Needs Assessment

Spring 2022 Telescope Network Survey

(May 2022) What PD do you need next? Complete the Telescope Network’s Spring survey by 6/17 to share your voice. We are raffling off 20 x $20 gift cards to local independent book shops for completed responses.

Spring 2022 EqLit Needs Assessment

(April 2022) School leaders: What does your staff need to learn next about equitable literacy? Use the Telescope Network’s Equitable Literacy Needs Assessment Survey to gather staff input as you identify your instructional focus and design your school's professional learning plan for next year. After your staff completes the survey, contact the Telescope Network to see the data for your school.

Fall 2021 Needs Assessment Report

(January 2022) Thank you to the 245 educators across BPS who completed our Fall 2021 survey. The attached report includes a summary of our current professional learning needs. The report also includes trends by grade level, feedback on our PD preferences, and data disaggregated to reflect the professional learning interests of educators of color.

Fall 2021 Telescope Network Survey

(October 2021) Please share your professional learning needs on the Telescope Network survey. Results will be used to create learning opportunities for BPS educators. Survey is open to any BPS employee. Respondents are entered to win a raffle prize ($25 Amazon gift cards and other prizes).

June 2021 Needs Assessment Report

(July 2021) We are pleased to share the end of year Telescope Network Professional Learning Needs Assessment report, based on 323 survey responses. Compiled by our Networkers, Alison Mosher and Mark Lonergan, it includes insights from educators about their needs and preferences in both content and format for professional learning in summer and next year. The report also includes trends by grade level, a section on the big questions of practice on educators' minds (instructional and operational), and data disaggregated to reflect the professional learning interests of educators of color..

June 2021 Telescope Network Survey

(May 2021) As we wrap-up the school year, we’d love to hear about your learning needs for next year. We will be giving away a dozen $25 Amazon gift cards for people who complete the survey--and it helps us plan for PD during the summer and next year. We’re hoping to hear from at least 300 educators before June 16.

April 2021 Needs Assessment Report

April 2021 Needs Assessment Report: Hear what educators across BPS are saying about professional development needs: What do we need to learn now? What do we want to learn next?

Fall 2020 Needs Assessment Survey Report

(November 2020) Thank you to the 370+ educators across BPS from who took our our Fall 2020 survey. You told us how we can support educators and families in remote and hybrid learning. Here is our preliminary report. Four main priorities emerged from the data:

1. We need more examples of effective remote learning and hybrid practices.

2. We want to engage our students more effectively in remote learning.

3. We want to build in sustaining practices and self-care so that we don’t burn out this year.

4. Our learning and technology needs are becoming increasingly more specialized by role and grade-level.

Fall 2020 Telescope Network Survey

What do you need this year? The Telescope Network wants to help. Please fill out our Fall 2020 survey to help us better understand your learning needs. We will raffle off a dozen $25 Amazon gift cards for educators who complete our survey--and it helps us plan for future PD. Survey open to ALL BPS educators (teachers, paras, admin, other school-based roles, and district-level roles as well).

(January 2021) Tell us about a colleague who's doing something right. Part of our mission is to seek out the bright spots of effective practice across the district. If you are doing something well or know a colleague who's doing something well, please take a few moments to tell us about it here.

June 2020 Needs Assessment Survey Report

(June 2020) Thank you to the 200+ educators across BPS from who took our June 2020 Survey. You told us how we can support educators and families as we prepare for the fall and beyond. Here is our preliminary report. Four main priorities emerged from the data:

1. Schedule: We need to know what the Fall schedule will look like to start planning (mentioned in 54% of survey responses)

2. SEL: We want to connect and build relationships with our students in the Fall. (mentioned by 54% of survey responses)

3. Engagement: We want to engage our students more effectively in remote learning. (mentioned by 59% of survey responses)

4. Antiracism: We want to address issues of racism and cultural proficiency (mentioned by 11% overall, 25% of Black/Latinx responses)

June 2020 Telescope Survey

Why another survey? We last asked about what educators need to learn back in mid-March, when we were all remote-learning novices. We’d love to hear what you and your colleagues need now. Our goal is to hear from at least 300 BPS educators before June 22. We'll also be raffling off $25 Amazon gift cards for people who complete the survey. We’ll use your data and feedback to help us plan for PD in the summer, fall, and beyond.

March 2020 Needs Assessment Report

(March 2020) Thank you to the 200+ educators from 78 schools who took our Needs Assessment Survey over the past week. You told us how we can support educators and families in this new learning climate. Here is our preliminary report. Two big headlines:

• 69% said that they are willing to help other educators in some way.

• 55% said that they have no “bright spots” or people to turn to for collaboration right now.

With this, our two big themes for the next few weeks are finding ways for teachers to connect and share with each other.

March 2020 Survey

What do you need? The Telescope Network wants to help. The school closures for COVID-19 present a new set of teaching and learning challenges and opportunities. Please fill out this survey to help us better understand how we can support teachers and families in this new learning climate. The results of this survey will be used to help create professional learning opportunities for teachers and others. Admin, parents, and students are welcome to take the survey, too! We’re in this together.

Boston Public Schools educators: Please use this form to help us identify professional learning needs and opportunities across the district. Names and individual responses will not be shared without your permission. Visit bostonpublicschools.org/telescope for more information.

• ADMINISTRATORS/PD LEADERS: Contact us to schedule a time for your staff to share their professional learning needs and ideas.