MTA on TELL Mass: Survey History
The original survey of working conditions that has evolved into TELL Mass 2012 was developed by the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards Commission in 2002. The survey has been administered five times in North Carolina and is used extensively for school improvement work. Information about the North Carolina survey is provided at www.ncteachingconditions.org.
In 2008, a coalition of education associations, policy groups and business organizations sponsored a version of the survey in Massachusetts. Over 40,000 MA educators responded to Mass TeLLS. School level data were available for over two-thirds of Massachusetts schools.
Over the past few years, NEA has provided small grants to states that have conducted a TeLLS survey. In 2008, NEA contributed $25,000 to Mass TeLLS. The $100,000 cost of that survey was entirely supported by private funds.
NEA is not providing any funds for the 2012 TELL Mass survey; it is a DESE Race to the Top project.
The TELL Mass survey will be conducted by the New Teacher Center (NTC) with Eric Hirsch as the Principal Investigator for the project. This is the same vendor that implemented the 2008 survey. Eric Hirsch has been involved with the survey since its creation in 2002.
Versions of the survey have been administered more than 30 times in 22 different states, cities or counties over the past eight years. Over 800,000 educators have participated in the survey.
The NTC teaching conditions survey was included in the Measures of Effective Teaching study sponsored by the Gates Foundation. As part of the technical review of that study, the survey was analyzed and found to be a valid and reliable instrument to provide data for school improvement planning.
The survey includes questions about teaching and learning conditions in the following area:
- Time
- Facilities and Resources
- Teacher Leadership
- School Leadership
- Instructional Practices and Support
- New Teacher Support
- Community Support and Involvement
- Managing Student Conduct