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Seattle Public Schools 9-12 Science Needs Assessment Survey For Staff Members

In September 2018, Seattle Public Schools initiated an adoption process for instructional materials to support science in grades 9 through 12. To help inform the work of the Adoption Committee, SPS families and
teachers are invited to complete this Needs Assessment Survey to share what is important in science instruction. This survey will be vital to ensuring that all stakeholders have a voice in the adoption process.

The Committee thanks you for your time and consideration.

Estimated completion time: 10-15 minutes
1.School / Site Name / Department:(Required.)
2.What is your job title?(Required.)
3.What is your current instructional area?
4.If you teach within a specific discipline, please check all that apply.
5.How many years have you worked in education?(Required.)
6.How many years have you worked in Seattle Public Schools?(Required.)
7.If you are a teacher, what grade(s) / level(s) do you teach?
8.If you are a teacher, what is your endorsement area?
9.Do you have children that attend Seattle Public Schools? If so, please provide information below.
10.How familiar are you with the Washington State Science Learning Standards (WSSLS), adopted from the Next Generation Science Standards?(Required.)
11.Please select the best choice for each of the following statements.(Required.)
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
I believe that science is a core subject to which all students should have access.
My school values time spent on science instruction.
I am eager to teach science curriculum that is aligned with the new state science standards.
Engineering should be regularly integrated with science instruction.
Science instructional materials should integrate ELA and math standards and skills.
I believe that all students should receive three full years of science in high school.
12.How important is each of the following to the goal of providing equitable access to science for all students?(Required.)
Essential
Very Important
Somewhat Important
Not Important
Instructional materials and resources to connect science learning to students’ family, neighborhood, community, and/or culture, with a social justice lens as appropriate.
Sense-making opportunities embedded into the lesson plans.
Affording students multiple methods to show what they know or can do in science.
Instructional materials that discuss trends and research in science and inform students about career pathways in science and engineering.
Instructional materials that are free of bias, stereotypes, and historical marginalization.
Instructional materials that include important contributions to society by different demographic groups in science and engineering.
Opportunities for students to revise their thinking.
Resources for differentiation embedded into the instructional materials to support all students.
All students have access to the same science instructional materials, no matter which school in the district they attend.
13.How important is each of the following to the goal of providing instructional activities in science?(Required.)
Essential
Very Important
Somewhat Important
Not Important
Students explain real-world science events and solve authentic engineering design problems.
Students make sense of complex science ideas by discussing their ideas with their peers.
Students engage in reading and writing to gather evidence or to support a claim with evidence.
Students have opportunities to use computational thinking skills.
14.How important is each of the following to the goal of providing science instructional materials in the classroom?(Required.)
Essential
Very Important
Somewhat Important
Not Important
Instructional units that are framed in authentic and current science questions and engineering problems.
Science concepts are presented in multiple ways (e.g., video clips, readings, computer simulations, labs, etc.).
Instructional materials provide access to online resources from home.
Instructional materials that offer options for science homework.
15.How important is each of the following to the goal of providing assessments in science?(Required.)
Essential
Very Important
Somewhat Important
Not Important
Assessments built into the lessons that are easily scored to provide timely student feedback.
Multiple types of assessments are available to monitor student growth (e.g., formative, summative, self, peer-to-peer, performance, etc.).
Assessments that measure student performance that are aligned with the WA State Science and Learning Standards.
16.How important is each of the following to the goal of providing teacher supports in implementing science instruction?(Required.)
Essential
Very Important
Somewhat Important
Not Important
Ongoing professional learning that supports teachers in shifting their practice to align with the WA State Science and Learning Standards.
Ongoing professional development that focuses on deepens teachers’ science content knowledge.
Assessment scoring guides that include samples of student responses.
Guidance for how to use assessment data to improve and/or deepen students understanding.
Instructional materials that include web-based resources that can be used in the classroom and are also accessible from home.
Teacher supports within the Instructional materials that include unit background and content knowledge, lesson overviews, and state science standards alignment documents.
17.The new Science Standards call for student access to technology resources. How important is each of the following to the goal of providing student use of technology in science learning?(Required.)
Essential
Very Important
Somewhat Important
Not Important
Computer simulations for students to investigate science concepts that cannot be directly observed.
Relevant science video clips that depict real-world science events.
Digital tools for students to record, display, and analyze science data.
Digital tools for students to solve engineering design problems.
Students can submit work online and receive teacher feedback.
The following two data points will provide our Adoption Committee insight of the represented voices in our community.
18.Optional: Gender status:
19.Optional: Please check as many categories that may apply to you:
20.What else would you like us to know?
Thank you for completing this survey! Your thoughtful responses will help to ensure Seattle Public Schools selects equitable science materials for all our students.