In this email you will find the URLs to four different evaluation instruments which were designed by Hezel Associates, external evaluators for our state’s NCLB Title II-D program, with input from district representatives from several NH districts. These instruments were designed to be used in all NH districts beginning this month and continuing indefinitely. These are required evaluation tools for those NH districts that received NCLB Title II-D grant funds for ARRA 21st Century Classroom projects, classroom tech mini-grants, TLC team participation, and for those districts that transferred funds from other title programs for Title II-D purposes. For those districts that did not receive a Title II-D grant this year, the evaluation tools are optional. We do, however, highly recommend their use to all districts, as this year will provide a set of baseline data for various statewide and district planning purposes. By using these tools, your district will also have data that can be used in future grant proposals. These tools have been designed for New Hampshire and will continue to be available without licensing fees beyond the grant period.

There are four instruments to be used beginning this school year, as well as a required participant consent form. In order for a teacher to use the Educator Survey and the Walkthrough Tool, they must first complete the consent form. These forms are standard practice any time formal research and evaluation studies are conducted. The form has received IRB approval, meaning it was reviewed by an Institutional Review Board. This consent form must be completed prior to an observation taking place in a teacher’s classroom. Please read the descriptions below of each instrument to understand the necessary participation levels, reporting procedures, and guidance for distribution for each tool. Again, districts participating in Title II-D projects this year must use the tools, and districts not funded by Title II-D are not required but are strongly encouraged to use them.

All districts are invited to use these tools. However, before you begin to use them, it is ESSENTIAL that you register someone as your district's "evaluation coordinator." This is to have a point of contact for your district. This person can help keep your work on track and will be the person to whom we send follow up information. Please fill out this short form to tell us who your evaluation coordinator is: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEVzTFFCcS1PZnRhZ3h1emFYdnFWZ0E6MQ

Instrument #1: NH Educator Survey with Consent Form

http://www.hezel.com/cgi-bin/rws5.pl?FORM=NHConsentForm

Purpose: Periodically learn about teachers' experience, planning and preparation for teaching with technology, classroom environment, instructional practices, and professional responsibilities.

Completed by: all teachers and teaching specialists in a school -- do this one first!

When: It will take about 15 minutes for an educator to complete this. Data collection will be repeated at three points in time – Spring 2010 (before school ends!), Fall 2010, and Spring 2011. After these three collection periods, we plan to continue making the tool available indefinitely for districts to use.

Decision points: Title II-D grant districts are required to include all, or nearly all, teachers in this survey effort in order to best understand the impact the grant project may be having on learning in the school. Non-grant districts are advised to consider involving all teachers. It is important to stress that the more complete your data set, the more you will be able to make meaningful data-informed decisions about matters that can help create truly 21st century learning environments for all students. When accessing the survey URL, educators will first see a consent form which must be completed before they can go on. Upon completion (and clicking “Submit”), educators will be directed to the Educator Survey questions. (Note that the consent form is for both the educator survey and the walkthrough tool described below.

Instrument #2: NH Walkthrough Class Visit Tool

http://www.hezel.com/cgi-bin/rws3.pl?FORM=NHWalkthroughInstrument

Purpose: To better understand organizational aspects of an educator's instruction (e.g., student groupings), instructional practices, content taught, uses of technology (both teacher's and students’), and student engagement. Walkthru's may occur either announced or unannounced, and require no interaction with teachers or students so should not disrupt teaching and learning in the classroom.

Completed by: Peer coach, team teacher, principal, or other

When: This walkthrough instrument will take about 10 minutes to complete each time it is used. It will be available during the remainder of the 2009-2010 school year and for the entire 2010-2011 school year. It is expected that visits will take place year-round in a systematic fashion and be done as frequently as possible, as the quantity of data impacts the strength of the analysis and helps identify trends. 

Decision points: This instrument has an accompanying technical document that should be reviewed by all individuals who will be conducting the observations (see – add url here).  The document gives guidance on all terms appearing in the walkthrough instrument, some of which may be new and/or unfamiliar to the observer. It is up to the discretion of each grantee project manager and staff to determine whether classrooms outside of the 21st Century Classrooms grant will also participate in the observations. 

A consent form must be completed prior to an observation taking place in a teacher’s classroom. Please complete these items in the following order: (1) Consent form (2) Educator Survey (3) Walkthru Visits.

Instrument #3: District Technology Survey

http://www.hezel.com/cgi-bin/rws5.pl?FORM=NHDistTechSurvey

Purpose: Gather data about district progress with technology planning and implementation

Completed by: District Technology Coordinator / Director

When: This survey will be distributed Spring 2010 and Spring 2011.

Decision points: This instrument is similar to previous years’ District Technology Surveys. Only one survey per district should be completed. It is important, however, for the completer to review the questions ahead of time and consult with other district staff to ensure responses are as accurate as possible.

Instrument #4: School Technology Survey (Parts 1 & 2)

Part 1 - http://www.hezel.com/cgi-bin/rws5.pl?FORM=NHSchTechAccess

Part 2 - http://www.hezel.com/cgi-bin/rws5.pl?FORM=NHSchTechsurvey

Purpose: Gather data about school progress with technology planning and implementation.

Completed by: District or school technology coordinator in consultation with curriculum coordinator, professional development coordinator, and others as applicable.

When: This survey conducted in Spring 2010 and Spring 2011. The survey deadline for both parts is JUNE 15, 2010.

Decision points: This instrument is similar to previous years’ School Technology Surveys. Only one survey per school should be completed. It is important, however, for the completer to review the questions ahead of time and consult with other school staff to ensure responses are as accurate as possible. Please note that there are two parts using two separate links and two Word versions for data gathering.

Thank you for your patience in awaiting these instruments!

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Dr. Cathy Higgins, State Educational Technology Director
Office of Educational Technology
NH Department of Education
101 Pleasant St, Concord, NH 03301
Voice: 603-271-2453 *** Fax: 603-271-1953
OET Website: www.nheon.org/oet
ETNews Listserv: http://maillist2.nh.gov/mailman/listinfo/nhdoe-etnews