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pdfAPPENDIX H
RESPONDENT MATERIALS
Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11
(ECLS-K:2011)
Spring Third-Grade National Data Collection, Fourth-Grade Recruitment, and
Fifth-Grade Tracking
OMB Clearance Package
#1850-0750 v.15
NOTE: The letters for respondents that are included in this appendix have headers indicating to
whom the letter will be sent. These headers will be removed before the letters are printed and
sent to respondents. Additionally, the OMB expiration date that currently appears as XX/XX/201X
will be replaced once a new expiration date is received.
Description of the Materials Included in this Package
This package includes many letters to be sent to different school personnel in the spring of third grade and the
fall of fourth grade. Below is a list of all the letters included in this package, along with an indication of the
recipient and the time at which the letters are mailed. There are some formatting issues in the letters (e.g.,
signature size, pagination) that result from multiple letters being included in one document. These issues will
be corrected in the final letters distributed to the respondents.
Spring Third-Grade Data Collection Round
Materials mailed at the start of the round, before data collection begins:
o SPRING 3RD GRADE PARENT LETTER- Mailed to parents/guardians of study children.
o SPRING 3RD GRADE PARENT LETTER FOR HEARING SUBSAMPLE- Mailed to parents/guardians of
study children participating in the hearing evaluation component.
o SPRING 3RD GRADE TEACHER LETTER- Teachers will be identified during advance school contacts
in the fall of 2013. This letter will be to them in mailed in spring 2014. If, during data collection in
the spring of 2014, children are identified as having switched teachers (for example, because the
child changed schools), the new teacher will be given this letter during spring 2014 data
collection.
o SPRING 3RD GRADE LETTER FOR SCHOOL COORDINATORS AT A CONTINUING (ORIGINAL OR
DESTINATION) SCHOOL- Mailed to school coordinators in schools that have participated in the
study since the base year or in schools that are identified as “destination schools,” that is, schools
into which four or more study children from the same original school have transferred.
o SPRING 3RD GRADE LETTER FOR SCHOOL COORDINATORS AT A TRANSFER SCHOOL THAT HAS
PARTICIPATED IN A PREVIOUS DATA COLLECTION ROUND- Mailed to school coordinators in
schools that were added after the base year because a child transferred into the school and that
have participated in at least one prior round of data collection but are not destination schools. A
separate letter is needed for these school coordinators because they do not receive an incentive.
o SPRING 3RD GRADE LETTER FOR SCHOOL COORDINATORS AT A TRANSFER SCHOOL IDENTIFIED
DURING RECRUITMENT- Mailed to school coordinators in schools that were added during the fall
3rd grade recruitment and tracking because a child transferred into the school. These schools
have not participated in at least one prior round of data collection and are not destination
schools. A separate letter is needed for these school coordinators because they have not
participated before and they do not receive an incentive.
o SPRING 3RD GRADE LETTER FOR SCHOOL COORDINATORS AT A HEARING EVALUATION SCHOOLMailed to school coordinators in schools participating in the hearing evaluation component.
These schools are all continuing schools.
o HEARING EVALUATION FLYER – Mailed to school coordinators and parents for schools and
children participating in the hearing evaluation component.
Letters mailed during data collection to districts, school administrators, and school coordinators in
schools that are identified as having study children who transfer into them during the spring thirdgrade data collection:
o SPRING 3RD GRADE LETTER FOR NEW TRANSFER DISTRICTS WITH PREVIOUSLY NONPARTICIPATING SCHOOLS INTO WHICH STUDY CHILDREN HAVE TRANSFERRED - Mailed to school
districts that did not have schools participating in the study in a prior round that are now being
recruited into the study because a participating study child transferred into one of the district’s
schools.
o SPRING 3RD GRADE LETTER FOR CONTINUING DISTRICTS WITH PREVIOUSLY NON-PARTICIPATING
SCHOOLS INTO WHICH STUDY CHILDREN HAVE TRANSFERRED- Mailed to school districts that
have schools that participated in the study in a prior round but in which at least one new school
(i.e., one that has not participated in a prior round) is being recruited because a study child
transferred into the new school.
o SPRING 3RD GRADE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR LETTER FOR TRANSFER SCHOOLS IDENTIFIED IN
SPRING 2014- Mailed to administrators in schools that did not participate in a prior round of the
study but are now being recruited into the study because a participating study child transferred
into the administrator’s school.
o SPRING 3RD GRADE LETTER FOR SCHOOL COORDINATORS AT A CONTINUING SCHOOL WITH NEW
TRANSFER STUDENTS IDENTIFIED IN SPRING 2014- Mailed to school coordinators in schools that
have participated in prior rounds of the study but that have new study children who have
transferred into them. The school coordinator is mailed this new letter to make it clear that there
are additional children who will be assessed during the school visit.
Letters mailed at the end of the data collection round:
o SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR THANK YOU LETTER (HONORARIA)- Mailed to administrators of
participating original and destination schools at the end of the third-grade school year along with
the $200 honorarium.
o SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR THANK YOU LETTER (NO HONORARIA)- Mailed to administrators of
participating transfer schools at the end of the third-grade school year.
o ECLS-K:2011 HEARING EVALUATION REPORT- Mailed to parents of children participating in the
hearing evaluations approximately 1 to 2 months after the child’s evaluation containing results of
the evaluation. The programming instructions are also included here.
Spring Fourth-Grade Recruitment Letters
Advance recruitment letter mailed in August 2014:
o SPRING 4TH GRADE SCHOOL COORDINATOR LETTER FOR CONTINUING SCHOOLS, SENT IN
ADVANCE OF FALL RECRUITMENT - Mailed to school coordinators in advance of fall recruitment
in schools that have participated in prior rounds of the study.
Advance letters mailed in fall 2014 to districts, school administrators, and school coordinators in
schools that are identified during recruitment as having study children who transfer into them after
the spring third-grade round of data collection:
o SPRING 4TH GRADE LETTER FOR NEW DISTRICTS WITH PREVIOUSLY NON-PARTICIPATING
SCHOOLS INTO WHICH STUDY CHILDREN HAVE TRANSFERRED DURING RECRUITMENT - Mailed to
school districts that did not have schools participating in the study in a prior round that are now
being recruited into the study because a participating study child transferred into one of the
district’s schools.
o SPRING 4TH GRADE LETTER FOR CONTINUING DISTRICTS WITH PREVIOUSLY NON-PARTICIPATING
SCHOOLS INTO WHICH STUDY CHILDREN HAVE TRANSFERRED DURING RECRUITMENT- Mailed to
school districts that have schools that participated in the study in a prior round but in which at
least one new school (i.e., one that has not participated in a prior round) is being recruited
because a study child transferred into the new school.
o SPRING 4TH GRADE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR LETTER FOR TRANSFER SCHOOLS IDENTIFIED
DURING RECRUITMENT- Mailed to administrators in schools that did not participate in a prior
round of the study but are now being recruited into the study because a participating study child
transferred into the administrator’s school.
o SPRING 4TH GRADE LETTER FOR SCHOOL COORDINATORS AT A CONTINUING SCHOOL WITH NEW
TRANSFER STUDENTS IDENTIFIED DURING RECRUITMENT- Mailed to school coordinators in
schools that have participated in prior rounds of the study but that have new study children who
have transferred into them. The school coordinator is mailed this new letter to make it clear that
there are additional children who will be assessed during the school visit.
Tracking Materials
BIRTHDAY CARD – Mailed each month to children who have a birthday that month.
POST-IT NOTES FOR PARENTS – Included with spring 2014 parent letter.
HOLIDAY CARD – Mailed to school administrators in December 2014.
Questions for School Coordinators, Spring 2014
PAPER QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE SCHOOL COORDINATOR – Mailed with the spring 2014 school
coordinator packet.
TELEPHONE INTERVIEW WITH THE SCHOOL COORDINATOR – Included with team leader supplies for
use during the preassessment call.
Spring Third-Grade Materials
o
SPRING 3RD GRADE PARENT LETTER
Spring 2014
Dear Parent,
After three years of data collection, we have reached the mid-point of the Early Childhood
Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011)! Thanks to the continued
participation of families and schools across the country, we have collected a wealth of information
that is already being used to gain a better understanding of today’s students and their experiences.
Collecting information as your child moves into the upper elementary grades is very important
for understanding how his or her experiences in the early years of elementary school have
prepared him or her for the later grades. We are excited to talk with you and your child again this
spring, to learn about your experiences during the 2013-14 school year.
As in the past, our field staff will be visiting your child’s school in the upcoming months to assess
his or her knowledge and skills in reading, mathematics, and science. They also will be assessing
your child’s memory and ability to follow directions, as well as measuring his/her height and
weight. The assessment format and the kinds of questions that will be asked are similar to those of
the assessments used in previous years, so the process should feel familiar to your child. Something
new this round is that we are asking children to complete a questionnaire about themselves and
their experiences in school. Children will hear questions read to them through headphones and be
able to enter their answers directly into a tablet computer, thereby giving them privacy to respond.
As always, children may decline to answer any of the questions asked in the study. Also,
participants’ responses will not be associated with their names or provided to school staff. In total,
the assessment activities will take approximately 80 minutes to complete.
We are also asking parents to complete a telephone interview with a member of our data
collection staff who will be calling your home to conduct the interview. The interview this round
should take only about 35 minutes to complete. It includes questions about your child's school,
your household, activities you do with your child at home, any before- or after-school care your
child may receive, your child’s behavior and health, and contact with any parents who may not
live with your child. As always, our field staff will be happy to conduct the interview at a time
that is most convenient for you.
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
the ECLS-K:2011, including samples of the questions to be asked of children, is available at the
NCES website at http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/myECLSK2011.
Thank you again for your participation!
Sincerely,
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
The collection of information in this survey is authorized by 20 U.S. Code, Section 9543. Participation is voluntary. Your responses
are protected from disclosure by federal statute (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). All responses that relate to or describe identifiable
characteristics of individuals may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any
other purpose except as required 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 information about you or your child as a part of this study. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is
1850-0750. Approval expires XX/XX/201X.
SPRING 3RD GRADE PARENT LETTER - HEARING SUBSAMPLE
Spring 2014
Dear Parent,
After three years of data collection, we have reached the mid-point of the Early Childhood
Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011)! Thanks to the continued
participation of families and schools across the country, we have collected a wealth of information
that is already being used to gain a better understanding of today’s students and their experiences.
Collecting information as your child moves into the upper elementary grades is very important for
understanding how his or her experiences in the early years of elementary school have prepared
him or her for the later grades. We are excited to talk with you and your child again this spring, to
learn about your experiences during the 2013-14 school year.
As in the past, our field staff will be visiting your child’s school in the upcoming months to assess his
or her knowledge and skills in reading, mathematics, and science. They also will be assessing your
child’s memory and ability to follow directions, as well as measuring his/her height and weight. The
assessment format and the kinds of questions that will be asked are similar to those of the assessments
used in previous years, so the process should feel familiar to your child. Something new this round is
that we are asking children to complete a questionnaire about themselves and their experiences in
school. Children will hear questions read to them through headphones and be able to enter their
answers directly into a tablet computer using a stylus pen, thereby giving them privacy to respond. As
always, children may decline to answer any of the questions asked in the study. Also, participants’
responses will not be associated with their names or provided to school staff. In total, these
assessment activities will take approximately 80 minutes to complete. In addition to participating in
the assessment, some children will have their hearing evaluated. These evaluations occur at multiple
points throughout the study so that researchers can study how hearing may change during the
elementary school years. The hearing evaluation will take approximately 15 minutes.
We are also asking parents to complete a telephone interview with a member of our data collection
staff who will be calling your home to conduct the interview. The interview this round should take
only about 35 minutes to complete. It includes questions about your child's school, your household,
activities you do with your child at home, any before- or after-school care your child may receive,
your child’s behavior and health, and contact with any parents who may not live with your child. As
always, our field staff will be happy to conduct the interview at a time that is most convenient for
you.
If you have questions about the study, or if you decide to not allow your child to participate in this
year’s hearing evaluations, please call Westat toll free at 1-888-204-4864 or send an email to
[email protected]. Also, more information about the ECLS-K:2011, including samples of
the questions to be asked of children, is available at the NCES website at
http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/myECLSK2011.
Thank you again for your participation!
Sincerely,
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
The collection of information in this survey is authorized by 20 U.S. Code, Section 9543. Participation is voluntary. Your responses are
protected from disclosure by federal statute (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). All responses that relate to or describe identifiable
characteristics of individuals may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any
other purpose except as required 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 information about you or your child as a part of this study. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 18500750. Approval expires XX/XX/201X.
SPRING 3RD GRADE TEACHER LETTER
Spring 2014
Dear Teacher,
Welcome to the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11
(ECLS-K:2011), the third in a series of longitudinal studies of young children conducted by
the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Like the earlier studies, the ECLSK:2011 will be an important source of data for researchers and policy makers to address key
issues related to children’s development and learning. The ECLS-K:2011 is described in
more detail in the brochure included in your study package. For more information on this
and the prior longitudinal studies, you can also visit the NCES website at
http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/myECLSK2011.
The study began in the 2010-11 school year with students who were in kindergarten. Now
that the ECLS-K:2011 is well underway, we have identified one or more students in the
study who have transferred into your school. For the study data to accurately represent the
early schooling experiences of all children in America, it is vital that the sampled students
take part in each phase of the study. Therefore, this spring we would like to conduct a child
assessment with the sampled children who are now attending your school. A component of
the data collection involves collecting data about the sampled students from their teachers
using self-administered questionnaires. We also will collect information from the school
administrator, as well as the students’ parents.
Teachers are essential contributors to the ECLS-K:2011. You provide valuable insights into
the classroom experiences of the children participating in the study. We will ask you to help
us in several ways. As the regular classroom teacher of at least one of our sampled children,
we will ask you to answer some questions about your classroom and background, and we
will ask you to complete a child-level questionnaire for each ECLS-K:2011 sampled student
you teach. You will receive an honorarium of $20 for completing the teacher background
and subject-level questionnaires plus $7 for each of the child-level questionnaires. We also
will need your cooperation as we complete one-on- one child assessments in your school.
We will make arrangements with your school’s ECLS-K:2011 school coordinator regarding
the times that we can have access to the children and where the assessments will take place.
It is possible that we will be taking children out of your classroom so that they can
participate in the assessment. The assessments are designed to measure children’s reading,
mathematics, and science skills and knowledge, as well as obtain indicators of children’s
memory and ability to follow rules in a structured task. Children also will have their height
and weight measured and will complete a questionnaire about themselves and their
experiences in school. These assessment activities will take approximately 80 minutes per
child to complete. In some schools, children will have their hearing evaluated in addition to
the assessment activities.
Your participation in this study is voluntary; however, I encourage you to participate in the
ECLS-K:2011. Please read the enclosed materials for more information about the study and
your important role in it. These materials provide instructions for you on how to complete
the questionnaires and return them to your school’s ECLS-K:2011 school coordinator. They
also provide information about the one-on-one child assessments.
The National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education’s
Institute of Education Sciences is the primary sponsor of the ECLS-K:2011, which is being
conducted on behalf of NCES by Westat. The ECLS-K:2011 has been endorsed by the
national education organizations listed on this letter. NCES is authorized to conduct this
study under 20 U.S. Code, Section 9543. Under that law, the data you provide may be used
only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any
other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). The U.S. Office of
Management and Budget has approved the data collection under OMB # 1850-0750
(expires XX/XX/201X). Information collected from multiple individuals will be combined
to produce reports of findings from the ECLS-K:2011. The reports will not identify
participating districts, schools, children and their parents, or individual staff.
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 the ECLS-K:2011 is available at
http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/myECLSK2011.
Thank you for your time and consideration of the study.
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
SPRING 3RD GRADE LETTER FOR SCHOOL COORDINATORS
AT A CONTINUING (ORIGINAL OR DESTINATION) SCHOOL
Spring 2014
[NAME]
[SCHOOL NAME]
[ADDRESS 1]
[ADDRESS 2]
[CITY, STATE ZIP]
Dear School Coordinator:
We are very happy that your school is participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study,
Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). As you know, this spring we are planning to
collect information from the children sampled at your school, their parents, their teachers, and
their school’s administrator. Enclosed is a check for $25 in appreciation for your helping us with
this important study.
As in our previous visits to your school, the participating children will complete one- on-one
assessments with trained ECLS-K:2011 assessors. These assessments are designed to measure
children’s reading, mathematics, and science skills and knowledge, as well as obtain indicators of
children’s memory and ability to follow rules in a structured task. Children also will have their
height and weight measured and will complete a questionnaire about themselves and their
experiences in school. These assessment activities will take approximately 80 minutes for each
child to complete.
A component of the data collection involves collecting information about the sampled students
from their teachers using self-administered questionnaires. We also will collect information from
the school administrator. As a token of our appreciation for its participation, your school will
receive a check for $200.
We appreciate your help with four tasks, which are detailed in the enclosed materials. These are:
(1) confirm that the children participating in the ECLS-K:2011 are attending your school (the
list of participating children will be sent separately); (2) confirm the date and time for the spring
activities; (3) identify an appropriate space for the assessments; and (4) identify the primary
teachers of the participating children. Please read the enclosed materials for more information
about the study and your important role in it.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education’s
Institute of Education Sciences is the primary sponsor of the ECLS-K:2011, which is being
conducted on behalf of NCES by Westat. The ECLS-K:2011 has been endorsed by the national
education organizations listed on this letter. NCES is authorized to conduct this study under 20
U.S. Code, Section 9543. Under that law, the data you provide may be used only for statistical
purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as
required by law (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has
approved the data collection under OMB # 1850-0750 (expires XX/XX/201X).
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011. We look forward to working with you and
your school again. An ECLS-K:2011 representative will call you in the coming weeks to further
explain the study and your responsibilities. If you have any questions or concerns in advance of
the phone call, please call Westat toll free at 1-888-204-4864 or send an email to
[email protected].
Sincerely,
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
SPRING 3RD GRADE LETTER FOR SCHOOL COORDINATORS
AT A TRANSFER SCHOOL THAT HAS PARTICIPATED IN A
PREVIOUS DATA COLLECTION ROUND
Spring 2014
[NAME]
[SCHOOL NAME]
[ADDRESS 1]
[ADDRESS 2]
[CITY, STATE ZIP]
Dear School Coordinator:
We are very happy that your school is participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal
Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). As you know, this spring we are
planning to collect information from the children sampled at your school, their parents, their
teachers, and their school’s administrator.
As in our previous visits to your school, the participating children will complete one-on- one
assessments with trained ECLS-K:2011 assessors. These assessments are designed to
measure children’s reading, mathematics, and science skills and knowledge, as well as obtain
indicators of children’s memory and ability to follow rules in a structured task. Children also
will have their height and weight measured and will complete a questionnaire about
themselves and their experiences in school. These assessment activities will take
approximately 80 minutes for each child to complete.
A component of the data collection involves collecting information about the sampled
students from their teachers using self-administered questionnaires. We also will collect
information from the school administrator.
We appreciate your help with four tasks, which are detailed in the enclosed materials. These
are (1) confirm that the children participating in the ECLS-K:2011 are attending your school
(the list of participating children will be sent separately); (2) confirm the date and time for the
spring activities; (3) identify an appropriate space for the assessments; and (4) identify the
primary teachers of the participating children. Please read the enclosed materials for more
information about the study and your important role in it.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education’s
Institute of Education Sciences is the primary sponsor of the ECLS-K:2011, which is being
conducted on behalf of NCES by Westat. The ECLS-K:2011 has been endorsed by the
national education organizations listed on this letter. NCES is authorized to conduct this
study under 20 U.S. Code, Section 9543. Under that law, the data you provide may be used
only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any
other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). The U.S. Office of
Management and Budget has approved the data collection under OMB # 1850-0750 (expires
XX/XX/201X).
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011. We look forward to working with you
and your school again. An ECLS-K:2011 representative will call you in the coming weeks to
further explain the study and your responsibilities. If you have any questions or concerns in
advance of the phone call, please call Westat toll free at 1-888-204-4864 or send an email to
[email protected].
Sincerely,
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
SPRING 3RD GRADE LETTER FOR SCHOOL COORDINATORS AT
A TRANSFER SCHOOL IDENTIFIED DURING RECRUITMENT
Spring 2014
[NAME]
[SCHOOL NAME]
[ADDRESS 1]
[ADDRESS 2]
[CITY, STATE ZIP]
Dear School Coordinator:
We are very happy that your school is participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal
Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). One or more students who have
been participating in the study at a different school have transferred to your school.
This spring we are planning to collect information from these students, their parents, their
teachers, and their school’s administrator.
Participating children will complete one-on-one assessments with trained ECLS-K:2011
assessors. These assessments are designed to measure children’s reading, mathematics, and
science skills and knowledge, as well as obtain indicators of children’s memory and ability to
follow rules in a structured task. Children also will have their height and weight measured
and will complete a questionnaire about themselves and their experiences in school. These
assessment activities will take approximately 80 minutes for each child to complete.
A component of the data collection involves collecting information about the sampled
students from their teachers using self-administered questionnaires. We also will collect
information from the school administrator.
We appreciate your help with four tasks, which are detailed in the enclosed materials. These
are (1) confirm that the children participating in the ECLS-K:2011 are attending your school
(the list of participating children will be sent separately); (2) confirm the date and time for
the spring activities; (3) identify an appropriate space for the assessments; and (4) identify
the primary teachers of the participating children. Please read the enclosed materials for
more information about the study and your important role in it.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of
Education’s Institute of Education Sciences is the primary sponsor of the ECLS-K:2011,
which is being conducted on behalf of NCES by Westat. The ECLS-K:2011 has been
endorsed by the national education organizations listed on this letter. NCES is authorized to
conduct this study under 20 U.S. Code, Section 9543. Under that law, the data you provide
may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable
form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). The
U.S. Office of Management and Budget has approved the data collection under OMB #
1850-0750 (expires XX/XX/201X).
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011. We look forward to working with you
and your school. An ECLS-K:2011 representative will call you in the coming weeks to
further explain the study and your responsibilities. If you have any questions or concerns in
advance of the phone call, please call Westat toll free at 1-888-204-4864 or send an email to
[email protected].
Sincerely,
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
SPRING 3RD GRADE LETTER FOR SCHOOL COORDINATORS AT A
HEARING EVALUATION SCHOOL
Spring 2014
[NAME]
[SCHOOL NAME]
[ADDRESS 1]
[ADDRESS 2]
[CITY, STATE ZIP]
Dear School Coordinator:
We are very happy that your school is participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study,
Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). As you know, this spring we are planning to collect
information from the children sampled at your school, their parents, their teachers, and their school’s
administrator. Enclosed is a check for $25 in appreciation for your helping us with this important study.
As in our previous visits to your school, the participating children will complete one-on-one assessments
with trained ECLS-K:2011 assessors. These assessments are designed to measure children’s reading,
mathematics, and science skills and knowledge, as well as obtain indicators of children’s memory and ability
to follow rules in a structured task. Children also will have their height and weight measured and will
complete a questionnaire about themselves and their experiences in school. These assessment activities will
take approximately 80 minutes for each child to complete. In addition to participating in the assessment,
some children will have their hearing evaluated. These evaluations occur with the same subsample of
children at multiple points throughout the study so that researchers can study how hearing may change
during the elementary school years. The hearing evaluation will take approximately 15 minutes and will be
conducted only with children whose parents have previously given their consent for the screening.
A component of the data collection involves collecting information about the sampled students from their
teachers using self-administered questionnaires. We also will collect information from the school
administrator. As a token of our appreciation for its participation, your school will receive a check for $200.
We appreciate your help with four tasks, which are detailed in the enclosed materials. These are: (1)
confirm that the children participating in the ECLS-K:2011 are attending your school (the list of
participating children will be sent separately); (2) confirm the date and time for the spring activities; (3)
identify an appropriate space for the assessments; and (4) identify the primary teachers of the participating
children. Please read the enclosed materials for more information about the study and your important role
in it.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of
Education Sciences is the primary sponsor of the ECLS-K:2011, which is being conducted on behalf of
NCES by Westat. The ECLS-K:2011 has been endorsed by the national education organizations listed on
this letter. NCES is authorized to conduct this study under 20 U.S. Code, Section 9543. Under that law, the
data you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable
form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). The U.S. Office of
Management and Budget has approved the data collection under OMB # 1850-0750 (expires
XX/XX/201X).
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011. We look forward to working with you and your school
again. An ECLS-K:2011 representative will call you in the coming weeks to further explain the study and
your responsibilities. If you have any questions or concerns in advance of the phone call, please call Westat
toll free at 1-888-204-4864 or send an email to [email protected].
Sincerely,
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
HEARING EVALUATION FLYER
SPRING 3RD GRADE LETTER FOR NEW TRANSFER DISTRICTS
WITH PREVIOUSLY NON-PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS INTO
WHICH STUDY CHILDREN HAVE TRANSFERRED
Spring 2014
[SUPERINTENDENT NAME]
[DISTRICT NAME/DIOCESE]
[ADDRESS]
[ADDRESS2]
[CITY, STATE ZIP]
Dear Superintendent:
I am writing to inform you that one or more students who are participating in the Early
Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011) have
transferred to a school in your district.
The ECLS-K:2011 is the third in a series of longitudinal studies of young children conducted by
the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The earlier studies have been important
sources of data for researchers and policy makers to address key issues related to children’s
development and learning, including literacy in the home, the teaching of reading and
mathematics, and the associations between physical exercise, childhood obesity, and well-being.
Researchers using the data have published their findings widely in scientific journals and the
popular press. NCES also presents results from these studies for practitioners and the general
public on our website, http://nces.ed.gov/ecls.
Like its predecessor studies, the ECLS-K:2011 will provide important information on children’s
early learning and development, transition into kindergarten, and progress through elementary
school. The new cohort of students’ school experiences will be compared to those of over a
decade earlier to study the extent to which the demographic profile of children and their
environment for learning have changed, and how these changes relate to developmental and
academic differences across the cohorts.
The participating children will complete individual assessments with trained ECLS-K:2011
assessors. These assessments are designed to measure children’s reading, mathematics, and science
skills and knowledge, as well as obtain indicators of children’s memory and ability to follow rules in
a structured task, both of which are associated with learning. Children also will have their height
and weight measured and will complete a questionnaire about themselves and their experiences in
school. These assessment activities will take approximately 80 minutes per child to complete.
Parents of the study children will be asked to participate by providing background information
about their children and their families during a telephone interview. The children’s teachers will be
asked to provide information about themselves and the sampled children. We also will ask the
school’s administrator to complete a self-administered questionnaire about the school and his or her
background.
Participation in this study is voluntary; however, we ask your agency to support the participation
of schools in your district in the ECLS-K:2011. Because the ECLS-K:2011 is designed to be a
representative sample of U.S. students, its accuracy depends on the full participation of the
sampled schools and students.
The National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of
Education Sciences is the primary sponsor of the ECLS-K:2011, which is being conducted on
behalf of NCES by Westat. The ECLS-K:2011 has been endorsed by the national education
organizations listed on this letter. NCES is authorized to conduct this study under 20 U.S. Code,
Section 9543. Under that law, the data provided by your schools, staff, students, and their parents
may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for
any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). The U.S. Office of
Management and Budget has approved the data collection under OMB # 1850-0750 (expires
XX/XX/201X).
In preparation for spring activities in the schools, in the next few days a representative from
Westat will contact the schools in your district that the study’s students attend. We are required by
law to protect the names of schools in the study from disclosure; we ask that each district respect
this requirement and protect the identity of participating schools as well. Information collected
from multiple individuals will be combined to produce reports of findings from the ECLSK:2011. The reports will not identify participating districts, schools, children and their parents, or
individual staff.
Detailed information about the ECLS-K:2011 can be found in the brochure enclosed with this
letter. If you have questions about the study, please feel free to call Westat toll-free at 1-888-2044864 or send an email to [email protected]. Also, more information about the ECLSK:2011 is available at: http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/MyECLSK2011.
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011.
Sincerely,
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
Enclosures: ECLS-K:2011 Brochure
ECLS-K:2011 Schools in this District
SPRING 3RD GRADE LETTER FOR CONTINUING DISTRICTS
WITH PREVIOUSLY NON-PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS INTO
WHICH STUDY CHILDREN HAVE TRANSFERRED
Spring 2014
[SUPERINTENDENT NAME]
[DISTRICT NAME/DIOCESE]
[ADDRESS]
[CITY, STATE ZIP]
Dear Superintendent:
We are very happy that schools in your district are participating in the Early Childhood
Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). Thank you for helping
make their participation possible. I am writing to inform you that one or more students
who are participating in the ECLS-K:2011 have transferred to a school in your district
that was not previously part of the study.
The participating children will complete individual assessments with trained ECLS-K:2011
assessors. These assessments are designed to measure children’s reading, mathematics, and science
skills and knowledge, as well as obtain indicators of children’s memory and ability to follow rules
in a structured task, both of which are associated with learning. Children also will have their
height and weight measured and will complete a questionnaire about themselves and their
experiences in school. These assessment activities will take approximately 80 minutes per child to
complete. Parents of the study children will be asked to participate by providing background
information about their children and their families during a telephone interview. The children’s
teachers will be asked to provide information about themselves and the sampled children. We also
will ask the school’s administrator to complete a self-administered questionnaire about the school
and his or her background.
Participation in this study is voluntary; however, we ask your agency to support the participation
of schools in your district in the ECLS-K:2011. Because the ECLS-K:2011 is designed to be a
representative sample of U.S. students, its accuracy depends on the full participation of the
sampled schools and students.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education’s
Institute of Education Sciences is the primary sponsor of the ECLS-K:2011, which is being
conducted on behalf of NCES by Westat. The ECLS-K:2011 has been endorsed by the national
education organizations listed on this letter. NCES is authorized to conduct this study under 20
U.S. Code, Section 9543. Under that law, the data provided by your schools, staff, students, and
their parents may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in
identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573).
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has approved the data collection under OMB #
1850-0750 (expires XX/XX/201X).
In preparation for spring activities in the schools, in the next few days a representative from
Westat will contact the schools in your district that the study’s students attend. We are required
by law to protect the names of schools in the study from disclosure; we ask that each district
respect this requirement and protect the identity of participating schools as well. Information
collected from multiple individuals will be combined to produce reports of findings from the
ECLS-K:2011. The reports will not identify participating districts, schools, children and their
parents, or individual staff.
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 the ECLSK:2011 is available at: http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/MyECLSK2011.
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011.
Sincerely,
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
Enclosure: List of ECLS-K:2011 Schools Added from your District
SPRING 3RD GRADE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR LETTER FOR
TRANSFER SCHOOLS IDENTIFIED IN SPRING 2014
Spring 2014
[PRINCIPAL NAME]
[SCHOOL NAME]
[ADDRESS 1]
[ADDRESS 2]
[CITY, STATE ZIP]
Dear School Administrator:
I am writing to invite you to participate in an insightful study, the Early Childhood Longitudinal
Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). The ECLS-K:2011 began in the 2010-11
school year with approximately 18,200 children in about 950 schools across the country. We are
inviting you to participate because one or more students who are participating in the
study have transferred to your school.
The ECLS-K:2011 is the third in a series of longitudinal studies of young children conducted by
the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The earlier studies have been important
sources of data for researchers and policy makers to address key issues related to children’s
development and learning including literacy in the home, the teaching of reading and
mathematics, and the associations between physical exercise, childhood obesity, and well-being.
Researchers using the data have published their findings widely in scientific journals and the
popular press. NCES also presents results from these studies for practitioners and the general
public on our website, http://nces.ed.gov/ecls.
Like its predecessor studies, the ECLS-K:2011 will provide important information on children’s
early learning and development, transition into kindergarten, and progress through elementary
school. The new cohort of students’ school experiences will be compared to those of over a
decade earlier to study the extent to which the demographic profile of children and their
environments for learning have changed, and how these changes relate to developmental and
academic differences across the cohorts. The study is described in more detail in the enclosed
brochure.
The participation of each of the selected schools is crucial to the success of this important
study. For the study data to accurately represent the early schooling experiences of all children
in America, it is vital that the sampled students take part in each phase of the study. Therefore,
this spring we would like to conduct a child assessment with the sampled children who are now
attending your school.
The participating children will complete individual assessments with trained ECLS-K:2011
assessors. These assessments are designed to measure children’s reading, mathematics, and
science skills and knowledge, as well as obtain indicators of children’s memory and ability to
follow rules in a structured task, both of which are associated with learning. Children also will
have their height and weight measured and will complete a questionnaire about themselves and
their experiences in school. These assessment activities will take approximately 80 minutes per
child to complete. Parents of the study children will be asked to participate by providing
background information about their children and their families during a telephone interview.
The children’s teachers will be asked to provide information about themselves and the sampled
children. We also will ask you to complete a self-administered questionnaire about your school
and background.
Participation in this study is voluntary; however, I encourage your school’s participation in the
ECLS-K:2011. Because the ECLS-K:2011 is designed to be a representative sample of U.S.
students, its accuracy depends on the full participation of your school, teachers, and students.
We are asking you to identify a staff member at your school to act as a liaison with the ECLSK:2011 and facilitate the activities in the school that are part of the study. In appreciation for
their time and efforts, participating teachers will receive an honorarium.
The National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of
Education Sciences is the primary sponsor of the ECLS-K:2011, which is being conducted on
behalf of NCES by Westat. The ECLS-K:2011 has been endorsed by the national education
organizations listed on this letter. NCES is authorized to conduct this study under 20 U.S. Code,
Section 9543. Under that law, the data provided by your school, staff, students, and their parents
may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form
for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). The U.S. Office
of Management and Budget has approved the data collection under OMB # 1850-0750 (expires
XX/XX/201X). Information collected from multiple individuals will be combined to produce
reports of findings from the ECLS-K:2011. The reports will not identify participating districts,
schools, children and their parents, or individual staff.
Within the next few days, a representative of Westat will contact you about participating in this
important study. 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
the ECLS-K:2011 is available at http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/MyECLSK2011.
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011.
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
Enclosure: ECLS-K:2011 Brochure
SPRING 3RD GRADE LETTER FOR SCHOOL COORDINATORS
AT A CONTINUING SCHOOL WITH NEW TRANSFER
STUDENTS IDENTIFIED IN SPRING 2014
Spring 2014
[NAME]
[SCHOOL NAME]
[ADDRESS 1]
[ADDRESS 2]
[CITY, STATE ZIP]
Dear School Coordinator:
We are very happy that your school is participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study,
Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). As you know, this spring we are planning to
collect information from the children sampled at your school, their parents, their teachers, and
their school’s administrator. One or more students who have been participating in the study
at a different school have transferred to your school, and we would like to complete
assessments with them along with the children who have participated in your school in
the past.
As with the other participating children at your school, these additional children will complete
one-on-one assessments with trained ECLS-K:2011 assessors. These assessments are designed to
measure children’s reading, mathematics, and science skills and knowledge, as well as obtain
indicators of children’s memory and ability to follow rules in a structured task. Children also will
have their height and weight measured and will complete a questionnaire about themselves and
their experiences in school. These assessment activities will take approximately 80 minutes for
each child to complete.
A component of the data collection involves collecting information about the sampled students
from their teachers using self-administered questionnaires. We also will collect information from
the school administrator.
We appreciate your help with four tasks, which are detailed in the enclosed materials. These are
(1) confirm that the children participating in the ECLS-K:2011 are attending your school (the list
of participating children will be sent separately); (2) confirm the date and time for the spring
activities; (3) identify an appropriate space for the assessments; and (4) identify the primary
teachers of the participating children. Please read the enclosed materials for more information
about the study and your important role in it.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education’s
Institute of Education Sciences is the primary sponsor of the ECLS-K:2011, which is being
conducted on behalf of NCES by Westat. The ECLS-K:2011 has been endorsed by the national
education organizations listed on this letter. NCES is authorized to conduct this study under 20
U.S. Code, Section 9543. Under that law, the data you provide may be used only for statistical
purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as
required by law (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has
approved the data collection under OMB # 1850-0750 (expires XX/XX/201X).
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011. We look forward to working with you and your
school again. An ECLS-K:2011 representative will call you in the coming weeks to further explain
the study and your responsibilities. If you have any questions or concerns in advance of the phone
call, please call Westat toll free at 1-888-204-4864 or send an email to [email protected].
Sincerely,
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR THANK YOU
LETTER - HONORARIA
Spring 2014
[PRINCIPAL NAME]
[SCHOOL NAME]
[ADDRESS]
[CITY, ST ZIP]
Dear School Administrator,
Thank you for participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class
of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). Enclosed is an honorarium for your school as a token of our
appreciation for your school’s participation in this important study of American education.
The study has been very successful to date because of the cooperation and participation of
the children, parents, schools, and teachers. You can find further information and results
from the study at our website at http://www.myeclsk2011.com/default.html.
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011. We look forward to working with you in
future rounds of the study. If you have any questions or concerns please call our toll-free
number 1-888-204-4864 or email us at [email protected].
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011.
Sincerely,
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR THANK YOU
LETTER - NO HONORARIA
Spring 2014
[PRINCIPAL NAME]
[SCHOOL NAME]
[ADDRESS]
[CITY, ST ZIP]
Dear School Administrator,
Thank you for participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class
of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011).
The study has been very successful to date because of the cooperation and participation of
the children, parents, schools, and teachers. You can find further information and results
from the study at our website at http://www.myeclsk2011.com/default.html.
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011. We look forward to working with you in
future rounds of the study. If you have any questions or concerns please call our toll-free
number 1-888-204-4864 or email us at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
ECLS-K:2011 HEARING EVALUATION REPORT
STUDENT NAME:
DATE OF HEARING EVALUATION:
The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011) conducted
hearing evaluations on some children this spring. received this hearing check at
school on .
[RESULTS A – for children with sufficient thresholds to produce a summary report]
Results of the hearing check ’s hearing is within
the expected range, meaning that was able to hear sounds that children with normal
hearing can hear.”>. Details about ’s hearing check are provided on the attached page.
Please note that we may not have been able to check all of the sounds during ’s
evaluation. If some sounds were not checked, it was likely because there was not enough time or the
room was too noisy to complete the entire evaluation.
[RESULTS B – for children with insufficient thresholds to produce a summary report]
Unfortunately, we cannot summarize the results of ’s hearing check because we were not
able to obtain results for enough sounds to draw conclusions about ’s hearing. This likely
happened because there was not enough time or the room was too noisy to complete the evaluation. Details
about any results we could obtain are provided on the attached page.
[PHYSICIAN’S REFERRAL TEXT A – for children with any threshold > 15 dB HL]
The ECLS-K:2011 hearing evaluation can identify possible hearing problems but cannot determine the
cause of those problems. While our study staff attempted to do the hearing check in a quiet location, the
testing conditions in the school may have affected the results. This evaluation does not replace a full
hearing examination by a medical professional. If you have not already done so, we recommend that you
talk to your child’s doctor or other health professional about scheduling a complete hearing evaluation.
You may wish to take this report with you to the doctor or other health professional.
[PHYSICIAN’S REFERRAL TEXT B –for all other children]
While our study staff attempted to do the hearing check in a quiet location, the testing conditions in the
school may have affected the results. This evaluation does not replace a full hearing examination by a
medical professional. Please talk to your child’s doctor or other health professional about a complete hearing
evaluation if you have any concerns about ’s hearing.
The ECLS-K:2011 hearing evaluations were overseen by certified audiologists at the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). If you have any questions about this hearing evaluation, please contact
the ECLS-K:2011 audiology team at 513-533-8485 or [email protected].
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) sponsored the
hearing evaluations included in the ECLS-K:2011. The NIDCD is part of the National Institutes of
Health (NIH), the nation’s medical research agency. For further information on hearing loss and its
effects, prevention, treatment, or rehabilitation, please contact the NIDCD at 800-241-1044 or visit
them on the web at www.nidcd.nih.gov.
ECLS-K:2011 HEARING EVALUATION REPORT (continued)
STUDENT NAME:
DATE OF HEARING EVALUATION:
Detailed Report
The softest sounds a person can hear are called hearing thresholds. The ECLS-K:2011 hearing evaluation
checked thresholds at several different pitches, or frequencies, which are measured in Hertz. Some of the
sounds had a lower frequency (such as 2000 Hertz, which is about the pitch of a watch ticking), and
some of the sounds had a higher frequency (such as 8000 Hertz, which is about the pitch of birds
chirping).
Thresholds are measured in decibels. The threshold tells how loud each sound had to be for to be able to hear it. When thresholds are smaller, that means your child can hear quieter sounds,
which indicates better hearing. Threshold values that are more than 15 decibels (about as loud as a breeze
blowing through the leaves of a tree) indicate possible hearing difficulty in children.
’s results are shown in the table below. Thresholds towards the left of the table (for
example, 2000 Hertz) indicate how well your child can hear lower-pitched sounds and thresholds toward
the right (for example, 8000 Hertz) indicate how well your child can hear higher-pitched sounds.
Thresholds in bold indicate hearing levels that are higher than what is expected for children and may
need further evaluation.
’s Hearing Thresholds by Ear and Pitch
Pitch of Tested Sound (Frequency in Hertz)
(lower)
1000
2000
3000
4000
6000
8000
(higher)
Right Ear Thresholds
(decibels)
Left Ear Thresholds
(decibels)
[Include shaded columns in table only if any thresholds exist for at least one of the shaded cells.]
[Print the following legends only if the code explained by them appears in the table.]
* * * = It was too noisy or there was not enough time to test this sound.
NRS = No Response. Your child did not indicate he or she could not hear this sound even when it
was very loud
Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11
rd
Spring 3 Grade Hearing Results Letter: Programming Instructions
1. Insert child’s first and last names and test date in appropriate fields in the header and report.
2. Determine if sufficient thresholds are available to report summary results.
a) Check each ear for sufficient thresholds to calculate a threshold average.
Available thresholds are defined as one of the following:
i. A threshold greater than its corresponding minimum testable threshold reported by
the noise monitoring system
ii. An NRS (no response) threshold
b) For each ear in which two or more thresholds are available among the frequencies 1000,
2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz, calculate the threshold average of the available thresholds at
those frequencies.
NOTE: Use the 105 dB for NRS thresholds when calculating the frequency average.
c) If a threshold average can be calculated for at least one ear, a results summary will be
reported. Follow the instructions provided in #3, below.
d) If a threshold average cannot be calculated for either ear, a results summary will not be
reported. Follow the instructions provided in #4 below.
3.
RESULTS A – for children with sufficient thresholds to produce a summary report.
Insert appropriate results text into the RESULTS A paragraph of the evaluation report.
a) If all available thresholds (at any tested frequency) are 15 dB HL in both ears, insert “show
that ’s hearing is within the expected range, meaning that was able to hear sounds that children with normal hearing can hear.” in the
RESULTS A paragraph.
b) If any available threshold (at any tested frequency) is > 15 dB HL in either ear, insert the text
from the audiometry results table given below in the RESULTS A paragraph. If sufficient
thresholds are available to calculate a frequency average for both ears, use the poorer (i.e.,
larger) threshold average to select the appropriate text.
PTA: PURE TONE AVERAGE (1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 HZ)
PTA < 20
20 ≤ PTA < 35
35 ≤ PTA < 50
50 ≤ PTA
show a slight
hearing loss which
would probably not
cause much
difficulty,
show a hearing loss
which may cause
to
miss some speech
sounds,
show a hearing loss
which could cause
to
have difficulty hearing
speech,
show a hearing loss
which could cause
to
have significant
trouble hearing speech
and other sounds,
4. RESULTS B – for children with insufficient thresholds to produce a summary report.
Insert the RESULTS B paragraph of the evaluation report.
5. Print the appropriate PHYSICIAN’S REFERRAL text in the evaluation report.
a) If any available threshold (at any tested frequency) is > 15 dB HL in either ear, print
PHYSICIAN’S REFERRAL TEXT A.
b) For all other children, print PHYSICIAN’S REFERRAL TEXT B.
6. Print the Hearing Thresholds table in the detailed evaluation report.
a) If at least one threshold exists at 1000, 3000, or 6000 Hz in either ear, print the larger results
table in report, as shown below:
’s Thresholds by Ear and Pitch
Pitch of Tested Sound (Hertz)
(lower)
1000
2000
3000
4000
6000
8000
(higher)
Right Ear Thresholds
(decibels)
Left Ear Thresholds
(decibels)
b) If no thresholds exist at 1000, 3000, or 6000 Hz in either ear, print the shorter results table in
the report, as shown below:
’s Thresholds by Ear and Pitch
Pitch of Tested Sound (Hertz)
(lower)
2000
4000
8000
(higher)
Right Ear Thresholds
(decibels)
Left Ear Thresholds
(decibels)
c) Insert audiometric thresholds into the appropriate cells in the table.
i.
If there was no response at the limit of the audiometer for a particular frequency, insert
“NRS” into that cell and print the NRS legend below the table.
ii.
If a threshold could not be obtained, insert “” into that cell and print the “”
legend below the table.
iii. If a threshold is less than or equal to the minimum testable threshold reported by the noise
monitoring system for that threshold, insert “” into that cell and print the “” legend
below the table.
Spring Fourth-Grade Letters
Distributed During Fall 2014 Advance School Contact
SPRING 4TH GRADE SCHOOL COORDINATOR LETTER
FOR CONTINUING SCHOOLS, SENT IN ADVANCE OF
FALL RECRUITMENT.
Fall 2014
[NAME]
[SCHOOL NAME]
[ADDRESS 1]
[ADDRESS 2]
[CITY, STATE ZIP]
Dear School Coordinator:
We are very happy that your school is participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study,
Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). As you may know, we collected information last
year from the children participating in the study, their parents, their teachers, and their school’s
administrator. We are looking forward to following these children this school year.
This spring, children will complete one-on-one assessments with trained ECLS-K:2011 assessors.
These assessments are designed to measure children’s reading, mathematics, and science skills and
knowledge, as well as obtain indicators of children’s memory and ability to follow rules in a
structured task. Children also will have their height and weight measured and will complete a
questionnaire about themselves and their experiences in school. These assessment activities will
take approximately 80 minutes for each child to complete.
A component of the data collection involves collecting information about the sampled students
from their teachers using self-administered questionnaires. We also will collect information from
the school administrator.
We appreciate your help with four tasks, which are detailed in the enclosed materials. These are
(1) confirm that the children participating in the ECLS-K:2011 are attending your school (the list
of participating children will be sent separately); (2) determine the date and time for the spring
activities; (3) identify an appropriate space for the assessments; and (4) identify the primary
teachers of the participating children. Please read the enclosed materials for more information
about the study and your important role in it.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education’s
Institute of Education Sciences is the primary sponsor of the ECLS-K:2011, which is being
conducted on behalf of NCES by Westat. The ECLS-K:2011 has been endorsed by the national
education organizations listed on this letter. NCES is authorized to conduct this study under 20
U.S. Code, Section 9543. Under that law, the data you provide may be used only for statistical
purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as
required by law (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has
approved the data collection under OMB # 1850-0750 (expires XX/XX/201X).
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011. We look forward to working with you and your
school again. An ECLS-K:2011 representative will call you in the coming weeks to further explain
the study and your responsibilities. If you have any questions or concerns in advance of the phone
call, please call Westat toll free at 1-888-204-4864 or send an email to [email protected].
Sincerely,
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
SPRING 4TH GRADE LETTER FOR NEW DISTRICTS WITH PREVIOUSLY
NON-PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS INTO WHICH STUDY CHILDREN HAVE
TRANSFERRED DURING RECRUITMENT
Fall 2014
[SUPERINTENDENT NAME]
[DISTRICT NAME/DIOCESE]
[ADDRESS]
[CITY, STATE ZIP]
Dear Superintendent:
I am writing to inform you that one or more students who are participating in the Early
Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011) have
transferred to a school in your district.
The ECLS-K:2011 is the third in a series of longitudinal studies of young children conducted by
the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The earlier studies have been important
sources of data for researchers and policy makers to address key issues related to children’s
development and learning, including literacy in the home, the teaching of reading and
mathematics, and the associations between physical exercise, childhood obesity, and well-being.
Researchers using the data have published their findings widely in scientific journals and the
popular press. NCES also presents results from these studies for practitioners and the general
public on our website, http://nces.ed.gov/ecls.
Like its predecessor studies, the ECLS-K:2011 will provide important information on children’s
early learning and development, transition into kindergarten, and progress through elementary
school. The new cohort of students’ school experiences will be compared to those of over a
decade earlier to study the extent to which the demographic profile of children and their
environment for learning have changed, and how these changes relate to developmental and
academic differences across the cohorts.
This spring, the participating children will complete individual assessments with trained ECLSK:2011 assessors. These assessments are designed to measure children’s reading, mathematics, and
science skills and knowledge, as well as obtain indicators of children’s memory and ability to
follow rules in a structured task, both of which are associated with learning. Children will also
have their height and weight measured and will complete a questionnaire about themselves and
their experiences in school. The assessment activities will take approximately 80 minutes per child
to complete. Parents of the study children will be asked to participate by providing background
information about their children and their families during a telephone interview. The children’s
teachers will be asked to provide information about themselves and the sampled children. We also
will ask the school’s administrator to complete a self-administered questionnaire about the school
and his or her background.
Participation in this study is voluntary; however, we ask your agency to support the participation
of schools in your district in the ECLS-K:2011. Because the ECLS-K:2011 is designed to be a
representative sample of U.S. students, its accuracy depends on the full participation of the
sampled schools and students.
The National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of
Education Sciences is the primary sponsor of the ECLS-K:2011, which is being conducted on
behalf of NCES by Westat. The ECLS-K:2011 has been endorsed by the national education
organizations listed on this letter. NCES is authorized to conduct this study under 20 U.S. Code,
Section 9543. Under that law, the data provided by your schools, staff, students, and their parents
may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form
for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). The U.S. Office of
Management and Budget has approved the data collection under OMB # 1850-0750
(expires XX/XX/201X).
In preparation for our spring activities in the schools, in the next few days a representative from
Westat will contact the schools in your district that the study’s students attend. We are required by
law to protect the names of schools in the study from disclosure; we ask that each district respect
this requirement and protect the identity of participating schools as well. Information collected
from multiple individuals will be combined to produce reports of findings from the ECLSK:2011. The reports will not identify participating districts, schools, children and their parents, or
individual staff.
Detailed information about the ECLS-K:2011 can be found in the brochure enclosed with this
letter. 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
the ECLS-K:2011 is available at: http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/MyECLSK2011.
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011.
Sincerely,
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
Enclosures: ECLS-K:2011 Brochure
ECLS-K:2011 Schools in this District
SPRING 4TH GRADE LETTER FOR CONTINUING DISTRICTS WITH
PREVIOUSLY NON-PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS INTO WHICH STUDY
CHILDREN HAVE TRANSFERRED DURING RECRUITMENT
Fall 2014
[SUPERINTENDENT NAME]
[DISTRICT NAME/DIOCESE]
[ADDRESS]
[CITY, STATE ZIP]
Dear Superintendent:
We are very happy that schools in your district are participating in the Early Childhood
Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). Thank you for helping make
their participation possible. I am writing to inform you that one or more students who are
participating in the ECLS-K:2011 have transferred to a school in your district that was not
previously part of the study.
This spring, the participating children will complete individual assessments with trained ECLSK:2011 assessors. These assessments are designed to measure children’s reading, mathematics, and
science skills and knowledge, as well as obtain indicators of children’s memory and ability to
follow rules in a structured task, both of which are associated with learning. Children will also
have their height and weight measured and will complete a questionnaire about themselves and
their experiences in school. The assessment activities will take approximately 80 minutes per child
to complete. Parents of the study children will be asked to participate by providing background
information about their children and their families during a telephone interview. The children’s
teachers will be asked to provide information about themselves and the sampled children. We also
will ask the school’s administrator to complete a self-administered questionnaire about the school
and his or her background.
Participation in this study is voluntary; however, we ask your agency to support the participation
of schools in your district in the ECLS-K:2011. Because the ECLS-K:2011 is designed to be a
representative sample of U.S. students, its accuracy depends on the full participation of the
sampled schools and students.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education’s
Institute of Education Sciences is the primary sponsor of the ECLS-K:2011, which is being
conducted on behalf of NCES by Westat. The ECLS-K:2011 has been endorsed by the national
education organizations listed on this letter. NCES is authorized to conduct this study under 20
U.S. Code, Section 9543. Under that law, the data provided by your schools, staff, students, and
their parents may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in
identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573).
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has approved the data collection under
OMB # 1850-0750 (expires XX/XX/201X).
In preparation for our spring activities in the schools, in the next few days a representative from
Westat will contact the schools in your district that the study’s students attend. We are required by
law to protect the names of schools in the study from disclosure; we ask that each district respect
this requirement and protect the identity of participating schools as well. Information collected from
multiple individuals will be combined to produce reports of findings from the ECLS-K:2011. The
reports will not identify participating districts, schools, children and their parents, or individual staff.
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
the ECLS-K:2011 is available at: http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/MyECLSK2011.
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011.
Sincerely,
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
Enclosure: List of ECLS-K:2011 Schools Added from your District
SPRING 4TH GRADE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR LETTER FOR
TRANSFER SCHOOLS IDENTIFIED DURING RECRUITMENT
Fall 2014
[PRINCIPAL NAME]
[SCHOOL NAME]
[ADDRESS 1]
[CITY, STATE ZIP]
Dear School Administrator:
I am writing to invite you to participate in an insightful study, the Early Childhood Longitudinal
Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). The ECLS-K:2011 began in the 2010-11
school year with approximately 18,200 children in about 950 schools across the country. We are
inviting you to participate because one or more students who are participating in the
study have transferred to your school.
The ECLS-K:2011 is the third in a series of longitudinal studies of young children conducted by
the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The earlier studies have been important
sources of data for researchers and policy makers to address key issues related to children’s
development and learning including literacy in the home, the teaching of reading and
mathematics, and the associations between physical exercise, childhood obesity, and well-being.
Researchers using the data have published their findings widely in scientific journals and the
popular press. NCES also presents results from these studies for practitioners and the general
public on our website, http://nces.ed.gov/ecls.
Like its predecessor studies, the ECLS-K:2011 will provide important information on children’s
early learning and development, transition into kindergarten, and progress through elementary
school. The new cohort of students’ school experiences will be compared to those of over a
decade earlier to study the extent to which the demographic profile of children and their
environments for learning have changed, and how these changes relate to developmental and
academic differences across the cohorts. The study is described in more detail in the enclosed
brochure.
The participation of each of the selected schools is crucial for the success of this important
study. For the study data to accurately represent the early schooling experiences of all children
in America, it is vital that the sampled students take part in each phase of the study. Therefore,
this spring we would like to conduct a child assessment with the sampled children who are now
attending your school.
The participating children will complete individual assessments with trained ECLS-K:2011
assessors. These assessments are designed to measure children’s reading, mathematics, and
science skills and knowledge, as well as obtain indicators of children’s memory and ability to
follow rules in a structured task, both of which are associated with learning. Children will also
have their height and weight measured and will complete a questionnaire about themselves and
their experiences in school. These assessment activities will take approximately 80 minutes per
child to complete. Parents of the study children will be asked to participate by providing
background information about their children and their families during a telephone interview.
The children’s teachers will be asked to provide information about themselves and the sampled
children. We also will ask you to complete a self-administered questionnaire about your school
and background.
Participation in this study is voluntary; however, I encourage your school’s participation in the
ECLS-K:2011. Because the ECLS-K:2011 is designed to be a representative sample of U.S.
students, its accuracy depends on the full participation of your school, teachers, and students.
We are asking you to identify a staff member at your school to act as a liaison with the
ECLS-K:2011 and facilitate the activities in the school that are part of the study. In appreciation
for their time and efforts, participating teachers will receive an honorarium.
The National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of
Education Sciences is the primary sponsor of the ECLS-K:2011, which is being conducted on
behalf of NCES by Westat. The ECLS-K:2011 has been endorsed by the national education
organizations listed on this letter. NCES is authorized to conduct this study under 20 U.S. Code,
Section 9543. Under that law, the data provided by your school, staff, students, and their parents
may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form
for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). The U.S. Office
of Management and Budget has approved the data collection under OMB # 1850-0750 (expires
XX/XX/201X). Information collected from multiple individuals will be combined to produce
reports of findings from the ECLS-K:2011. The reports will not identify participating districts,
schools, children and their parents, or individual staff.
Within the next few days, a representative of Westat will contact you about participating in this
important study. 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
the ECLS-K:2011 is available at http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/MyECLSK2011.
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011.
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
Enclosure: ECLS-K:2011 Brochure
SPRING 4TH GRADE LETTER FOR SCHOOL COORDINATORS AT A CONTINUING
SCHOOL WITH NEW TRANSFER STUDENTS IDENTIFIED DURING RECRUITMENT
Fall 2014
[SCHOOL COORDINATOR NAME]
[SCHOOL NAME]
[ADDRESS 1]
[CITY, STATE ZIP]
Dear School Coordinator:
We are very happy that your school is participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study,
Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). As you know, this spring we are planning to
collect information from the children sampled at your school, their parents, their teachers, and
their school’s administrator. One or more students who have been participating in the study
at a different school have transferred to your school, and we would like to complete
assessments with them along with the children who have participated in your school in
the past.
As with the other participating children at your school, these additional children will complete
one-on-one assessments with trained ECLS-K:2011 assessors. These assessments are designed to
measure children’s reading, mathematics, and science skills and knowledge, as well as obtain
indicators of children’s memory and ability to follow rules in a structured task. Children also will
have their height and weight measured and will complete a questionnaire about themselves and
their experiences in school. These assessment activities will take approximately 80 minutes for
each child to complete.
A component of the data collection involves collecting information about the sampled students
from their teachers using self-administered questionnaires. We also will collect information from
the school administrator.
We appreciate your help with four tasks, which are detailed in the enclosed materials. These are
(1) confirm that the children participating in the ECLS-K:2011 are attending your school (the list
of participating children will be sent separately); (2) determine the date and time for the
assessment activities next spring; (3) identify an appropriate space for the assessments; and
(4) identify the primary teachers of the participating children. Please read the enclosed materials
for more information about the study and your important role in it.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education’s
Institute of Education Sciences is the primary sponsor of the ECLS-K:2011, which is being
conducted on behalf of NCES by Westat. The ECLS-K:2011 has been endorsed by the national
education organizations listed on this letter. NCES is authorized to conduct this study under 20
U.S. Code, Section 9543. Under that law, the data you provide may be used only for statistical
purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as
required by law (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has
approved the data collection under OMB # 1850-0750 (expires XX/XX/201X).
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011. We look forward to working with you and your
school again. An ECLS-K:2011 representative will call you in the coming weeks to further explain
the study and your responsibilities. If you have any questions or concerns in advance of the phone
call, please call Westat toll free at 1-888-204-4864 or send an email to [email protected].
Sincerely,
Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences
Tracking Materials
BIRTHDAY CARD
POST-IT NOTES FOR PARENTS
HOLIDAY CARD
Questions for School Coordinators
Spring 2014
1. Paper questionnaire for the school coordinator
2. Telephone interview with the school coordinator
INSTRUCTIONAL ORGANIZATION
SCHOOL COORDINATOR FORM
Next year in the ECLS-K:2011, the way we gather data from teachers may change. To help determine
what changes to make, if any, we would like to know whether fourth-grade students in your school are
taught certain core subjects, specifically Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science, by different teachers.
When the ECLS-K:2011 representative calls you in the next few weeks, it will be helpful if you can have
the answers to the items below. If you have any questions about the items on this form, please discuss
them with the study representative when she/he calls.
1.
How many different teachers would a typical fourth-grade student in your school have across
these three subjects: Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. (MARK ONE RESPONSE
BELOW.)
One teacher (END HERE)
Two different teachers (GO TO Q2)
Three different teachers (SKIP TO Q3)
Other (THE ECLS-K:2011 REPRESENTATIVE WILL ASK YOU FOR MORE DETAILS.)
(SKIP TO Q4)
2.
Since you answered “two different teachers,” we assume that one of the two teachers is
responsible for more than one of the subjects we have named. Which subjects are typically
taught by the same teacher in fourth grade? (MARK ONE RESPONSE BELOW AND SKIP TO Q4.)
Mathematics and science
Language arts and mathematics
Language arts and science
Other (THE ECLS-K:2011 REPRESENTATIVE WILL ASK YOU FOR MORE DETAILS.)
3.
Since you answered “three different teachers,” we assume that each of the three teachers is
responsible for one of the subjects we have named. Is this correct? (MARK ONE RESPONSE
BELOW AND GO TO Q4.)
Yes, each of the three teachers is responsible for one of the following subjects: Language
Arts, Mathematics, or Science.
No, our school has a different arrangement. (THE ECLS-K:2011 REPRESENTATIVE WILL ASK
YOU FOR MORE DETAILS.)
4.
On an average school day, does a typical fourth-grade student at your school spend more time
with one teacher (for example, a "homeroom teacher" or a specific subject matter teacher)
than with any other teacher? (THE ECLS-K:2011 REPRESENTATIVE WILL ASK YOU FOR MORE
DETAILS.)
Yes
No
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE.
INSTRUCTIONAL ORGANIZATION
ECLS-K:2011 STAFF (TEAM LEADER) TELEPHONE INTERVIEW FORM
Next year in the ECLS-K:2011, the way we gather data from teachers may change. To help
determine what changes to make, if any, we would like to know whether fourth-grade students
in your school are taught certain core subjects, specifically Language Arts, Mathematics, and
Science, by different teachers.
1.
How many different teachers would a typical fourth-grade student in your school have
across these three subjects: Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science? (MARK ONE
RESPONSE BELOW.)
One teacher (END HERE)
Two different teachers (SKIP TO Q2)
Three different teachers (SKIP TO Q3)
Other (GO TO Q1a)
1a.
Please describe the arrangement for fourth graders at your school for these three
subjects.
(SKIP TO Q4)
2.
Since you answered “two different teachers,” we assume that one of the two teachers
is responsible for more than one of the subjects we have named. Which subjects are
typically taught by the same teacher in fourth grade? (MARK ONE RESPONSE BELOW.)
Mathematics and science (SKIP TO Q4)
Language arts and mathematics (SKIP TO Q4)
Language arts and science (SKIP TO Q4)
Other (GO TO Q2a)
2a.
Please explain how the two teachers share or divide instruction across these three
subjects.
(SKIP TO Q4)
3.
Since you answered “three different teachers,” we assume that each of the three
teachers is responsible for one of the subjects we have named. Is this correct? (MARK
ONE RESPONSE BELOW.)
Yes, each of the three teachers is responsible for one of the following subjects:
Language Arts, Mathematics, or Science. (SKIP TO Q4)
No, our school has a different arrangement. (GO TO Q3a)
3a.
Please describe the arrangement.
(GO TO Q4)
4.
On an average school day, does a typical fourth-grade student at your school spend
more time with one teacher (for example, a "homeroom teacher" or a specific subject
matter teacher) than with any other teacher? MARK ONE RESPONSE BELOW.
Yes (GO TO Q4a)
No (SKIP TO Q4b)
4a.
Is “home room teacher” the right term to use or is there another title you use at your
school?
4b.
We need to identify the teacher who could best answer questions about each fourthgrade student’s social skills and classroom behavior. What would be the best way to
do that?
Thank you very much for your assistance.
| File Type | application/pdf |
| File Modified | 2013-07-24 |
| File Created | 2013-07-24 |