In 2010, the National Center for
Education Research (NCER) and the National Center for Education
Statistics (NCES), both within the U.S. Department of Education’s
Institute of Education Sciences (IES), began collaborating on an
education grant opportunity related to the cross-sectional National
Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). NPSAS is a large,
nationally-representative sample of postsecondary institutions and
students that contains student-level records on student
demographics and family background, work experience, expectations,
receipt of financial aid, and postsecondary enrollment (see
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/npsas/about.asp; (OMB #1850-0666)).
Since 1987, NPSAS has been fielded every 3 to 4 years, most
recently during the 2015–16 academic year. The goal of the
NCER-NPSAS grant opportunity collaboration is to provide
researchers with the possibility of developing unique research
projects pertaining to college persistence and completion that
utilize a subset of the NPSAS sample that is not already set aside
for one of the NPSAS-based longitudinal studies (BPS or B&B).
Under the NCER-NPSAS grant opportunity, researchers can submit
applications to the Postsecondary and Adult Education topic within
the Education Research Grants program (CFDA 84.305A), under either
the Exploration or Efficacy and Replication research goal.
Consistent with these two goals, NCER supports research projects
using NPSAS to: (1) explore relationships between malleable factors
(e.g., information on benefits of financial aid and FAFSA renewal)
and postsecondary persistence and completion, as well as the
mediators and moderators of those relationships; and (2) evaluate
the efficacy of interventions aimed at improving persistence and
completion of postsecondary education (e. g., financial aid and
FAFSA renewal advice delivered via text messaging). Researchers
approved for funding through this program can obtain indirect
access to a subsample of the national NPSAS sample (after the
study’s student interviews are completed) in order to conduct
unique research projects that adhere to the guidelines set forth in
the Request for Applications (RFA) for the Education Research
Grants Program, as well as guidelines set forth by NCES and the
NPSAS program. The request to conduct the “Connecting Students with
Financial Aid (CSFA) 2017: Testing the Effectiveness of FAFSA
Interventions on College Outcomes” study, funded by the NCER-NPSAS
grant and designed to measure the effectiveness of an intervention
that will provide financial aid information and reminders to
college students who were initially interviewed as part of NPSAS:16
was approved in January 2017 (OMB# 1850-0931 v.1). Cognitive
interviews on the survey items were conducted in March 2017 to
examine whether college students correctly understand the question
wording and whether their answers get adequately captured in
multiple-choice questions of the survey instrument to be
administered after the end of the intervention. The results of
cognitive testing were used to revise the CSFA survey. This request
is for approval of these revisions for the survey that will begin
in August 2017.
US Code:
20
USC 9573 Name of Law: Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002
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.
NCER-NPSAS Grant Study-CSFA 2017 Revisions Memo.docx
NCER-NPSAS Grant Study - Connecting Students with Financial Aid (CSFA) 2017: Testing the Effectiveness of FAFSA Interventions on College Outcomes