Private School Universe Survey (PSS) 2019-20 and 2021-22

Appendix A-C - PSS 2019-20 and 2021-22 Communication Materials

Private School Universe Survey (PSS) 2019-20 and 2021-22

OMB: 1850-0641

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Private School Universe Survey (PSS) 2019-20 and 2021-22

Appendix A-C

Communication Materials

OMB# 1850-0641 v.12

Submitted by

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education

October 2018

revised March 2020

second revision June 2020

Appendix A -- State List Request Letter

Shape1

July 5, 2020

(Header Information)

Dear:

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education requests your assistance in improving the coverage and quality of our private school listings and statistics. Every 2 years, NCES conducts the Private School Survey (PSS). The PSS data allow NCES to report on enrollment trends; counts of private schools, students, teachers, and high school graduates; program emphasis; and types of private schools. The PSS also serves as a list of private schools for additional NCES studies. In order to conduct the 2021-22 PSS, we must compile a complete and accurate list of all private schools in the United States. Please help us to identify all private or nonpublic schools in your state.

What we request from you

A computer file (preferably a spreadsheet) of all private and nonpublic schools in your state that provide instruction for at least one grade between kindergarten and grade 12.

If a computer list is not available, a paper list is acceptable.

Definition of eligible school

Please include all private, nonpublic, or religious-exempt schools with any of the grades kindergarten through grade 12.
- Kindergarten is defined as: An educational program for children (primarily 5-year-olds) who would normally enter first grade in the following year, even if “kindergarten” is not in the name of the program.

Include programs such as transitional or developmental kindergarten if children are expected to enter the first grade upon completing the program.

Please exclude all programs that

teach only adult education or postsecondary students;
are designed only for 3- or 4-year-old children and do not include kindergarten (e.g., Head Start programs, prekindergarten, or nursery schools);
provide only before or afterschool care for children who attend school in another facility;
provide only child care and do not include kindergarten.

The file or list should include the following information for each program:

school name:
mailing address:
telephone number:
grade range:
enrollment: and
number of teachers.

In addition to the information above that we have requested from you in the past, please also provide:

school location address.

Please supply the date the list was last updated.

Sending the list

The U.S. Census Bureau collects the private school lists for us. You may send your list to the U.S. Census Bureau by e-mail or regular mail. Please send your list by August 21, 2020.

To transmit your file via e-mail, please send a message to the following address:

[email protected]

Note that e-mail attachments have a suggested size limit of 2MB (two megabytes). If you have difficulty sending your attachment because it is too large, please call 1-800-579-8520 to make alternative arrangements.

To send your list on diskette or paper, please mail the file to the following address:

U.S. Census Bureau

ATTN: Lowell Allen

Bldg. 66, Room 313

1201 E. 10th St.

Jeffersonville, IN 47132

For additional information on the PSS and other surveys that NCES conducts, please visit our website: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss.

If you have any questions, please contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-888-329-5890 or by email at [email protected]. Staff will be available to take your call or answer your email from Monday through Friday between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm (Eastern Time).

Thank you in advance for your assistance in improving the accuracy of our private school data collection.

Sincerely yours,

Christopher Chapman

Associate Commissioner for Sample Survey Studies

Appendix B -- Association List Request Letter

Shape2

July 5, 2019

Dear CONTACT NAME HERE:

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) requests your assistance in improving the coverage and quality of our private school listings and statistics. Every 2 years, NCES conducts the Private School Survey (PSS). The PSS data allow NCES to report on enrollment trends; counts of private schools, students, teachers, and high school graduates; program emphasis; and types of private schools. The PSS also serves as a list of private schools for updating the school search tool on the NCES website. In order to conduct the 2021-22 PSS, we must compile a complete and accurate list of all private schools in the United States. Please help us to identify all private or nonpublic schools in the United States that currently belong to your association.

What we request from you

A computer file (preferably a spreadsheet) of all private and nonpublic schools that currently belong to your association and provide instruction for at least one grade between kindergarten and grade 12.

If a computer list is not available, a paper list is acceptable.

Definition of eligible school

Please include all private, nonpublic, or religious-exempt schools with any of the grades kindergarten through grade 12.

Kindergarten is defined as: An educational program for children (primarily 5-year-olds) who would normally enter first grade in the following year, even if “kindergarten” is not in the name of the program.

Include programs such as transitional or developmental kindergarten if children are expected to enter the first grade upon completing the program.

Please exclude all programs that

teach only adult education or postsecondary students;
are designed only for 3- or 4-year-old children and do not include kindergarten (e.g., Head Start programs, prekindergarten, or nursery schools);
provide only before or afterschool care for children who attend school in another facility;
provide only child care and do not include kindergarten;
are considered a homeschool that teaches family members only.

The file or list should include the following information for each school:

school name;
mailing address;
location address;
telephone number;
grade range;
enrollment;
number of teachers; and
school contact e-mail address.

Please supply the date the list was last updated.

Sending the list

The U.S. Census Bureau collects the private school lists for us. You may send your list to the U.S. Census Bureau by e-mail or regular mail. Please send your list by August 21, 2020.

To transmit your file via e-mail, please send a message to the following address:

[email protected]

To send your list on CD or paper, please mail the file to the following address:

U.S. Census Bureau

ATTN: SMQAB-SMS

Bldg. 66, Room 313

1201 E. 10th St.

Jeffersonville, IN 47132

For additional information on the PSS and other surveys that NCES conducts, please visit our website: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in improving the accuracy of our private school data collection.

Sincerely yours,

Christopher Chapman

Associate Commissioner for Sample Survey Studies

Appendix C -- School Communication Materials

C1. Telephone Screener Script

PSS TRADITIONAL/ECC PHONE SCRIPT

USE 8 - Area Code - Phone Number

Hello, this is _________________ with the United States Census Bureau. We are updating our list of private schools and I would like to obtain or verify some information.

Are you a private school?

If not private school = Thank them and hang up.

If Private = Continue

Do you teach ANY grades Kindergarten through 12^th grade?

(If they say they have Kindergarten = verify they TEACH Kindergarten and NOT a Day Care or Before/Afterschool Facility.

If “No” = Thank them and hang up.

If “Yes” = What grades do you teach?

What is the TOTAL number of teachers at your school?

What is the total number of students at your school?
1. Ask for number of students enrolled in any grades K-12.

(We do not want to include any O/S grades such as PreK or Postsecondary)

VERIFY while on phone:

NAME OF SCHOOL

MAILING ADDRESS OF SCHOOL

Including City, State, and ZIP

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR COOPERATION.

NOTE: If you reach an answering machine or you need to leave a message for someone to return your call, leave this toll-free number with your EXTENSION and/or NAME.

1-800-579-8520 + Extension and/or name

C2. Internet Option First Letter & FAQ

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Dear Administrator:

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education requests your participation in the 2019-20 Private School Survey (PSS), a national data collection that is very valuable to private schools across the country.

For your convenience, the Internet link to this survey, as well as your username and temporary password are listed below. Your responses will be collected on a secure website. To log-in to the Private School Survey:

Go to https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/pss/
Enter your username,
Enter your case-sensitive temporary password,
Click “sign on”.
You will be prompted to create a new password and enter the school e-mail address.
Click Begin Survey to participate.

If you are unable to complete the survey on the Internet, you also have the option to participate in this survey by completing a paper form that will be mailed to you in approximately two weeks.

NCES conducts this survey in recognition of the importance of private education in the United States. While there is no penalty for not responding, a high response rate is very important to accurately representing private education in the United States. We encourage you to participate in this voluntary survey.

To learn more about the Private School Survey, please go to http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this very important survey.

Sincerely,

James Woodworth

Commissioner for Education Statistics

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

U.S. Department of Education

Enclosure

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS SURVEY?

This data collection seeks to obtain current information about private schools, such as type of school, length of school year, number of students and teachers, and number of high school graduates, if any. The data will be used to produce a web-based private school search tool and statistical summaries about the providers of private education in the United States.

WHO AUTHORIZES THIS SURVEY?

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education, is authorized to conduct this survey by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543). The U.S. Census Bureau is administering this survey on behalf of NCES.

WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN THIS SURVEY?

The 2019-20 Private School Survey (PSS) includes all private schools and early childhood programs that provide educational instruction to students in kindergarten or at least one grade from 1 to 12.

WHY SHOULD YOUR SCHOOL PARTICIPATE IN THIS SURVEY?

Private schools are a significant segment of the nation’s educational system. Results from previous surveys show that approximately 25 percent of all elementary and secondary schools in the United States are private institutions; these schools enroll approximately 10 percent of the nation’s children and employ 13 percent of the nation’s teachers. NCES has instituted this survey in recognition of the important role of private education in the United States. While there is no penalty for not responding, a high response rate is very important to maintain high data quality about private education. We encourage you to participate in this voluntary survey.

Paperwork Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this voluntary information collection is 1850-0641. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 20 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate, suggestions for improving this collection, or comments or concerns about the contents or the status of your individual submission of this questionnaire, please e-mail: [email protected], or write directly to: Private School Universe Survey (PSS), National Center for Education Statistics, Potomac Center Plaza, 550 12^th Street SW, Room #4012, Washington, DC 20202.

PSS-8(L) (7-2019)

C3. Internet Option Second Letter

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Dear Administrator:

We recently sent you a letter in reference to the 2019-20 Private School Survey (PSS). If you have not completed the survey yet, but would like to do so over the Internet, please follow these simple steps to complete the survey online.

The Internet link to the survey website and your personalized User ID are listed below. Your responses will be collected on a secure website.

To complete the survey:

Go to: https://respond.census.gov/pss
Enter your User ID:
Click "Login" to participate in the survey.

If you would prefer to complete the Private School Survey on paper rather than the Internet, please complete and return the enclosed paper questionnaire in the postage-paid return envelope as soon as possible.

To learn more about the Private School Survey, please go to http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this very important survey.

Sincerely,

James Woodworth

Commissioner for Education Statistics

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

U.S. Department of Education

Paperwork Burden Statement

C4. Internet Option Third Letter

Shape5

Dear Administrator:

We recently contacted you in reference to the 2019-20 Private School Survey (PSS). If you have already completed the survey, thank you for your participation and please disregard this letter. If you have not had the opportunity to take the survey yet, you can do so by completing the enclosed questionnaire and returning it in the postage-paid return envelope.

If you prefer to complete the Private School Survey online, the survey website and your personalized User ID are listed below. Your responses will be collected on a secure website.

Go to: https://respond.census.gov/pss
Enter your User ID:
Click "Login" to participate in the survey.

To complete the survey:

To learn more about the Private School Survey, please go to http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this very important survey.

Sincerely,

James Woodworth

Commissioner for Education Statistics

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

U.S. Department of Education

Paperwork Burden Statement

C5. Non-Internet Option First Letter & FAQ

Shape6

Dear Administrator:

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education, requests your participation in the 2019-20 Private School Survey (PSS), a national data collection that is very valuable to private schools across the country.

To learn more about the Private School Survey, please go to http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this very important survey.

Sincerely,

James Woodworth

Commissioner for Education Statistics

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

U.S. Department of Education

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS SURVEY?

WHO AUTHORIZES THIS SURVEY?

WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN THIS SURVEY?

WHY SHOULD YOUR SCHOOL PARTICIPATE IN THIS SURVEY?

Paperwork Burden Statement

PSS-8(L) (7-2019)

C6. Non-Internet Second Letter

Shape7

Dear Administrator:

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this very important survey. Sincerely,

James Woodworth

Commissioner for Education Statistics

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

U.S. Department of Education

C7. CATI Follow-up Script

This is [name of caller] from the U.S. Census Bureau. I'm calling in regard to the Private School Survey.

The purpose of this survey is to obtain current information about private schools in the United States.

This call may be monitored to evaluate my performance. The interview should take approximately 20 minutes.

From here, screens and script in the Blaise instrument vary depending on response.

NOTE: If you reach an answering machine or you need to leave a message for someone to return your call, leave this message:

"This is the U.S. Census Bureau. Please return our call at this toll-free number 1-877-749-4938. Please refer to case #___________. Thank you."

C8. Reminder Postcard

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Economic and Statistics Administration

U.S. Census Bureau

Jeffersonville, IN 47132-0001

7173-4(P) (8-2015)

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

Penalty for Private Use, $300

PRESORTED FIRST-CLASS MAIL

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

U.S. Census Bureau Permit No. G-58

JUST A REMINDER

Recently the U.S. Census Bureau contacted you about this year’s national survey that we are conducting. Many thanks to those who have already completed the survey.

If you have received the questionnaire but have not yet had time to complete it, please do so as soon as possible. The option to complete the survey over the Internet is also available. Your response is important for the success of this survey.

You can contact us at 1-888-329-5890 or by email at [email protected].

Thank You.

7173-4(P) (08-11-15)

C9. Initial Email

Subject line: U.S. Department of Education Survey!

Dear <ADMINISTRATOR>:

We at the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education request your participation in the 2019-20 Private School Survey (PSS), a national data collection effort that is invaluable to private schools across the country. The purpose of this survey is to obtain current information about private schools in recognition of the importance of private education in the United States.

We are collecting this data from all private elementary and secondary schools. Your participation is critical to the success of this survey as higher response rates give us confidence that the findings are accurate. We understand the many difficulties surrounding schools, their staff, and students, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Our convenient online instrument allows schools to respond on a secure website, without the need for survey enumerators to travel to schools in person.

The Internet link to the website and your personalized User ID are listed below. Please complete the survey online within two weeks.

Respond now at https://respond.census.gov/pss

Log in using this User ID: <USERID>

Data from this survey will be instrumental in assisting government agencies with policy decisions, and to construct reports that describe the status of private schools in the United States. Researchers in private organizations use the data to conduct analyses for projects and studies. Reports and tabulations generated from PSS data are also used by news and media organizations to inform the public about the status of private education in the United States.

If you have any general questions about the survey, contact the U.S. Census Bureau, the survey collection agency, via email at [email protected]. To learn more about PSS, visit http://www.nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this important data collection effort!

Sincerely,

James L. Woodworth

Commissioner for Education Statistics

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education

C10. First Reminder Email

Subject line: U.S. Department of Education Survey Reminder

Dear <ADMINISTRATOR>:

We recently contacted you in reference to the 2019-20 Private School Survey (PSS). We are hoping you might have the time to participate in this important national data collection effort online. The purpose of this survey is to obtain current information about private schools across the country in recognition of the importance of private education in the United States.

Your participation is critical to the success of this survey as higher response rates give us confidence that the findings are accurate. We understand the many difficulties surrounding schools, their staff, and students, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Our convenient online instrument allows schools to respond on a secure website, without the need for survey enumerators to travel to schools in person.

The Internet link to the website and your personalized User ID are listed below. Please complete the survey online within two weeks.

Respond now at https://respond.census.gov/pss

Log in using this User ID: <USERID>

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this important data collection effort!

Sincerely,

James L. Woodworth

Commissioner for Education Statistics

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education

C11. Second Reminder Email

Subject line: U.S. Department of Education Survey Reminder

Dear <ADMINISTRATOR>:

There is still time for your school to participate in the 2019-20 Private School Survey (PSS), a biennial national data collection effort recognizing the importance of private education in the United States. If you have already completed and returned your questionnaire, thank you!

If not, in order for your school to be included in this survey, which is used by policy makers, private researchers, and the media, to understand the status of private education in the United States, it is critical that you respond now by clicking on the link below and logging in with your personalized User ID.

Respond now at https://respond.census.gov/pss

Log in using this User ID: <USERID>

Your participation is vital to the success of this survey as higher response rates give us confidence that the findings are accurate. We understand the many difficulties surrounding schools, their staff, and students, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Our convenient online instrument allows schools to respond on a secure website, without the need for survey enumerators to travel to schools in person.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this important data collection effort!

Sincerely,

James L. Woodworth

Commissioner for Education Statistics

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education

C12. Final Email

Subject line: U.S. Department of Education Survey FINAL NOTICE

Dear <ADMINISTRATOR>:

This is your school’s last chance to participate in the 2019-20 Private School Survey (PSS), a biennial national data collection effort recognizing the importance of private education in the United States. If you have already completed and returned your questionnaire, thank you!

If not, we must receive your completed response by Friday, July 3. If we do not receive a completed response by this date, your school’s information, including your school’s NCES ID, will be removed from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) private school search tool. Many organizations (Google classroom, Walmart, Target, etc.) require that schools and districts are listed on the NCES site to award a grant. The NCES ID serves as proof that the entity is listed on the site.

It is critical that you respond now by clicking on the link below and logging in with your personalized User ID.

Respond now at https://respond.census.gov/pss

Log in using this User ID: <USERID>

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this important data collection effort!

Sincerely,

James L. Woodworth

Commissioner

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education

Paperwork Burden Statement

File Type	application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
File Title	Hello, this is _________________ with the United States Census Bureau
Author	Census Bureau
File Modified	0000-00-00
File Created	2021-01-14

Private School Universe Survey (PSS) 2019-20 and 2021-22