The Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) Steps to Teacher Administration

About the MDI Middle childhood is an important developmental period, where children experience significant cognitive, social and emotional changes that set the stage for adolescence and adulthood. The MDI is a self-report survey that children fill out in Grade 4 and Grade 7 that gathers information about their lives inside and outside of school. The MDI uses a strengths-based approach to assess five areas of development strongly linked to well-being, health and academic achievement. The MDI is a population-level research tool, the results are not used to evaluate individual children or rank teachers or schools.

Teacher’s role in the MDI As a teacher, your role in the survey process is to introduce and read parts of the survey aloud to students and answer any questions they may have. The MDI is voluntary for everyone involved. Children can opt out at any time, even during the survey (part of your role will be explaining this to them). You will receive a set of parent letters on district letterhead that you will need to send home with students at least 4 weeks prior to your survey date. Parents will return a withdrawal form to you, their child’s teacher, if they do not wish their child to participate. A copy of this letter is available on this website for your reference.

Survey Administration Overview November 2014 In November you will gain access to the e-MDI website by receiving a password reset . The next steps are as follows: 1.Log in to view your class list, add missing students and removing any students who are not participating. 2.Schedule a survey date and print off student passwords. 3.Administer the survey to your students (can be over multiple sessions during the month of November). 4.Check your for any help requests from students.

Step 1: Review class list Log in to the Under Add/Delete Students you can review your class list and add or delete students. For more details instructions, review the Teacher’s Guide.

Step 2: Schedule a survey date Under Schedule Survey & Print Passwords you can choose a date to schedule the survey. Once a survey is scheduled, you can Print Student Logins that are active on the scheduled day. You can also Preview Survey to see what the students will see.

Step 3: Administer the Survey The Teacher Instructional Survey is the survey you will use to guide the class. It is identical to the online survey except it contains an assent script for you to read aloud before you start. The assent script describes what students will be doing and informs them that they can choose not to participate. The instructional survey also contains tips and instructions for survey administrators throughout the document.

Step 3: Administer the Survey The Teacher Administration Manual is provided for your reference. It contains the same information as in this PowerPoint, but in more detail (e.g., what to do about new students, how to explain questions without influencing responses). The manual includes a link to an online feedback form that you can complete after administering the survey. Your feedback is appreciated as it helps us to improve the survey instrument and process for future participants.

Step 4: Help requests Check your district for any Student Help Requests. Please follow your school’s protocol for following up with students.

TEL FAX Thank you! If at any time you have questions or concerns about the survey process, instrument, or reporting, contact the MDI Coordinator or Implementation Manager. We will be happy to assist you. Maddison Spenrath MDI Project Coordinator Gillian Corless Implementation Manager