OMB83 C Memo

MEMORANDUM United States Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

National Center for Education Statistics

DATE: July 28, 2009

TO: Shelley Martinez, OMB

FROM: Chris Chapman, Jill Carlivati, Gail Mulligan, ECLS-K:2011 Project Officer

SUBJECT: Change request for the OMB clearance package for the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011) approved on 3/20/2009 (OMB control number: 1850-0750); Academic rating scale, respondent materials, and study acronym

This memo is a change request for the OMB clearance package for the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011) approved on 3/20/2009 (OMB control number: 1850-0750). There are three parts to the submission: 1) revised Academic Rating Scale items related to science, 2) revised respondent materials for the field test and national collection, and 3) request to officially change the study acronym from ECLS-K:11 to ECLS-K:2011.

Revised Academic Rating Scale items related to science

In March the ECLS-K:2011 received OMB approval for our field test this coming fall. As part of the field test, we are asking teachers to complete academic rating scales related to children’s science knowledge. We included the rating scale items that had been used in the first ECLS-K (from rating scales completed by teachers of kindergarten, first, and third grade participants) in the OMB package that was approved. These can be found in Appendix C of the original package, pages C-91 through C-106.

Since that time, we have been working on the development of the scale and have finalized the items we will be using in the science assessment field test. As we finished up work on the assessment items, it became clear that to better align what the assessment is measuring with what we are asking teachers to evaluate children on, revisions should be made to the rating scale items. The contractor has worked on the items to make them more standardized across the grades, use more age appropriate examples of science knowledge, and better align the constructs teachers are rating the children on with the skills and knowledge we are assessing in the science assessment. Appendix A to this memo highlights the updates that were made. Appendix B contains the updated science rating scale instrument.

Neither the length of the instrument nor its data collection design have changed from the approved plan. Therefore, the estimates for the expected respondent number, respondent burden time, and the cost to the federal government that were approved by OMB are not expected to change as a result of the updates to the instrument noted in Appendix A.

Revised respondent materials

In the OMB package approved in March, the respondent materials included in the package were drafts, and we indicated that we would be submitting final respondent materials for the national collection in a new OMB package, to be submitted this coming December. However, that is too late for the field test respondent materials and some national data collection materials that will be needed in the fall. Included in this change request are the final field test respondent materials, as well as final national data collection materials that will be printed in August and used in September as we begin to recruit schools for the national data collection. The materials in Appendix C include the following:

Field test materials 

Study Brochure. This will be sent to individuals at the state level in the field test in states that are also in the national study. (Sent separately in a PDF.)

Study Timeline. This will be sent to individuals at the state level in the field test in states that are also in the national study. (Sent separately in a PDF.)

Study Summary Sheets.  These were developed for use in the field test only, as a less costly alternative to the study brochure. They will be sent to states and districts that are not in the national collection, parents, teachers, and school coordinators. (Sent separately in a PDF.) There are two versions, one for use in the field test of the English assessments (green) and one for use in the field test of the Spanish assessments (blue). The last paragraph in this summary sheet has a summary of confidentiality information. More specific and detailed language that includes references to law is included in the letters and consent forms that will be sent to parents and the letters to teachers.

Vision and Hearing Screening flyers

Principal, Parent, Teacher, and School Coordinator field test letters . There are different

versions of the parent and school coordinator letters for the English and Spanish field tests. There is not teacher component in the Spanish field test, so there is only a teacher letter for the English field test.  

Chief state school officer/state assessment coordinator field test letter

District superintendent and diocesan field test letters

National Data collection materials

Chief state school officer/state assessment coordinator letter

District superintendent and diocesan letters

Principal letter

While the majority of these materials were submitted in draft form to OMB as part of the study clearance package (Appendix F), some changes in them have been made since that time. For example, the respondent letters have been shortened and revised to include the specifics of the field test and national collections as those details became available. Additionally, materials have been updated so that the confidentiality information reflects the most recent agreed-upon language that NCES will use. Finally, ECLS program staff have changed the study acronym from ECLS-K:11 to ECLS-K:2011, a change that is reflected in all study materials.

We are seeking approval of these revisions of the previously submitted materials, in addition to the approval of three new documents.

1. Updated materials. Respondent materials that were included in the original OMB submission have been updated for both the ECLS-K:2011 field tests (FT) (English FT and Spanish FT) and national (N) study. They are the following, marked to indicate if separate FT and N versions are being submitted at this time:

• District superintendent (and diocese) letters – FT, N

• Principal letters – English FT, Spanish FT, N

• School coordinator letters – English FT, Spanish FT

• Teacher letter – English FT

• Parent letters – English FT, Spanish FT

• Parent consent forms (please note that these are almost identical to those included in the OMB package) – English FT, Spanish FT

• Study summary sheets – English FT, Spanish FT

• Study brochure

National versions of the materials that are not listed above will be included in the next OMB clearance submission for the national study.

2. New materials. A few materials that were not in the original OMB submission are being submitted in their final form at this time.

• Chief state school officer letters – FT, N

• Timeline of data collection activities

• Hearing and vision test flyer – English FT

These new materials are based on information that was included in the OMB package cleared in March 2009. For example, while no draft version of the hearing and vision test flyer was included in the OMB submission, information on these screenings was discussed in the description of the study design.

Request to officially change the study acronym from ECLS-K:11 to ECLS-K:2011

During review of the respondent materials, some reviewers felt the acronym could be confusing. They thought it could be interpreted as an indication that this was a study of students in 11^th grade or that we were going to follow the kindergarten cohort through 11^th grade. We decided the acronym would be less confusing if it used the four digit year representation in it.

Thank you for taking the time to review these documents. If you have any questions regarding the materials, the field tests, or ECLS-K:2011 national study, please contact Early Childhood and Household Study Program Director Chris Chapman, ECLS-K:2011 Project Officer Gail Mulligan, or ECLS-K:2011 Staff Member Jill Carlivati.