English Parent Letter

English Field Test Parent – Active Consent

Fall 2009

«P_FName»«P_LName»

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Dear «P_FName»«P_LName»,

Your child is being asked to take part in Phase I of an important study, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). The ECLS-K:2011 is sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences and is being conducted on behalf of NCES by Westat. This study is the third in a series of longitudinal studies of young children sponsored by NCES and is described in more detail in the enclosed summary sheet.

In fall 2009, children in kindergarten through third grade in your child’s school and other schools across the nation will be administered an assessment designed to measure skills and knowledge in reading, mathematics, and science. The assessments will be administered individually to each child by trained assessors. Most children find this activity enjoyable. The Phase I assessment will help researchers select the best items to use in the ECLS-K:2011 assessment next year in Phase II.

Children’s vision and hearing also will be screened. You will receive a letter with the results of the vision and hearing screening. If your child’s results are outside the normal range, the letter will suggest you talk with a medical provider. The vision and hearing screenings are being conducted in collaboration with the National Eye Institute and the National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders.

All information collected will be protected from disclosure to the fullest extent allowable by law. Information from multiple individuals will be combined to produce statistical reports; no information that identifies you or your child (e.g., name or address) will be included in any reports. Your child’s school will not receive any of the information collected by our assessors about your child; participation will not affect your child’s grades or progress in school.

A consent form for your child to participate in the ECLS-K:2011 assessment tasks and the hearing and vision screening is enclosed.

(Active consent) [Please sign the form and return it to your child’s school in the enclosed envelope.]

(Passive consent) [If you will allow your child to participate in the study, you do not need to return this form. If you do not want your child to take part in this study, please fill out the form and return it in the enclosed envelope to your child’s school.]

Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011. If you have questions about the study, please feel free to call Westat toll free at 1-888-204-4864 or send an email to [email protected]. Also, more information about ECLS-K:2011 is available on the NCES website at http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/.

S
incerely,

Karen Tourangeau

Project Director

Enclosures

OMB 1850-0750; expires 03/31/2012