The ED School Climate Surveys (EDSCLS)
are a suite of survey instruments being developed for schools,
districts, and states by the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This national
effort extends current activities that measure school climate,
including the state-level efforts of the Safe and Supportive
Schools (S3) grantees, which were awarded funds in 2010 by the ED’s
Office of Safe and Healthy Students (OSHS) to improve school
climate. Through the EDSCLS, schools nationwide will have access to
survey instruments and a survey platform that will allow for the
collection and reporting of school climate data across stakeholders
at the local level. The surveys can be used to produce school-,
district-, and state-level scores on various indicators of school
climate from the perspectives of students, teachers,
noninstructional school staff and principals, and parents and
guardians. The 2017 national EDSCLS benchmark study data collection
from a nationally representative sample of schools across the
United States to create a national comparison point for users of
EDSCLS was last approved in April 2016 (OMB# 1850-0923 v.3). Data
will be collected from a nationally representative sample of 500
schools serving students in grades 5-12 has to produce national
school climate scores on the various topics covered by EDSCLS,
which will be released in the updated EDSCLS platform and provide a
basis for comparison between data collected by schools and school
systems and the national school climate. This submission requests
adjustments to the study plan to allow schools participating in the
EDSCLS benchmark data collection the option to survey a sample
rather than all students and staff so that participating schools
have greater control over the amount of burden posed on EDSCLS
respondents, and to conduct a nonresponse follow-up study with a
subsample of schools selected for the originally planned EDSCLS
2016.
US Code:
20
USC 9543 Name of Law: Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002
NCES is cancelling most of the
planned data collection due to low school participation rates and
thus, there is a decrease in burden. NCES will still offer to
conduct the EDSCLS survey in the schools that opted to participate
in a universe sample of all of their school’s eligible
respondents.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.