The PERTS survey is a short, practical, research-backed survey that measures how students experience learning conditions that matter for student engagement and success. This case study tells the story of how a team of middle school math teachers from Mineola School District in Long Island, NY used the PERTS survey to catalyze teacher inquiry and support student engagement.

The case explores how Mineola worked to create the enabling conditions that made the PERTS survey meaningful for both teachers and students, including embedding the PERTS survey in professional development designed to be teacher centered, inquiry-driven, and imbued with norms of trust. The case also surfaces the real challenges the Mineola team experienced as they confronted challenging data, and their efforts to adopt a growth mindset toward their own work and learning.

In addition, the case highlights the practical side of using the survey, focusing on the cadence of survey administration, PERTS data reports, and how the teachers introduced the survey to students. Two additional vignettes delve into the specific changes the team made to their practice as a result of the survey data.

This case study was written as part of WestEd’s Math Practical Measurement project. This 3-year project supports the use of practical measurement in continuous improvement efforts in grades 6-9 math.