Reporting survey results
Following the principle of using multiple measures for understanding teaching effectiveness, the Common Metrics surveys were developed to be aligned with each other. If we use the Exit Survey (which asks candidates to rate how well prepared they are for teaching), the Transition to Teaching Survey (which again asks how well prepared they felt for their teaching responsibilities, but at a different point in time), and the Supervisor Survey (which asks how well the beginning teacher is performing as a teacher near the end of the first year of teaching), we can see trends across these three points in time. We can also compare the self-report from the beginning teacher with the third-party report from their supervisor. In this way, a summary report of aligned items on the Exit Survey, Transition to Teaching Survey, and Supervisor Survey can show a more nuanced and multi-dimensional profile of teaching quality.
It is possible, with the appropriate resources and expertise, to examine correlations among selected items on the Exit Survey, Transition to Teaching Survey, and Supervisor Survey as a means of seeing predictive patterns or of seeing related aspects of the preparation program. Summary reports could also be organized by demographic or background variables of the candidates/beginning teachers in order to see trends within populations, such as:
a) particular disciplinary programs; b) undergraduate students vs. graduate students; c) type of school in which the beginning teacher is teaching; d) race; e) first language; or f) performance on other assessments such as standardized tests; to name just a few. Information sorted in these ways could assist in identifying patterns that could lead to better supports for student success and program improvement strategies to best meet students’ needs.