Non-Substantive Change (Creation of E-8 & E-10 Forms)

Non-Substantive Change Request to the Office of Management and Budget

The Census Bureau is requesting approval related to the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (ASPEP) forms (0607-0452) to split the units which receive the current (E-6) School Systems form into three groups, with each group receiving a different form. The split consists of three types of schools the E-6 form currently collects data for: Elementary & Secondary educational programs, Post-Secondary educational programs, and schools that offer both kinds of educational programs. The proposed change would create two new forms for two types of schools: Elementary & Secondary Education (E-8) and College & Other Postsecondary Education (E-10). The E-6 form will remain for the schools that offer both kinds of educational programs. Although the Census Bureau is proposing two new forms, this would not increase the respondent burden. The units receiving a new form are receiving a new, shorter form in place of the existing E-6.

Cognitive testing for the ASPEP forms took place in March and June of 2012. During the cognitive testing, interviewers received several comments from multiple respondents concerning the E-6 form. The comments concerned the length of the form, specifically, the number of pages that were inapplicable to the interviewees’ school system.¹ Survey analysts have heard the same concerns from respondents while helping respondents complete the E-6 form. Additional help was required since many respondent errors were found on the E-6 form. The most common error was data for adult educational programs administered by elementary and secondary schools was incorrectly reported under the post-secondary educational programs instead of under the elementary and secondary educational programs.

The Census Bureau conducted research on separating these government units into three types of schools. The research indicated that through the common core of data collected by the Census Bureau for the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES) the information on the type of school was available. The research also showed that some of this information was already in use by the survey in areas of sampling and imputation.

As of December 4, 2012, the ASPEP universe had 15,418 local school units. Of the 15,418 units, 616 are collected through several electronic central collections. These units do not receive an E-6 form. The remaining 14,802 units received an E-6 form in 2012. Had we applied the proposed split to the 2012 universe, there would have been 213 E-6 units; 14,089 E-8 units; and 500 E-10 units. The 2013 sample is estimated to have 63 E-6 units; 2,337 E-8 units; and 295 E-10 units. These numbers show that only a small amount of schools offer both types of programs and therefore, will continue to receive the E-6 form. The majority of schools would receive the shorter, proposed E-8 or E-10 form.

The current respondent burden should not change with the proposed forms. While we cannot say with absolute certainty if the proposed forms will lessen the average respondent burden, they will definitely not increase it. Incorporating the proposed changes will reduce respondent error by displaying only the applicable data questions to the respondent instead of additional pages of questions that do not apply to that unit.

Proposed Forms:

E-8: Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll, Elementary & Secondary Education:

• These questions were pulled from the E-6 but do not include the inapplicable College and Other Postsecondary Education questions

  • full-time employees, gross full-time payroll, part-time employees, gross part-time payroll, part-time hours for Instructional personnel

  • full-time employees, gross full-time payroll, part-time employees, gross part-time payroll, part-time hours for All Other School System employees

  • full-time employees, gross full-time payroll, part-time employees, gross part-time payroll, part-time hours for Elementary and Secondary Education total

E-10: Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll, College and Other Postsecondary Education:

• These questions were pulled from the E-6 but without the inapplicable Elementary and Secondary Education questions

  • full-time employees, gross full-time payroll, part-time employees, gross part-time payroll, part-time hours for Instructional staff

  • full-time employees, gross full-time payroll, part-time employees, gross part-time payroll, part-time hours for All Other staff

  • full-time employees, gross full-time payroll, part-time employees, gross part-time payroll, part-time hours for College and Postsecondary Education total

1 See the accompanying reports “Findings and Recommendations from Cognitive Testing of the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll Forms: E-6 Form Changes” and “Findings and Recommendations from Cognitive Testing of the Redesigned Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll Forms: Round 2” prepared by Jennifer L. Beck, PhD