School ID # Completion Status

IEA Third International Mathematics and Science Study - Repeat

School Questionnaire
Main Survey
Your school has been selected to participate in the Third International Mathematics and
Science Study - Repeat (TIMSS-R), an educational research project sponsored by the Interna-
tional Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). TIMSS-R is investigat-
ing student achievement in mathematics and science in about forty countries around the world. It
is designed to measure and interpret differences in national education systems in order to help
improve the teaching and learning of mathematics and science worldwide.

This school questionnaire is addressed to school principals and department heads who are
asked to supply information about their schools. Since your school has been selected as part of a
nationwide sample, your responses are very important in helping to describe the school system in
the United States.

It is important that you answer each question carefully so that the information provided re-
flects the situation in your school as accurately as possible. Some of the questions will require
that you look up school records, so you may wish to arrange for the assistance of another staff
member to help provide this information. It is estimated that it will require approximately 60
minutes to complete this questionnaire.

When you have completed the questionnaire, please return it to the TIMSS-R Coordinator in
your school.

Your cooperation in completing this questionnaire is greatly appreciated.

TIMSS Study Center National Center for Education Statistics

Boston College U.S. Department of Education
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 555 New Jersey Avenue, N.W.
USA Washington, D.C. 20208

TIMSS-R Ref.No. 98-0039 O.M.B. No. 1850-0695, Approval Expires 12/31/99

Copyright©IEA, Amsterdam (1998)

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control
number for this information collection is 1850-0695. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions,
search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or
suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202-4651. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual
submission of this form, write directly to: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20208.
TIMSS-R Ref.No. 98-0039

1. In what type of community is your school located?

Check one box only.
A geographically isolated area .............................................................

Village or rural (farm) area ..................................................................

One on the outskirts of a town/city ......................................................

One close to the center of a town/city ..................................................

2. How many of the following are on the staff of your school?

For each type of position listed, provide the number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) present in
your school. For example, one full-time (100% time) teacher represents 1 FTE; one part-
time (50% time) teacher represents .5 FTE. A staff member who teaches 50% time and
functions as an assistant principal for the remaining 50% represents .5 FTE teacher and .5
FTE assistant principal. Write in 0 (zero) if there are no such positions in your school.

Number
of FTEs

a) Principals ................................................................................................ ______

b) Assistant principals ................................................................................. ______

c) Department heads ................................................................................... ______

d) Classroom teachers ................................................................................. ______

e) Teacher aides .......................................................................................... ______

f) Laboratory technicians ........................................................................... ______

g) Learning specialists ................................................................................ ______

h) Other professional staff .......................................................................... ______

3a. How many individual full-time classroom teachers are

there in your school?
Write in a number.

______

3b. How many individual part-time classroom teachers are

there in your school?
Write in a number.

______

SCQ2-1
TIMSS-R Ref.No. 98-0039

4. What percentage of the classroom teachers have been at your school

for 5 or more years?
Please indicate a
percentage.Write
0 (zero) if none.

______%

5. How long do students in your school typically stay with the same teacher
for each of the following subjects?
(For schools with more than middle school students, please answer for middle school
students only.)
Check one box in each line.
One Two Three Four or more
school school school school Not
year or less years years years applicable

a) Mathematics .............................

b) General Science .......................

c) Biology ....................................

d) Chemistry .................................

e) Earth Science ...........................

f) Physics .....................................

6. Cooperation and Collaboration:

Check one box in each line.
Yes No
a) Does your school have an official policy related to promoting
cooperation and collaboration among teachers? ..............................

b) Are teachers in your school encouraged to share and

discuss instructional ideas and materials? .......................................

c) Do teachers in your school meet regularly to discuss instructional

goals and issues? ..............................................................................

SCQ2-2
TIMSS-R Ref.No. 98-0039

7. As principal of this school, about how many hours per month do you
usually spend on each of the following activities?
Please indicate the approximate
number of whole hours for each item.
Please write 0 (zero) if no time is
spent on an activity.
Whole hours
per month

a) Hiring teachers ...................................................................................... ______

b) Representing the school in the community ........................................... ______

c) Representing the school at official meetings ........................................ ______

d) Internal administrative tasks (e.g., regulations, school budget,

timetable) .............................................................................................. ______

e) Teaching (including preparation) .......................................................... ______

f) Giving a demonstration lesson .............................................................. ______

g) Discussing educational objectives with teachers .................................. ______

h) Initiating curriculum revision and/or planning ..................................... ______

i) Talking with parents ............................................................................. ______

j) Counseling and disciplining of students ............................................... ______

k) Responding to requests from district, state, or national

education officials ................................................................................. ______

l) Training teachers ................................................................................... ______

m) Professional development activities ...................................................... ______

n) Other activities ...................................................................................... ______

SCQ2-3
TIMSS-R Ref.No. 98-0039

8. With regard to your school, who has primary responsibility

for each of the following activities?
Check one box in each line. If more than one level
has responsibility, check the highest level.
Not a Local
school school Department
responsibility board Principal head Teachers

a) Hiring teachers ..................................

b) Establishing disciplinary policies .....

c) Establishing student grading policies

d) Formulating the school budget .........

e) Purchasing supplies ..........................

f) Placing students in classes ................

g) Assigning teachers to classes ............

h) Determining which textbooks

are used .............................................

i) Establishing homework policies .......

j) Determining teacher salaries.............

k) Establishing community
relationships ......................................

l) Communicating with students'

families .............................................

m) Determining course content ..............

n) Deciding which courses are

offered ...............................................

SCQ2-4
TIMSS-R Ref.No. 98-0039

9. How much influence does each of the following have in

determining the curriculum that is taught in your school?
Check one box in each line.
None A little Some A lot

a) Voluntary National Standards ..............................

b) National subject area associations .......................
c) State or district officials .......................................
d) Local school board ...............................................
e) Principal/head of school .......................................
f) Teachers (collectively for the school) ..................
g) Teachers (of same subject) as a group .................
h) Each teacher individually .....................................
i) Parents ..................................................................
j) Students ................................................................
k) Church/religious groups .......................................
l) Business community ............................................
m) Textbook publishers .............................................
n) External examinations/standardized tests ............
o) Teacher unions .....................................................

10. Does your school have its own written statement of the curriculum content
to be taught (i.e., other than the national or regional curriculum guides)?
Check one box in each line.
Yes No

a) For mathematics...............................................................................

b) For science .......................................................................................

11. Has your school developed instructional activities or learning materials to

address the curriculum taught in your school?
Check one box in each line.
Yes No

a) For mathematics...............................................................................

b) For science .......................................................................................

SCQ2-5
TIMSS-R Ref.No. 98-0039

12. Is your school's capacity to provide instruction affected by a shortage or

inadequacy of any of the following?
Check one box in each line.
None A little Some A lot

a) Instructional materials (e.g., textbooks) ..................

b) Budget for supplies (e.g., paper, pencils) ................

c) School buildings and grounds .................................

d) Heating/cooling and lighting systems .....................

e) Instructional space (e.g., classrooms) .....................

f) Special equipment for handicapped students ..........

g) Computers for mathematics instruction ..................

h) Computer software for mathematics instruction .....

i) Calculators for mathematics instruction .................

j) Library materials relevant to mathematics

instruction................................................................

k) Audio-visual resources for mathematics instruction

l) Science laboratory equipment and materials ..........

m) Computers for science instruction...........................

n) Computer software for science instruction .............

o) Calculators for science instruction ..........................

p) Library materials relevant to science instruction ....

q) Audio-visual resources for science instruction .......

r) Teachers qualified to teach mathematics ................

s) Teachers qualified to teach General Science ..........

SCQ2-6
TIMSS-R Ref.No. 98-0039

13. The students in your school:

Write in the answer for each of
the following. Write 0 (zero) if
there are none.

Boys Girls

a) What is the total school enrollment (number of students)? ............. ______ ______

b) On a typical school day, what percentage of students are

absent from school for any reason? ...................................................... ______ %

c) About what percentage of students who begin the year

in your school also finish the year in your school? .............................. ______ %

d) What percentage of the students in your school transfer into

your school after the beginning of the school year? ............................. ______ %

13e. Around the first of October 1998, what percentage of students at this school
were eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches through the National
School Lunch Program?
(Check None if zero (0), or write in a percent.)

None __________ or __________ %

SCQ2-7
TIMSS-R Ref.No. 98-0039

ALL remaining questions refer to Grade 8 students in your school.

14. Concerning grade 8 students...

Boys Girls

a) How many students are in grade 8? ................................................. ______ ______

b) How many students in grade 8 are repeating

the grade? ......................................................................................... ______ ______

c) What is the approximate average class size

in grade 8?............................................................................................. ______

d) How many grade 8 students are in multi-grade

classrooms? ........................................................................................... ______

15a. What is the total number of computers in your school

that can be used by students in grade 8 for
instructional activities? Number
of computers
for students

________

15b. In addition to the computers indicated above, how many

other computers can be used by grade 8 teachers
(not students) for instructional purposes? Number
of computers
for teachers

________
15c. TOTAL number of computers that can be used for
instructional purposes by either students or teachers.
Add the numbers indicated in parts a and b. Total number
of computers

________

SCQ2-8
TIMSS-R Ref.No. 98-0039

16. Does your school have access to the Internet for instructional/educational
purposes?
Check one box only.
Yes No

If no,
a) Is your school planning to get Internet access? .................................. Yes No

b) If yes to (a), when do you expect the school to get Internet access? .. _______ year

(Skip to Question 17.)

If yes,
Check one box in each line.
1 to 26 to 51 to 76 to
None 25% 50% 75% 100%
c) What percentage of the computers listed in
Question 15 have access to e-mail? ...................

d) What percentage have access to

the World Wide Web? .......................................

Has your school made any of the following materials available on the World
Wide Web?
Check one box in each line.
Yes No

e) information about the school ...........................................................

f) mathematics curriculum guidelines .................................................

g) science curriculum guidelines..........................................................

h) mathematics instructional activities .................................................

i) science instructional activities .........................................................

SCQ2-9
TIMSS-R Ref.No. 98-0039

17a. About how often does the school administration or staff have to deal with
the following behaviors among grade 8 students?

17b. To what extent do these behaviors present a problem in your school?

Check one box for Frequency and one box for
Severity on each line.
Frequency Severity of Problem
in your school in your school
Not a Minor Serious
Never Rarely Monthly Weekly Daily problem problem problem

a) arriving late at school ................

b) absenteeism (i.e., unjustified

absences) ...................................

c) skipping class periods ................

d) violating dress code ...................

e) classroom disturbance ...............

f) cheating .....................................

g) profanity ....................................

h) vandalism ...................................

i) theft ............................................

j) intimidation or verbal abuse of

other students .............................

k) physical injury to other

students ......................................

l) intimidation or verbal abuse of

teachers or staff..........................

m) physical injury to teachers

or staff ........................................

n) tobacco use/possession ..............

o) alcohol use/possession ...............

p) illegal drug use/possession ........

q) weapon use/possession ..............

r) inappropriate sexual behavior....

SCQ2-10
TIMSS-R Ref.No. 98-0039

18. For the grade 8 students in your school:

a) How many instructional days are in the

school year? ....................................................................................... _______ days

b) How many full instructional days (over 4 hours)

are there in the school week (typical calendar week from
Monday through Sunday)? ................................................................ _______ days

c) How many half instructional days (4 hours or less) half

are there in the school week? ............................................................. _______ days

d) How many hours (60-minute hours) in total are

there in the school week? (include lunch breaks,
study hall time, and after school activities) ....................................... _______ hours

e) How many hours (60-minute hours) of instruction

are there in the school week? (exclude lunch breaks,
study hall time, and after school activities) ....................................... _______ hours

19. Is the school week divided into instructional

periods for your grade 8 students?
Check one.
Yes No

If yes,
a) How many instructional periods are there in a school week
(typical calendar week from Monday through Sunday)? ................ ______ periods

b) How many minutes is a typical instructional

period? ............................................................................................ ______ minutes

SCQ2-11
TIMSS-R Ref.No. 98-0039

20. Schools sometimes organize instruction differently for students with

different abilities and interests in mathematics. Which of the following does
your school do for students in grade 8?
Check one box in each line.
Yes No
a) All classes study similar content, but at different levels of
difficulty. .........................................................................................

b) Students are grouped by ability within their mathematics classes. .

c) Advanced/honors mathematics is offered. .......................................

d) Remedial mathematics is offered.....................................................

e) Different classes study different content or sets of mathematics

topics (i.e, students are tracked). .....................................................

If yes to (e), how many courses or tracks are there? ______ number of courses/tracks

21. If all students do not follow the same course of study in mathematics, how
important is each of the following factors in deciding which courses of
study in mathematics a grade 8 student takes?
Check one box in each line.
Not Somewhat Moderately Very Not
important important important important applicable

a) academic performance ......................

b) performance on a standardized
test .....................................................

c) performance on an entrance
examination .......................................

d) performance on an oral
examination .......................................

e) teacher recommendations .................

f) parental wishes..................................

g) the student's own wishes ...................

h) curricular requirements .....................

SCQ2-12
TIMSS-R Ref.No. 98-0039

22. Schools sometimes organize instruction differently for students with

different abilities and interests in science. Which of the following does your
school do for students in grade 8?
Check one box in each line.

Yes No
a) All classes study similar content, but at different levels of
difficulty. .........................................................................................

b) Students are grouped by ability within their science classes. ..........

c) Advanced/honors science is offered. ...............................................

d) Remedial science is offered. ............................................................

e) Different classes study different content or sets of science topics

(i.e, students are tracked). ................................................................

If yes to (e), how many courses or tracks are there? ______ number of courses/tracks

23. If all students do not follow the same course of study in science, how
important is each of the following factors in deciding which courses of
study in science a grade 8 student takes?
Check one box in each line.
Not Somewhat Moderately Very Not
important important important important applicable

a) academic performance ......................

b) performance on a standardized
test .....................................................

c) performance on an entrance
examination .......................................

d) performance on an oral
examination .......................................

e) teacher recommendations .................

f) parental wishes..................................

g) the student's own wishes ...................

h) curricular requirements .....................

SCQ2-13
TIMSS-R Ref.No. 98-0039

24. On what basis are pupils admitted to your school?

Check one box in each line.
Yes No

a) residence in a particular area ...........................................................

b) student's academic performance ......................................................
c) interview with student......................................................................
d) interview with parent(s) ...................................................................
e) preference given to students with older brothers or sisters
in the school .....................................................................................
f) preference given according to date of application ...........................
g) recommendation of previous teachers .............................................
h) preference given to students from a particular school .....................
i) preference given to children of former students ..............................
j) performance on a standardized test..................................................
k) performance on an entrance examination ........................................
l) performance on an oral examination ...............................................
m) other .................................................................................................

25. Based on your experience, does your school expect parents to...
Check one box in each line.
Yes No
a) notify the school about any problems their child may be having
at home or with classmates? ............................................................
b) serve as teacher aides in the classroom? ..........................................
c) raise funds for the school? ...............................................................
d) volunteer for school projects and programs? ...................................
e) be sure that their child completes his/her homework?.....................
f) assist teachers on trips? ....................................................................
g) prepare their child’s lunchbox? .......................................................
h) patrol the grounds of the school to monitor student behavior? .......
i) serve on committees which select school personnel? ......................
j) serve on committees which review school finances? ......................

THANK YOU for your thought, time, and effort in

answering these questions.
SCQ2-14