ANSWER:

The following provides a comparison of the TELL Maryland Survey and the proposed Gallup Staff Engagement Survey:

• The TELL Maryland survey was initiated by the Governor of Maryland in 2009.  The surveys were administered in 2009 and 2011.  It is not clear if the survey will be administered in 2013.  Moreover, some revisions have been made to the questions from 2009 to 2011 so it is more difficult to make comparisons between years.  The Gallup survey, on the other hand, contains consistent questions so that results can be evaluated over time.
• The response rate for the Gallup survey piloted during the 2010–2011 school year was 92 percent.  The response rate for TELL Maryland was 30 percent for the 2010–2011 school year. The results can be accessed for only 45 of 200 MCPS schools.  This is because they only allow us to access results for schools with a response rate of 49.5 percent or above and a minimum of five faculty members responding.  Also, the low response rate makes it more difficult to meaningful comparisons make comparisons between years.
• The Gallup survey has only 12 questions, and they are focused on measuring staff engagement.  TELL Maryland on the other hand, has 146 questions and measures several constructs (e.g., time, facilities and resources, community support and involvement, managing student conduct, teacher leadership, etc.).  Fewer, well-constructed questions are more likely to elicit better information regarding staff engagement.