ECLS Att A4-b PPT for parents

The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS)
Presentation for Parents

 

What is the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS)?

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The ECLS program gives families, educators, and policymakers important information about children’s knowledge and skills. For more than 20 years, the ECLS studies helped improve students’ education from birth through elementary school.

The ECLS gathers information from children, parents/guardians, teachers, and principals to provide a complete picture of children’s learning experiences.

The ECLS is conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the Department’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) coordinates the ECLS.

NCES is working with Westat, a U.S.-based research organization, to conduct the study across the country. You may be contacted by Westat study staff, who will provide you with additional details of the study.

 

When will the study be conducted?

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The ECLS team will conduct the field test phase in our school over the course of 3 to 5 days between August and November 2022.

The field test is a small trial run of the study that makes sure the study activities work as planned and that the study represents different groups of students across the nation.

 

Who will take part in the field test?

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The ECLS study team will ask eligible kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade students to participate. Children in transitional kindergarten and pre-first grade are also included.

Principals, teachers, and parents/guardians of selected students will also be asked to complete surveys as part of the study.

 

What will my child do?

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Your child, with your consent, will answer engaging, age-appropriate math and reading-related questions in one-on-one sessions with a trained ECLS team member.

• The ECLS team member will read and show illustrated tasks to your child, who can respond verbally or by pointing to his or her answer. Children have enjoyed answering these types of questions in previous ECLS studies. 

• The sessions will take place at school, during school hours, in a room such as the gym or library. School staff are welcome to be in the room during the sessions. 

• The sessions are untimed but are expected to last about 45 minutes for most children. 

Visit the study website at MyECLS.ed.gov to watch a video that includes an example of a child’s session in progress.

 

What else do I need to know about my child’s participation?

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• Any child who does not want to work with an ECLS team member will not have to do so. Children can skip any questions they do not want to answer.  

• All ECLS team members are required to pass a stringent background investigation before they are allowed to work with children.  The Federal background investigation is conducted jointly by the U.S. Departments of Education and Defense. 

• ECLS staff will work with teachers to schedule the child sessions at times that are convenient for the teacher and child. Every effort will be made to minimize the amount of class time that children miss. 

Children in previous years of the study report enjoying the activities and the individual attention.

 

As a parent/guardian, what will I do?

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You will be asked to complete a survey. It will take you 30 to 45 minutes, but you do not have to do it all in one sitting. While the survey is available online, you can request a telephone interview if you prefer to participate that way.

The survey will include questions about your family, your child’s experiences, and more to gain a better understanding of your child’s learning and development.       

       

 

What will my child’s teacher and principal do?

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The ECLS team will ask your child’s teacher to complete a survey about his or her background and classroom, as well as surveys about the skills and knowledge of participating children.

Your child’s principal will also be asked to complete a survey about his or her background and the school.

       

       

Teachers will not be asked to conduct the study activities with the children.

 

How can the ECLS help my family and school?

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The ECLS explores how different factors—at home and at school—relate to children’s development and learning. Through reports from the U.S. Department of Education and others, you can learn about topics such as:

       

• Reading activities at home and how they relate to children’s vocabulary development. 

• Screen time exposure (for example, watching TV or playing with iPads) among children in preschool. 

• Large group, small group, and individual activities in full-day kindergarten classrooms and children’s early learning. 

 

How will privacy be protected for me, my child, and our school?

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Teachers, schools, children, and families will not be identified in any ECLS reports. Information will be combined from all participants to produce reports for the nation as a whole.

All of the information provided by children, families, teachers, and principals may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). All staff working on the study have signed an affidavit of non-disclosure where they swear to abide by this law.

This means that—unless ordered by a court—no information you provide that identifies you or your child can be shared outside of the ECLS project.

All staff working on the study have signed an agreement where they swear to abide by this law and face serious penalties, including jail time, if they knowingly reveal information that identifies you or your family.

         

       

       

 

Where can I find more information?

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You can learn more about this field test at MyECLS.ed.gov.

You can see examples of questions from previous ECLS studies, find study reports, and learn more about the ECLS program at nces.ed.gov/ecls/.

You can call the ECLS information number, 1-855-898-2018, or send an email to [email protected].

 

       

       

Thank you for your time and efforts in helping to make the ECLS a success!