Frequently Asked Questions about the Leadership Self-Review Tool (LSRT)
NOTE: School boards may wish to include some of these FAQs in their covering letters or e-mails when distributing the Leadership Self-Review Tool's survey to respondents.
Technical Questions
Questions About Survey Administration
Q. Do I need software to run these files?
A. Yes, you need at least Adobe Reader 4.0 to open the PDF files on the Leadership Self-Review Tool CD-ROM. In order to use the PDF form functions in the survey and gap analysis tools, you will need Adobe Reader 7.0 or higher. This software may already be installed on your computer. If not, an Adobe Reader installer can be found on the Leadership Self-Review Tool CD-ROM in the software folder, or you can download it from Adobe.
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Q. What is Adobe Reader?
A. Adobe Reader is free, universal software that lets you open, view, search, and print Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files.
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Q. Where can I get Adobe Reader?
A. This software may already be installed on your computer. If not, an Adobe Reader installer can be found on the Leadership Self-Review Tool CD-ROM in the software folder, or you can download it from Adobe. The LSRT survey PDF contains a link to Adobe (see page 2 of the survey).
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Q. What are the system requirements to run Adobe Reader?
A. Adobe Reader 7.0 is supported by:
Microsoft Windows (Windows 2000, Windows XP, NT)
Mac OS X
Palm OS 3.0 (or later), Symbian OS or Pocket PC 2002 or 2003 platforms for handheld devices
Linux and other Unix-based operating systems
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Q. Can I complete the survey and/or the gap analysis scoring sheet on my computer, or do I have to print them out and then complete them by hand?
A. If you have Adobe Reader 7.0 or higher, you can use your computer to complete the survey and gap analysis scoring sheet. Use your mouse or the tab and arrow keys to navigate from field to field.
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Q. If I complete the survey and/or the gap analysis scoring sheet on my computer, can I save the partially completed forms to my computer, and return to make changes to them afterwards?
A. Yes, but only if you are using Adobe Reader 7.0 or higher. Note that you cannot save the form to the Leadership Self-Review Tool CD-ROM.
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Q. Can I print these documents?
A. Yes, choose Print from the Adobe Reader File menu. This will open the Print dialog box. Adjust any settings to your preferences and click OK to print your form.
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Q. I am a PC user. When I try to open a PDF from this CD-ROM, the computer tells me it has "blocked active content". Is it safe for me to select the option "Allow blocked content"? Is it safe to answer Yes to the question "Are you sure you want to let this file run active content?"
A. The security system on your PC is programmed to protect your computer from viruses that may be spread by opening a PDF from a CD-ROM. Your PC does not know whether the source of the PDF is reliable. You can rest assured that the PDFs on this CD-ROM are free of viruses, and so you are safe to "allow blocked content" and to "let this file run active content".
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Q. What does the RESET SURVEY button on page 3 of the survey do?
A. If you want to erase all of the survey responses you've entered, the reset button will clear the survey of all responses. Text entered in the comment boxes or additional evidence boxes will not be cleared but can be deleted, if desired, using the delete function.
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Q. Can the LSRT survey be altered by school board administrators before it is sent to survey respondents?
A. The school board's planning team may add sample evidence for any of the performance indicators identified in the survey, in the box provided on every page under the heading "Additional sample evidence your board wants you to consider", before sending the survey to selected respondents. (No other changes to the PDF are possible.) Enter the desired additional sample evidence within the box, save the revised version of the survey, and then distribute the revised version to respondents using one of the methods described below.
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Q. What options does a school board have for transmitting the LSRT survey to respondents?
A. The survey may be distributed either in hard copy, to be completed manually, or in an electronic format, to be completed on-screen. If an electronic format is preferred, the survey PDF can be e-mailed to individual respondents, copied onto CDs for distribution, or posted on an intranet site. If the board has the capacity to do so, it may download the survey into an interactive survey analysis tool that collates and analyses results electronically. (The LSRT CD-ROM does not include the software needed to collate survey results.) If respondents are completing the form electronically, they should be reminded to save the completed version before returning it. In all cases, respondents should be provided with relevant instructions about completing the survey and returning it to the board planning team.
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Q. Should respondents be sent anything other than the LSRT survey?
A. Respondents might find the brief literature review, entitled "Overview of the Research on Leadership and Student Achievement" (under "Literature Reviews"), helpful in preparing to complete the survey. The PDF of the "Overview of the Research" can be included as an attachment in e-mails to respondents, copied onto CDs distributed to respondents, posted on an intranet site, or distributed to respondents in hard copy. Respondents should be provided with guidelines about how the literature review can be used. Alternatively, the school board planning team might want to discuss the review with respondents in a planned, activity-based session held before the survey is completed.
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Q. Should survey respondents also be sent a copy of the gap analysis scoring sheet?
A. No. This tool is for use by the board planning team only.
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Q. Should the reports by Barbara Bodkin based on the piloting of the LSRT be sent to respondents?
A. No. These reports are provided as background information for the board planning team. Respondents do not need to read this material in order to understand how to fill out the survey.
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Q. How are the results of the survey analysed?
A. School boards that do not have access to an electronic survey analysis tool must arrange for manual processing and analysis of the results. The LSRT CD-ROM includes a gap analysis scoring sheet for recording the results of the required calculations. The gap analysis form also includes a section for recording ideas for action that might be taken to improve performance in relation to each of the performance indicators.
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