does not understand CCGPS
Spring `13 Fall `13
Spring `14
6.3% (4) 2.9% (2) 0.0% (0)
19% (12) 57.1% (36) 14.3% (9) 61 2.82 12.9% (9) 72.9% (51) 11.4% (8) 70 2.93 7.1% (15) 68.6% (144) 24.3% (51) 210 3.17
Significance
Spring `13: .007**
Fall `13: .065
Spring `14: .326
ANOVA, p-value: **p<.01, *p<.05
Looking at the responses displayed in Table 10, two things are clear. Fewer respondents fell into the "understands CCGPS" group for the three professional development questions. While the respondents in the third administration were representative of the sample population, same as the respondents in other administrations, a much larger number of respondents fell into the "did not understand" category than in other administrations.
GOSA tested the statistical significance of the difference in mean values using an analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. Although the mean values were higher for the "understands CCGPS" group, the differences between groups were not statistically significant for most tests. Therefore, a pattern between having a more positive experience with professional development and "understanding" CCGPS did not exist among English Language Arts teachers, with the exception of the first administration, where teachers who "understood" CCGPS applied what they learned statistically significantly more than those who did not understand.
25
Table 11: Differences in perceptions of professional development for math teachers (includes any respondent that teaches math)
Overall, the topics for which I received CCGPS-focused professional development/training over the last two school years were relevant.
Admin.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
N Mean
Group 1
Understands CCGPS
Spring `13 Fall `13
Spring `14
1.1% (2) 0.5% (1) 0.0% (0)
10.9% (20) 9.6% (20) 12.8% (23)
65.8% (121) 66.3% (138) 73.9% (133)
22.3% (41) 184 3.09 23.6% (49) 208 3.13 13.3% (24) 180 3.01
Group 2
Does not understand CCGPS
Spring `13 Fall `13
Spring `14
5.6% (3) 3.3% (3) 2.8% (2)
20.4% (11) 24.2% (22) 20.8% (15)
61.1% (33) 67.0% (61) 61.1% (44)
13.0% (7) 54 2.81 5.5% (5) 91 2.75 15.3% (11) 72 2.89
Significance
Spring '13: .005**
Fall '13: .000**
Spring '14: .141
Overall, the CCGPS-focused professional development/training I have received over the last two school years has contributed to my ability to implement CCGPS with fidelity.
Admin.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
N Mean
Group 1
Understands CCGPS
Spring `13 Fall `13
Spring `14
2.7% (5) 1.0% (2) 1.7% (3)
19.0% (35) 65.2% (120) 13.0% (24) 184 2.89 15.8% (33) 64.1% (134) 19.1% (40) 209 3.01 20.8% (37) 65.2% (116) 12.4% (22) 178 2.88
Group 2
Does not understand CCGPS
Spring `13 Fall `13
Spring `14
10.9% (6) 4.4% (4) 5.6% (4)
34.5% (19) 30.8% (28) 29.6% (21)
49.1% (27) 62.6% (57) 54.9% (39)
5.5% (3) 2.2% (2) 9.9% (7)
55 2.49 91 2.63 71 2.69
Significance
Spring '13: .000**
Fall '13: .000**
Spring '14: .038*
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Table 11 continued
Overall, I have applied what I learned from the CCGPS-focused professional development/training I received over the last two school years in my classroom.
Admin.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
N Mean
Group1
Understands CCGPS
Spring `13 Fall `13
Spring `14
1.6% (3) 0.5% (1) 0.0% (0)
9.2% (17) 62.2% (115) 23.8% (44) 179 3.12 5.4% (11) 69.0% (140) 25.1% (51) 203 3.19 10.1% (18) 73.6% (131) 16.3% (29) 178 3.06
Group 2
Spring `13 7.3% (4) 14.5% (8) 65.5% (36) 7.3% (4) 52 2.77
Does not
Fall `13 4.9% (4) 18.5% (15) 71.6% (58) 4.9% (4) 81 2.77
understand CCGPS Spring `14 4.3% (3) 11.4% (8) 68.6% (48) 15.7% (11) 70 2.96
Significance
Spring '13: .001**
Fall '13: .000**
Spring '14: .187
ANOVA, p-value: **p<.01, *p<.05
Across administrations, for mathematics teachers, the "understands CCGPS" group had at least twice as many respondents as the "does not understand CCGPS" group. The "understands CCGPS" group also had higher and statistically significantly means than the "does not understand CCGPS" for most administrations.
Mathematics teachers in the first two administrations consistently saw statistically significant differences among respondent perception of CCGPS professional development. However, respondents in the final administration only differed based on their understanding of CCGPS as it relates to their perception of CCGPS professional development's contribution to their ability to implement CCGPS with fidelity. Therefore, a pattern between having a more positive experience with professional development and "understanding" CCGPS did exist among mathematics teachers for at least one question across all three administrations.
Respondents' views about adapting to CCGPS fluctuated over the course of this study
In the first administration, respondents expressed more positive experiences with adaptation to CCGPS than negative experiences. However, in the second and third administrations, teachers indicated that adapting to CCGPS was more challenging, especially in the second administration as shown in Table 12.
Across administrations, respondents commented about how challenging it was to adjust their teaching styles (curriculum, pedagogy, etc.) to accommodate to CCGPS. Respondents also expressed challenges with the transition to CCGPS, which often related to lack of or poor communication, preparation and training. Other challenges referred to timing issues and general concerns with new standards.
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Approximately 20-40% of all the successes that respondents shared related to their experience adapting to CCGPS. Across administrations, teachers shared that they effectively adjusted instructional practices to deliver the CCGPS standards, with many teachers talking specifically about their experience teaching math and English Language Arts. Other major successes that were shared across administrations were increased collaboration among colleagues and better use of instructional time.
In general, what were considered challenges for some respondents were successes for others. By the third administration, respondents shared nearly the same number of major successes and challenges related to teacher adaptation to CCGPS were nearly the same, which suggests that teachers became more comfortable with new standards by the second half of the SY 2013-14.
Table 12: Major success and challenges regarding teacher adaptation to CCGPS
189 of the 523 major successes shared by Spring 2013 respondents focused on teacher adaptation to CCGPS.
Positive teacher practices aligned with CCGPS (105) Positive transition to and implementation of CCGPS (14) Increased collaboration among other teachers (31)
165 of 610 major challenges shared by Spring 2013 respondents focused on teacher adaptation to CCGPS.
177 of the 526 major successes shared by Fall 2013 respondents focused on teacher adaptation to CCGPS.
315 of the 646 major challenges shared by Fall 2013 respondents focused on teacher adaptation to CCGPS.
Interpreting standards (35) Changes to teaching style (41) Lack of time (29) Special education instruction (17) Transitioning to CCGPS (43)
Instructional (and other teacher) practices aligned with CCGPS (50) Implementing CCGPS teacher practices related to ELA (29) Implementing CCGPS teacher practices related to math (17) Helping students adjust to CCGPS demands (21) Increased collaboration among other teachers (25) More time for instruction (15) Successful transition and Implementation (20)
Difficult to adapt teaching style to meet CCGPS demands (39) Difficult to support students while they adjust to CCGPS demands (54) Standards are difficult to interpret (32) Need more time for instruction, planning, collaboration, etc. (53) Planning and preparation is too time-intensive and arduous (53) Difficult to deliver special education instruction (18) Too much material to cover in short amount of time (41) Difficult to transition to CCGPS (25)
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Table 12 continued
97 of the 427 major successes shared by Spring 2014 respondents focused on teacher adaptation to CCGPS.
Teacher success in general (68) Teacher success in ELA (19) Teacher success in math (10)
100 of the 527 major challenges shared bySpring 2014 respondents focused on teacher adaptation to CCGPS.
Lack of instructional time (22) Difficulty adjusting to curriculum/pedagogy changes in ELA or math (9) Amount of time and effort for lesson planning (17) Challenging transition to CCGPS (7) Standards are unclear (32) Teachers and others struggle with changing attitudes and orientations to accommodate CCGPS (13)
The following section examines how teachers' perception of the CCGPS training and support related to how they engaged or used these resources.
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"I have become good at teaching conceptual math, giving students many strategies and letting them choose what works for them. Also, on line resources for CCGPS lessons are
high quality and hands on."
"Using novels with subject matter that is not age appropriate for students to teach reading comprehension skills are not beneficial to students. Many students get left
behind using the Frameworks units provided by the state."
"Wonderful Math resources are finally available at the click of a mouse."
"The revisions to the frameworks have been very helpful along with the unit by
unit webinars for each grade level."
"Dealing with the untargeted staff development. We need specific and practical support in staff development, but most of the initiatives have focused on general
definitions and philosophical shifts."
Perception and Usage
"The frameworks and sample units have useful information,
but are unrealistic due to technology, time restraints
and lack of resources."
"I have enjoyed some of the strategies for teaching math that were introduced along
with the Standards."
"Some of the units that have been prepared for teachers
are too confusing, which causes me to find other
alternatives."
"There has been very little training (it was like, here it is, do this!), and teachers are still struggling with learning the standards well enough to really understand how to teach them."
"I'm more aware of what my students are doing."
"We have to continuously redo all lesson plans due to having our resources changing from year to year..."
"The standards from which I choose to assess my direct instruction special education students (for the GAA) are thoughtfully selected, and the manual
and yearly training help me adapt and modify the standards to meet my students' needs."
"The Georgia OAS questions for ELA 8th grade are the same that they have been for the past
several years. I need more and a bigger variety."
"After taking the Differentiating Staff Development class at my school, I learned some
activities and ways to accommodate all the proficiency levels in my classroom."
Quotes represent major successes and challenges as told by respondents
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Section III: Perception and Usage
Results from the three administrations of the Teacher Survey indicate that teachers are adapting well to CCGPS. They are implementing strong teacher practices, several of which are highly-aligned with CCGPS. Many of the respondents understand the key shifts between CCGPS and older standards. While openended comments suggest that some teachers are struggling with the transition, and that there is still room for improvement, many comments also point to major successes related to teaching, collaboration, and adapting to the standards.
Teachers are also reporting that a majority of students are adapting well to the standards. However, some students, particularly those who are struggling to perform at grade-level, are having a difficult time adjusting to the rigor of the new standards. Still, students are engaging in tasks associated with CCGPS with increasing frequency, and their teachers can point to many examples of positive adaptation on their behalf.
While most of the responses suggest that teachers are transitioning to CCGPS smoothly, the perception of the transition often depends on the respondents' perception of the support they received to transition to CCGPS. When respondents felt more positively about their training and resources, they also took advantage of the skills and tools they were gaining. This section discusses some of the patterns between perception of CCGPS support and use of CCGPS support.
Relevance of CCGPS-related professional development topics and application of professional development in the classroom
Earlier in the report, we looked at patterns between the perception of professional development, like relevance of topics and whether respondents apply what they learned from professional development in their classrooms, and understanding of key shifts in English Language Arts and mathematics. Refer to Section II to revisit these findings.
Given that respondents' impression of professional development changes their understanding of CCGPS, especially for mathematics, GOSA examined patterns between the perception of professional development relevance and application of skills and knowledge gained from professional development. GOSA grouped respondents based on whether they "agreed" or "strongly agreed" (Group 1) or "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" (Group 2) that CCGPS-aligned professional development topics were relevant. Then, GOSA compared the responses to the question about application of skills and knowledge gained from professional development from the two groups of respondents.30 Table 13 presents these findings.
30 Each group has different respondents.
31
Table 13: Differences in perceptions of application of professional development in the classroom
Admin.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
N Mean
Group1
High agreement on PD relevance
Spring `13 Fall `13
Spring `14
0.3% (2) 0.4% (4) 0.3% (2)
4.8% (38) 69.5% (548) 25.4% (200) 788 3.20 4.4% (40) 69.1% (633) 26.1% (239) 916 3.21 4.5% (35) 73.0% (567) 22.3% (173) 777 3.17
Group 2
Low agreement on PD relevance
Spring `13 Fall `13
Spring `14
10.7% (18) 8.1% (11) 9.1% (11)
47.6% (80) 39.0% (53) 44.6% (54)
38.1% (64) 49.3% (67) 42.1% (51)
3.6% (6) 3.7% (5) 4.% (5)
168 2.35 136 2.49 121 2.41
Significance Spring `13: .000**
Fall `13: .000**
Spring `14: .000**
ANOVA, p-value: **p<.01, *p<.05
As shown in Table 13, respondents who perceived professional development topics as being relevant had a higher level of agreement regarding the application of professional development. This finding is in line with the logic model driving this evaluation, which hypothesizes that if teachers find professional development useful, they will implement what they learned in their classrooms. This finding also has implications on results reported earlier.
Earlier in the report, we shared that respondents in the first administration differed in their understanding of key shifts in English Language Arts based on whether they applied their professional development learning. In the first and second administrations, respondents differed in their understanding of mathematics based on whether they applied skills and knowledge gained from professional development. While application of professional development is not consistently connected with understanding CCGPS, the connection occurred frequently enough, especially in mathematics, to suggest opportunities for future additional analysis into this pattern.
Convenience of access to CCGPS resources and usage of resources
GaDOE, school districts, and other organizations provided teachers with a variety of resources to support planning, preparing, and delivering instruction, assessments, etc. Following the logic established in this study, if teachers have access to resources they value and use, then their practice will be improved, which will lead to improved student learning. GOSA examined responses regarding access to and usage of resources to determine if a pattern existed between respondents' perceived ease of access to resources and subsequent usage of those resources. Across all administrations and types of resources, respondents who used CCGPS-aligned resources had a higher perception of the convenience to access those resources than those who reported little or no usage, as shown in Table 14.
GOSA first examined respondents' perception of convenience of access to CCGPS resources based on whether they "agreed" or "strongly agreed" (Group 1) or "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" (Group 2) that they used CCGPS-aligned resources.
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Table 14: Differences in perceptions of convenience of access to CCGPS-aligned resources
Average response for convenience of access (4 point scale - Strongly Disagree = 1 and Strongly Agree =4)
Curriculum exemplars
Teaching guides, curriculum maps, Assessment tools unit frameworks
Digital lessons and activities
Mean Total Mean Total Mean Total Mean Total
Group 1
Spring `13 2.86 723 3.01 733 2.81 733 2.84 657
High agreement on Fall `13
2.90
887
3.04
953
2.85
893 2.90
846
use of resources Spring `14 2.92
743
3.06
817
2.84
758 2.90
712
Group 2
Spring `13 2.13
68
2.52
77
2.21
70 2.11
64
Low agreement on Fall `13 2.40
53
2.47
58
2.46
54 2.34
47
use of resources Spring `14 2.20
50
2.44
55
2.02
54 2.11
47
Spr. `13: .000** Significance Fall `13: .000**
Spr. `14: .000**
Spr. `13: .000** Fall `13: .000** Spr. `14: .000**
Spr. `13: .000** Fall `13: .000** Spr. `14: .000**
Spr. `13: .000** Fall `13: .000**
Spr. `14: .000**
ANOVA, p-value: **p<.01, *p<.05
As shown in Table 14, respondents who "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that they used resources aligned to CCGPS had much higher rates of agreement on the access of each material being convenient. The reverse holds true for respondents who "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" that they used resources. Going forward, state and local education leaders should ensure barriers to accessing resources do not prohibit teachers from taking advantage of potentially useful tools.
Resources' contribution to fidelity of implementation and frequency
of use of resources
Next, GOSA examined if patterns existed between frequency of use of CCGPS-aligned resources and perception that these resources aided in CCGPS implementation. The existence of this pattern would align with the link in the logic model which states that, if teachers have resources they find valuable, then they will use them. Comparing respondents based on their level of agreement that CCGPS-aligned resources aided them in implementing the new standards, those who believed the resources helped them used resources more frequently than those who did not believe the resources were helpful. Table 15 displays the differences in the frequency of use of four different types of CCGPS-aligned resources based on how teachers responded to the question regarding their perception of resources' contribution to fidelity of implementation.
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Table 15: Differences in perceptions of resources' contribution to fidelity of implementation
Average response for frequency of use (Never =0, Rarely =1, Sometimes =2, Very Often =3, Always =4)
Curriculum exemplars
Teaching guides, curriculum maps, Assessment tools unit frameworks
Digital lessons and activities
Mean Total Mean Total Mean Total Mean Total
Group 1
Spring `13 2.44
693
3.25
725 2.78
711 2.49
676
High agreement with contribution to
Fall `13
2.45
882
3.31
922 2.87
899 2.59
879
fidelity of implementation
Spring `14
2.37
759
3.20
791 2.77
767 2.51
749
Group 2
Spring `13 1.62
162
2.62
167 2.00
160 1.72
155
Low agreement with contribution to
Fall `13
1.63
115
2.58
121 2.01
115 1.77
112
fidelity of implementation
Spring `14
1.64
111
2.64
121 1.97
112 1.62
108
Spr. `13: .000** Significance Fall `13: .000**
Spr. `14: .000**
Spr. `13: .000** Fall `13: .000** Spr. `14: .000**
Spr. `13: .000** Fall `13: .000** Spr. `14: .000**
Spr. `13: .000** Fall `13: .000**
Spr. `14: .000**
ANOVA, p-value: **p<.01, *p<.05
Across resources and survey administrations, respondents who believed CCGPS-resources contributed to their ability to implement CCGPS with fidelity used resources significantly more frequently than others.
This finding shows that teachers in this survey infrequently used resources when they found them to be not helpful. It also demonstrates the need for resources that teachers find helpful for CCGPS implementation.
Feedback about training, resources, and other support for CCGPS transition
Across administrations, respondents were most positive about their practices and their students' transition to CCGPS. On the other hand, they had the most challenges with the support they received to transition to CCGPS. Respondents consistently expressed frustration with the training and support materials they had to prepare for CCGPS. Respondents found it difficult to locate resources, and many of them felt the resources provided by the state were inadequate.
Given the findings from this study, teachers are more likely to use the skills and knowledge gained from professional development if they find the topics relevant. They are more likely to use tools and
34
resources if they are easy to access. Better understanding the major successes and challenges displayed in Table 16 can help state and local leaders learn how to strengthen support for teachers to help facilitate an even smoother transition to CCGPS.
Table 16: Major successes and challenges related to perception of CCGPS support
95 of the 523 major successes shared by Spring 2013 respondents focused on teacher adaptation to CCGPS.
Teachers like CCGPS (63) Resources and tools are effective (32)
203 of 610 major challenges shared by Spring 2013 respondents focused on teacher adaptation to CCGPS.
Teachers dislike CCGPS (27) Teachers are critical state resources (9) Frustration with assessments (e.g., sample questions, aligned assessments, etc.) (35) Lack of resources (120) Teachers found training to be poor (12)
76 of the 526 major successes shared by Fall 2013 respondents focused on teacher adaptation to CCGPS.
Resources and tools are effective (33) Teachers like CCGPS (43)
155 of the 646 major challenges shared by Fall 2013 respondents focused on teacher adaptation to CCGPS.
Criticisms of resources (44) Frustration with amount of assessment and lack of clarity on future assessments (18) Need better or more technology resources (14) Resources not available (79)
80 of the 427 major successes shared by Spring 2014 respondents focused on teacher adaptation to CCGPS.
Teachers like LEA support (5) Teachers like non-state/LEA support (7) Teachers like state support (4) Resources and tools are effective (33) Teachers like CCGPS (31)
203 of the 527 major challenges shared by Spring 2014 respondents focused on teacher adaptation to CCGPS.
Teachers are critical of state resources (9) Lack of resources (120) Teachers found training to be poor (12) Frustration with assessments (e.g., sample questions, aligned assessments, etc.) (35) Teachers dislike CCGPS (27)
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"My biggest challenge was collaborating and getting co-teachers and team teachers on the same page and the important benefits of using researched-based strategies, implementing collective activities and strategies for success."
"I would say CCGPS aligned with what I was already doing in my classroom. CCGPS has only reinforced practices I know are effective."
"The biggest success is that I have had is personal. I have put forth the effort and did my best to teach my
students and provide rigor for a firm foundation."
"Plenty of resources have been made available by my local school
board. I am appreciative."
"We don't have curriculum. The systems are waiting for the state to generate curriculum type resources to align with CCGPS. We need curriculum. No teacher is going cover to cover in a text book. We know it's not appropriate to go from page 1 to the end of the book. We are being asked to
"differentiate" instruction for all student levels, but don't have the resources to do this with."
Conclusion
"Each and every day is a challenge for me when you are
teaching students in a classroom setting."
"Struggling students can really build up their weaknesses with Common
Core."
"The units seem very fragmented."
"I would like to have resources that are aligned with the standards so that I can assess my students' progress and allow them to adjust to answering opened questions."
"The language standards do not address some of the different grammar questions that
appeared on our assessment. EXACTLY what students need to know needs to be `laid out
there' for teachers to see."
"I did my ow n research w ell in advance of this last school year. It took hours and lots of
talks w ith teachers in other areas of the country, but I finally found the resources I needed to effectively implement CCGPS."
"My students did well on the Math CRCT and several EXCEEDED. I had several students that were in a Reading 180 class and they PASSED the Math CRCT test."
Quotes represent major successes and challenges as told by respondents
36
Conclusion
The Teacher Survey on CCGPS Implementation allowed the state to collect feedback from over 2, 900 teachers across the state. These teachers shared their perception of the transition to CCGPS in the first two years of implementation. Based on their responses, it is evident that:
Teachers had resources and professional development to aid them in implementing CCGPS. While some respondents indicated the support they received, namely the instructional support resources, was not sufficient, survey results showed that across administrations, over 70% of respondents "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that CCGPS-focused professional development contributed to their ability to implement CCGPS with fidelity. Results also showed that, across administrations, over 70% of respondents "agreed" or "strongly agreed" the resources used contributed to their ability to implement CCGPS with fidelity.
Despite the increased rigor of CCGPS, and challenges this rigor caused for some students and teachers, students engaged in tasks associated with CCGPS more than in years prior to CCGPS implementation. The majority of major successes referenced by the respondents related to their students performing well and/or meeting the higher expectations of CCGPS. Still, some respondents shared that many of their students struggled with the new standards, especially special education students, English Language Learners (ELL), and students that were not performing at grade level.
Teachers are implementing strong instructional practices and across administrations the practice being most implemented by respondents was strongly associated with CCGPS. The top two practices being implemented in all three administrations were: "Incorporating new curricular materials and instructional strategies in my teaching," which is a strong practice but not associated with CCGPS, and "Asking students more questions and encouraging them to develop answers independently," which is strongly associated with CCGPS. As time went on, teachers engaged in CCGPS practices more.
In general, respondents indicated they were using more resources, engaged in more professional development, demonstrating more CCGPS-aligned teacher practices, and their students were engaging in more CCGPS-aligned tasks in the later administrations than the first administration. For example, the percent of teachers that said they engaged in CCGPS-aligned practices was higher in the second and third administration than the first administration. The percent of teachers that identified the central shifts in English Language Arts and mathematics was higher in the second and third administrations than in the first administration. This suggests that respondents were becoming more adept at teaching the new standards during the second full year of implementation. However, in some cases, implementation decreased in the later administrations. Students engaging in English Language Arts tasks associated with CCGPS showed the biggest decline over time.
While these findings are apparent from the analysis of these survey results, additional research will be valuable for state and local leaders seeking to strengthen their support to teachers implementing the new standards. One way to substantiate the findings from this survey is to find additional evidence of successful transition. In the future, data from Teacher Keys Effectiveness System (TKES) and state assessments can help to further demonstrate how teachers and students are adapting to CCGPS.
37