Evaluation of Preschool Special Education Practices Efficacy Study

appendix D
ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS REQUEST form

This page has been left blank for double-sided copying.

MEMORANDUM

P.O. Box 2393 Princeton, NJ 08543-2393 Telephone (609) 799-3535 Fax (609) 799-0005 www.mathematica-mpr.com

TO: [District Name]

FROM: [Mathematica Data Collection Liaison] DATE: MM/DD/YYYY

SUBJECT: Administrative Records Data Request for the Evaluation of Preschool Special Education Practices

Thank you for participating in the Evaluation of Preschool Special Education Practices that Mathematica Policy Research and its partners are conducting for the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. This study will examine how the Instructionally Enhanced Pyramid Model (IEP_M) is implemented in two or three school districts that have inclusive preschool classrooms in their elementary schools. IEP_M is a framework that organizes evidence-based practices to address the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of all preschool children in inclusive classrooms. The study will also examine IEP_M’s impacts on classroom practices and child outcomes.

This memo outlines our request for administrative records data on (1) children attending inclusive preschool classes (referred to as study students) from participating schools and (2) personnel and facilities costs. In summer 2020 and summer 2021, we will request data from the previous school year (2019-2020 and 2020-2021, respectively). We will request demographic, attendance, and discipline data for these children. We will also request scores from any curriculum-linked assessments or kindergarten screeners that the district uses. Finally, to measure implementation costs, we will request data on personnel rates for teaching staff and substitute time and facilities rental costs (if applicable). Based on experience with other districts, we estimate it will take the district about 8 hours to provide this information each summer.

We will work with your district to determine the appropriate timing of data delivery. In addition, we realize that some data elements listed in this memo might not be collected by your district. If a data element is not available in your district’s data systems, please let us know. We will work with you to determine if another, similar data element may be used instead. When you provide data, please include a data dictionary or codebook that explains what the variables and values mean. We expect the study to include approximately [NUMBER] classrooms from your district during the 2019–2020 and 2012–2021 school years. We will indicate the classrooms for which we need student-level data each summer. To help ensure study participants’ confidentiality, we will provide this list via a secure site.

A. Student data for study classrooms

Table 1 lists the data we are requesting for students in inclusive preschool classrooms in study schools. We will use the student demographic data to describe the characteristics of students in the study sample. We will use attendance, discipline, and any assessment data to examine the impacts of the intervention. Our request will include all students in study classrooms at any time during the 2019–2020 and 2012–2021 school years.

Table 1. Student data

Data element	Description
School year	School year to which the record pertains (2019–2020 or 2020–2021)
Student ID	Number that uniquely identifies each student across multiple files, records, and years. We prefer that the ID not be personally identifiable information such as a Social Security number.
School ID	Number that uniquely identifies the school the student attended at the beginning of the school year and at the end of the school year.
Gender	Gender of student
Birth date	Month, day, and year of birth of student
Race	Race of student
Ethnicity	Hispanic or Latino indicator for student
Grade level	Grade level of student at the beginning of the school year (should be preschool or equivalent, such as prekindergarten)
Free or reduced-price lunch (FRPL) status	Student’s eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch as of the beginning of the school year
English language learner status	English language learner status or limited-English-proficient status of student
Special education status	Special education status (has an individualized education program) and primary disability category of the student
Primary disability category	Primary IDEA disability category for students who receive special education and related services
School days on school calendar	Total number of school days in the district for preschool classrooms
Days enrolled	Total number of school days the student was enrolled in the district during the school year requested. This should be a total for all schools attended in the district during the year.
Days present	Total number of days the student attended school in the district during the school year requested. This should be a total for all schools attended in the district during the year.
Days suspended	Total number of school days the student was suspended out of school during the school year requested.
Expelled	Indicator for whether the student was expelled from school during the school year requested.
Curriculum-linked assessment	Score for the student on a curriculum-linked assessment, if offered
Kindergarten screener	Score for the student on a kindergarten screener, if offered
Teacher employee ID	Number that uniquely identifies each teacher across multiple files, records, and years. This number should match the employee ID included in the list provided through the file transfer site, unless a correction or update is needed for a teacher.
Teacher first and last name	First and last name of each teacher. This name should match the name included in the list provided through the file transfer site, unless a correction or update is needed for a teacher.

B. Cost data for study classrooms

Table 2 lists cost data we will request for staff and substitute time, and facilities rentals for an analysis of the costs of implementing IEP_M. Please refer to the previous school year (2019–2020 or 2020–2021).

Table 2. Cost data

Data element	Description
Rates for teaching staff	Hourly rates for study teachers in study schools
Rate for substitute teachers	Hourly rate for substitute teachers in study schools
Rate for facilities rentals	Hourly rate for facilities rentals for meeting spaces (if applicable)

C. Data confidentiality

Information collected for this study comes under the confidentiality and data protection requirements of the Institute of Education Sciences (The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183). Responses to this data collection will be used only for statistical purposes. The reports prepared for the study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific district or individual. We will not provide information that identifies you or your district to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law.

D. File format

You may provide the data in a single file or multiple files, whichever the district prefers. We can work with almost any file format, including Excel, comma delimited or fixed-width text files, SAS, SPSS, Stata, and Access. Please also provide documentation of the data, including definitions of variables/fields, any codes used, and contact information for someone who can answer questions about the data.

Thank you very much for your assistance with this data request! We greatly appreciate your assistance. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns at [liaison phone number and email].

This page has been left blank for double-sided copying.