Grantee Screening Interview (Module D)

Appendix E

Grantee Screening Protocol—
Module D: District Data Management System Representative Interview

Conversion Magnet Schools Evaluation

Grantee Screening Protocol—
Module D: District Data Management System Representative Interview (2004 Grantee Cohort)

April 2007

Introduction

Interviewer: Begin each module with this introduction. If the official has responded to an earlier module, just indicate the goal and expected duration of the module now being administered.

Good morning [or afternoon], I am _____, with [the American Institutes for Research/Berkeley Policy Associates], a research firm in [Palo Alto/Oakland, California]. We are doing preliminary work for a Department of Education research study on the relationship between magnet programs and the academic achievement of the students who attend them. The study will focus on elementary schools that used funds from Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) grants to introduce new magnet programs beginning in 2004 or 2007. As a first step, we are contacting all of the MSAP grantees with new magnet elementary schools to determine whether they meet certain criteria required for the study. If these interviews show that a scientifically rigorous study is possible, we will begin a major evaluation study late this year.

Today, we need to discuss what student records data this district has maintained over the past several years and whether the district could provide those data electronically to us for the study that is being planned.

You have been identified to us by [the MSAP Office/ the magnet project director in this district] as the person who can answer our questions about [topic]. A few days ago, we scheduled this appointment with you and sent you a brochure about the study as well as a copy of the questions we’d like to discuss with you. As indicated in the brochure, the answers you give us are confidential, and responses to the study’s data collections will be used only for statistical purposes. The reports prepared for this study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific district, school, or individual. We will not provide information that identifies respondents, students, or districts to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law. [Interviewer: Verify that the official has received these documents and has them available to read during the interview.]

Your participation in this interview is voluntary, though of course we hope you will be willing to help us in this important evaluation for the Department of Education.

It will take about 30 minutes to go through the questions I have for you. Are you able to talk with me now? Or should we set another appointment?

Module D: Data Management Representative Interview—Questions About Data Management Systems

In order to conduct the proposed studies, we need several types of information about each student enrolled in your district’s magnet and comparison schools. Your district may keep this information in more than one data management system, and some categories of data may be available for some years but not others.

If you do not know about some of these data elements, please provide the name, title, area of responsibility, and contact information for the individuals we should contact to obtain this information:

Student ID Codes

Interviewer: This question is also asked in Module B in conjunction with the district’s test scores. If information has already been obtained, skip to question 2.

1. Please describe the student ID codes your district uses:

1. When were ID codes instituted in this district?

2. When are students assigned their ID codes?

3. Does each student have only one ID code, or are there different ID codes for different types of information (e.g., test scores vs. demographic information)?

2. For each type of information listed below, please indicate the years for which the information is available as well as the source from which it can be obtained (for instance, central student data system; student test data files other than main data system; district lottery database; average daily attendance file).

Data Element	2001-2002	2002-2003	2003-2004	2004-2005	2005-2006	2006-2007	In what data management system(s)?	Is this information linked to student’s ID code? (yes/no)	Comments
Demographic Information
a. Age/birth date
b. Gender
c. Race/ethnic group
d. Poverty indicators (e.g., free lunch status, parental education)—Please specify:
e. English language status/level
f. Home language
g. Special education status (e.g., IEP)
h. Eligibility for Title 1 services
Enrollment/Absences
i. School name/code
j. School address
k. Classroom assignment (e.g., teacher name or code number)
l. Date(s) enrolled in school
m. Attendance/absence days
Residence Information
n. Student’s “home” attendance area and a mapping of those attendance areas
o. If no attendance area indicator: Is there any other indicator of residence, such as the student’s block or block group?

2. For each type of information listed below, please indicate the years for which the information is available as well as the source from which it can be obtained (for instance, central student data system, student test data files other than main data system, district lottery database, average daily attendance file). (Continued)

Data Element	2001-2002	2002-2003	2003-2004	2004-2005	2005-2006	2006-2007	In what data management system(s)?	Is this information linked to student’s ID code? (yes/no)	Comments
Residence Information (cont.)
p. Indicator that the student is attending a school outside his attendance area
q. Indicator of why the student is enrolled in a school outside his attendance area (e.g., open enrollment choice, magnet)
r. Student’s zip code
Test Scores
s. Scores on English language arts and mathematics tests administered district-wide
Magnet School Lottery Information
t. To what out-of-attendance area schools the child applied
u. Into which out-of-attendance area school(s) the child was admitted

Additional Questions About the District’s Data Management Systems

3. When we went through the data elements, it appeared that these data are stored in _____ electronic data systems (and in paper records kept by (__________). How would the district combine information from different files for the same student?

3. In what format can data be extracted from each source for research purposes (e.g., flat (ASCII) file; Excel file; SAS; SPSS; relational database such, as Access or DBase.)? Can the district provide a data dictionary?

3. Are all of the data back to 2001-2002 readily accessible, or are data for some years archived and thus require more effort to retrieve?
   If the latter, please explain.

Availability of Classroom Data

3. Does the district maintain information about the classroom to which each student in the school is assigned?

_____ YES (Go to question 7a.)

_____ NO (Go to question 8.)

7a. Please describe the type of data (e.g., classroom or teacher assigned to student IDs). Has the system for storing this information been the same since 2001-2002? (If no, please explain.)

7b. How available are these data (e.g., part of the student record data or kept in separate files)?

7c. For what years, from 2001-2002 forward, are these data available?

8. Does the district maintain summary information about the composition of each classroom for each of the characteristics listed below? _____YES (Go to question 8a.)

_____ NO (You are finished with this survey. Thanks for your help!)

8a. If yes, for which school years from 2001-2002 to the present?

Composition Characteristic	Information Maintained (yes/no)	Which Years Available from 2001-2002 Forward?
Gender
Race-ethnicity
Free-reduced price lunch
Parental education
Zip code
Other (Please specify):

8b. How is this information maintained and linked?

Thank you for your help!