83C Change Sheet

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT
CHANGE WORKSHEET
School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) 2018 and 2020 – SSOCS 2020 Communications
Change Request
Agency/Subagency

OMB Control Number

U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences
Enter only items that change
Agency form number(s)
Annual reporting and record keeping hour
burden
Number of respondent
Total annual responses
Percent of these responses
collected electronically
Total annual hours

1850-0761 v.19

Current Record

New Record

NA

NA

5,801
7,721

5,801
7,721

19%

19%

2,947

2,947

Difference
Explanation of difference
Program change

0

0
0

Adjustment
Annual reporting and record keeping cost
burden (in thousands of dollars)
Total annualized capital/startup
costs

NA
NA
NA

Total annual costs (O&M)
Total annualized cost requested
Difference

NA
NA
NA
NA

Explanation of difference
Program change
Adjustment

NA
NA

Other change**

The School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) is a nationally representative survey of elementary and secondary school
principals that serves as the primary source of school-level data on crime and safety in public schools. SSOCS is the only recurring
federal survey collecting detailed information on the incidence, frequency, seriousness, and nature of violence affecting students
and school personnel from the school’s perspective. Data are also collected on frequency and types of disciplinary actions taken for
select offenses; perceptions of other disciplinary problems, such as bullying, verbal abuse and disorder in the classroom; the
presence and role of school security staff; parent and community involvement; staff training; mental health services available to
students; and, school policies and programs concerning crime and safety. Prior administrations of SSOCS were conducted in 2000,
2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2016, and 2018. The 2018 and 2020 SSOCS full-scale data collections were approved in July 2017 with
the latest update approved in March 2020 (OMB# 1850-0761 v.12-18). This submission provides updated versions of the SSOCS
2020 communications materials and focuses on two changes: (a) a change in the contact schedule, and (b) an update to the
incentive structure. These changes result in no changes to participant burden or cost to the federal government. As in the changes
in v. 18, these changes are due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, which has resulted in the closing of schools and a temporary
discontinuation of operations at the Census Bureau’s National Processing Center (NPC). These changes are also in response to the
current response rate for the SSOCS, which is currently at 30 percent, well below NCES reporting standards. Because of school
closures and shifts to online learning, many of the targeted respondents to SSOCS (public school principals), are experiencing
extraordinary demands on their time. With the halt of mailout operations at NPC, our mail packages can no longer be sent as
originally planned, and even if they could be sent as normal, the high rate of building closures for public schools mean that the
packages would not be received. This has required a drastic shift in the communication strategy for the remainder of the SSOCS
requests for response, moving not only from mail to e-mail for our communication with respondents, but also to push responses to
the web portal. It has also disrupted the incentive experiment proposed in the original package. We propose some new contact
materials and a revised incentive strategy that can be accomplished even through the NPC closure.
Signature of Senior Official or designee:

Date:

For OIRA Use

April 20, 2020

**This form cannot be used to extend an expiration date
OMB 83-C

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