Survey Components
The primary instruments of the SEC are the instructional practices survey and the instructional content survey. They can be taken together or separately, depending on the need of the user(s). Descriptions of each survey follow, including topics, sample questions, and sample results.
The Complete Survey
When used together, the surveys are a powerful instrument to look at both what is taught and how it is taught. Differences in content taught may be explained by differences in classroom practices. In addition, when they are used together, the surveys can help identify content-area needs for professional development as well as structural design considerations.
Instructional Practices
This section asks questions about how classroom time is spent, as well as teacher preparation. Topics such as homework, classroom activities, and assessments are covered. The section also covers topics such as teacher training, teacher opinions, and class demographics.
This portion of the survey is especially useful if you want to compare instructional practices across your school or district. It also contains a section on professional development that could be used to identify needs. The instructional practices survey will take 20–50 minutes to complete.
Results are reported in scales for simple comparisons across groups. Online, the comparison groups can be adjusted in real time so that individual teachers can see how they compare to a larger group.
Instructional Content
This survey asks about teacher expectations of student performance and the amount of time spent on the curriculum topics taught during the school year. Topic frameworks are specific to each subject and level (elementary, middle, and high school).
Results from this section can be compared across your school or district, or to state standards, assessments, or other curricula, by mapping these items to the topic framework. The instructional practices survey takes 20–50 minutes to complete.
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