Sample Consent Letter

NIES SAMPLE PARENT/GUARDIAN CONSENT LETTER

(School Letterhead)

Date

Dear Parent or Guardian:

I am pleased to announce that our school has been selected to participate in the National Indian Education Study (NIES). The Office of Indian Education (OIE) within the U.S. Department of Education initiated NIES to provide valuable information on the educational achievement and experiences of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students at grades 4 and 8.

The study contains two parts: an assessment and a survey. Part I is the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which assesses what students know and can do in reading and mathematics. The assessment has been given to students in schools nationwide for more than 35 years and will take students about 90 minutes to complete. Part II is a survey that asks students questions about their educational experiences at school and the opportunities they have to learn about their AI/AN culture and traditions. Part II of the study will take students about 15 minutes to complete.

Participation in NIES is voluntary and confidential (in accordance with the Confidential Information Protection provisions of Title V, Subtitle A, Public Law 107-347). Students may skip any question they do not wish to answer, and their grades or progress in school will not be affected in any way by their participation. In addition, the names of students participating in NIES are not recorded on any of the materials that leave the school. This ensures that no individual student or school results can ever be reported.

All of our grade insert grade AI/AN students have been selected to participate in NIES 2011. We are just one of many schools across the nation that has been asked to participate in this important study. Your child will represent many other AI/AN students who weren’t included in the sample, so his/her participation is very important. However, if you do not want your child to be a part of NIES, please notify me in writing by insert date.

NIES will be conducted at insert school name on insert date. If you would like more information about the study, please visit the NIES website at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nies/. You may also contact me directly if you have any questions regarding your child’s participation.

We are excited that our school will be participating in NIES, and we appreciate the contribution our students will make to the education of AI/AN students across the country. In advance, I thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Principal Name, Title

School Name

Phone Number