The Department of Education is required to collect data on five performance goals and corresponding indicators for school year 2007-2008. This data will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education.  

All teachers who taught in a Tennessee public school (2007-2008) to complete a brief online survey. All academic teachers, vocational teachers, and resource teachers (special education and English as a Second Language) should complete the survey. Support staff such as counselors and librarians are not required to complete the survey. The survey is available at http://crep.memphis.edu/PDSurvey and should be completed prior to the end of the school year. 

Each school will be responsible for ensuring that teachers complete the survey. Teachers who complete the survey will be given a confirmation number which they will record on their principal's  Questionnaire Completion Log.  We strongly recommend that teachers complete the survey at the school site, but they can complete it at home. To facilitate this process, please distribute the attached letter to all principals in your district. 

Your school district can view and compare district and school level results (for school years 2003-2004, 2004-2005, 2005-2006, and 2006-2007) on the website. This will allow you to better target resources to increase the percentage of teachers receiving high-quality professional development.

If you experience technical difficulties with the website, please contact the University of Memphis-CREP at 1-866-670-6147.

Please Note:  Before completing the survey, if you feel you have not participated in a high quality professional development activity, contact Sherry Finchum, Connie Campbell, or phone: 397-3194.

What is high quality professional development?  High quality professional development is on-going, sustained opportunities to develop knowledge and skills to teach all children effectively.  In our district, the following activities are examples of high quality professional development:

• Four Block Balanced Literacy Workshops
• After School technology integration workshops provided at the technology center
• Math Online
• Writing Assessment Strategies Workshops
• Departmental Workshops
• Grade Level Workshops
• Language Arts Curriculum Team Workshops
• Pre-School and Kindergarten Workshops
• District Professional Development Workshops
• Social Studies Curriculum Workshops
• Science Curriculum Workshops
• Special Education Professional Development Sessions
• School-Level Professional Development Sessions (School Improvement Plan Goals)
• Teleconferences
• Differentiated Instruction Workshops
• Testing Data Workshops
• Alternative Assessments Workshops
• Coursework reimbursed through the Professional Growth Incentive
• New Teacher District Workshops

Teachers are not limited to the list above.  Remember, any professional development activity that is on-going in nature and designed to improve instruction and student achievement would meet the high quality standards. 

The survey  must be completed no later than May 16, 2008.  Please be sure to sign the survey checklist available from your building principal and list your confirmation number to document your completion of this activity.  To enter the survey, click the button below:

School Administrator:  Please print the Questionnaire Completion Log in order to record  teachers completion of the survey in your school.  Please return the log to Sherry Finchum at the Central Office before May  20, 2008.  Survey Instructions for Principals