DPI and UW Madison have just launched a free system of online survey tools to help schools and teachers see how they can improve social emotional learning, teaching, and professional development at your school.
The three surveys can monitor students, teachers and staff, and classrooms in emotional development, self-concept, and social competence. Each survey can be taken or given up to four times a year to track progress.
I've checked out the surveys and here are the good points:
Limitations:
In a profession of increased initiatives and decreased supports, this is support that is useful. It gives feedback without the fear of punitive oversight, just valuable information we can use to improve our practice.
Check it out: https://selwisconsin.wisc.edu/
The three surveys can monitor students, teachers and staff, and classrooms in emotional development, self-concept, and social competence. Each survey can be taken or given up to four times a year to track progress.
I've checked out the surveys and here are the good points:
- The teacher/staff survey can be done anonymously, the information comes back to you. Even with school-level reports, they state, "Note that all personal information will be de-identified in the school-level report." Taking it gave me insight into how I can respond better without fear of the information being used against me.
- Just by the nature of answering the questions, you are led toward ways to improve. And it also validates what you are doing that has value.
- The survey questions are applicable to any setting-- rural, urban, poverty, upper income, or minority.
- You can track progress of your students, yourself, and your classroom.
- Customized school reports can give valuable information, again, to aid in improvement or finger pointing. See the figure below for an example of reported information on student surveys.
- It's free, with no complicated sign up system.
Limitations:
- Survey questions for teachers of lower grades-- 4K and Kindergarten-- may find some of the questions of teachers that are above students' developmental abilities to reason or process.
- The survey uses a likert scale where "always" is the highest response. Even on my best days as an educator I don't feel I "always" do things right... but I guess that gives me a goal.
In a profession of increased initiatives and decreased supports, this is support that is useful. It gives feedback without the fear of punitive oversight, just valuable information we can use to improve our practice.
Check it out: https://selwisconsin.wisc.edu/
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