IAP TA Pilot Project

1. Invitation to Propose a Project

We anticipate that the participating LEAs will benefit from in depth technical assistance from Impact Aid program staff and potentially increase efficiency and reduce costs associated with the Impact Aid data collection process. The Impact Aid Program hopes to develop a set of best practices and identify potential challenges to assist more LEAs that wish to begin electronic data collection in the future. All costs associated with the design and implementation of the electronic data system will be the sole responsibility of the LEA.

2. How to Prepare and Submit A Proposal

The format and length of the proposals are at the writer’s discretion. We provide 17 questions below to help frame your response. Send the proposal by email to [email protected] to the attention of the EDC Pilot Team. The Impact Aid Program is particularly interested in proposals from LEAs that are prepared to test the electronic data collection for FY 2018 Impact Aid applications. We may also work to provide technical assistance to LEAs that are interested in implementing an electronic data collection for FY 2019 Impact Aid applications to ensure that their student information systems are prepared to meet the requirements prior to the FY 2019 data collection.

3. Proposal Criteria

We will take the following into consideration when selecting proposals:

• Whether the proposal meets the project scope and requirements

• The LEA’s experience with electronic data collection

• Diverse Representation of LEAs, including:

  • The LEA’s overall size and number of eligible federally-connected children

  • The variety of categories of federally connected students and Federal properties to be surveyed

  • Geographic diversity

• Evaluation plan that demonstrates the results of EDC pilot in comparison to traditional collection methods.

The following questions are designed to help frame your proposal.

Project Overview and Logistics

1. What fiscal year application would you like to begin piloting electronic data collection?

2. How many children does your LEA claim annually using parent-pupil survey form? For this pilot project, would you survey all of your students electronically or target a specific population of students (e.g. only those you believe to be military connected, only those attending certain schools in your district, etc.)? Will you run a paper survey concurrently?
   
   

3. How many children does your LEA claim annually using a source check form? For this pilot project, will you be using an electronic survey or other district data to assist in your creation of a source check form?

4. Do you anticipate any barriers to collecting data electronically? If so, how will your LEA mitigate these risks? Has your LEA successfully used the Internet to communicate with parents and collect data in the past?

5. Describe how and when you would collect your electronic data as it relates to the requirements of 34 CFR 222.35 and 222.52.

6. Describe how often the data collected will be updated or verified. This should specifically address how the data is verified as of the survey date if the data is collected before the survey date, e.g. data collected at registration.

System Requirements and Capabilities

7. What software supports your electronic data collection system?
   
   

8. How would your system of controls work to ensure records are not duplicated?

9. Describe the authentication process your system would use to validate the identity of the person who is providing the information.

10. Describe the internal control process for maintaining the integrity of the certified record (i.e., who can change it, when it can be changed, and how the system captures the change history). Can the system’s change history be modified manually by any user?

11. Describe how you will protect personally identifiable information.

12. Will your LEA use electronic signatures to sign documents? If so, how does the LEA’s process meet applicable State and/or Federal guidelines?

13. Can your proposed electronic data collection system run historical reports, such as membership counts on a specific date? If your system cannot run historical reports, describe the internal processes the LEA will use to maintain information needed to comply with field reviews for Impact Aid.

14. When would you be able to demonstrate the electronic data system for our program staff? What resources would you need to do so?

Project Leadership

15. Provide the LEA’s lead contact for this project and any other point of contact’s name, title, email, and phone number.
    

16. Who in the LEA would have the authority to sign an MOU for the project? This may be the same person that is designated as the authorized representative on the IAP application.

Evaluation / Outcomes

17. How will the LEA evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot program in relation to the traditional data collection methods?

Additional Information

18. Provide any additional information we would need to know about your system or processes to better understand your proposal.

Public Burden Statement:

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The obligation to respond to this collection is voluntary. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20210-4537 or email [email protected] and reference the OMB Control Number 1880-0542 Note: Please do not return the completed Qualitative Feedback Survey to this address.

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