Trainer Logs Grade 5 Science

Research Participant Consent Form for AMSTI Principals
(Principals: Please fax completed and signed form to Denis Newman at 650-328-1794.)
AMSTI Study
SERVE and its partners (Empirical Education Inc., Academy for Educational
Development and Abt Associates) are working with the State of Alabama Department of
Education and your school system to conduct scientifically based research on the
effectiveness of AMSTI. The Principal Investigators for this study are Dr. Denis Newman
of Empirical Education and Dr. Harold Wenglinsky of the Academy for Educational
Development. As a principal in one of the participating schools you are invited to take
part in this rigorous study, which will provide your school system and the state with
important information. Your school will be part of the research project for two years
between 2006 and 2008.
Your school will be one of 40 schools statewide assisting the state in determining the
effectiveness of AMSTI. From among the applicants this year, some of the schools were
selected randomly to begin AMSTI this coming school year (AMSTI First group) and
some were selected to begin AMSTI in the 2007-2008 school year (AMSTI Second
group). The research will be comparing the student achievement and teaching practices
between the schools implementing the AMSTI program and the schools that are not yet
implementing AMSTI. Both groups are equally important to the research, and the random
assignment assures that the research results are unbiased.
Researchers will be collecting administrative data (class rosters, student demographics
and state test scores) from your school system for grades 4 through 8. Teachers in grades
4 through 8 (for both the AMSTI First and the AMSTI Second schools) will be asked to
respond to web-based surveys on a monthly schedule. For some teachers, additional
classroom observations and interviews will be conducted in the spring. Principals will be
asked to participate in an interview and one web-based survey annually. Please refer to
Research Participant Responsibilities page for a description of the activities required of
participants.
The research will not expose participants to any risks beyond the normal work of a
principal. The benefit of participation is the opportunity to help provide evidence as to
whether the AMSTI program is effective. Continued participation in the research is
voluntary. You may refuse to answer particular questions. If you wish to withdraw at any
time, you may do so without penalty. If at anytime you have questions or concerns,
please feel free to contact: Denis Newman toll free at 1-888-486-8886, x 127.
It is important to understand that we are evaluating the AMSTI program and training and
not your work. Reports will not identify individuals or schools by name. Our company
will provide its services to your school system in a manner consistent with the provisions
of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). All data provided to our
company will remain the property of your school system, even while stored at our
company's database. Our company will store the data electronically in a secure location
and take precautions to ensure the data is accessible only to company personnel and
consultants or to authorities legally authorized for access. Personally identifying
information will be removed so that students and teachers will be identified only by

Approved by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Institutional Review Board 8/26/06
Renew by 8/25/07

unique numeric IDs within our company’s database. Unless otherwise requested by your
school system, our company will retain the data without individual identification
indefinitely for use in re-analysis and follow-on research. All paper documents will be
shredded after 10 years. The school system will be provided with a copy of the report,
which will include the objective evidence of the program’s effectiveness.
By signing this consent form, you agree that you understand the procedures and any risks
and benefits involved in this research, and that you agree to participate in the project
during the 2006-2007 school year. You are free to refuse to participate or to withdraw
your consent to participate in this research at any time without penalty or prejudice; your
participation is entirely voluntary. Your privacy will be protected because you and your
school will not be identified by name as a participant in this project.
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro Institutional Review Board, which
insures that research involving people follows federal regulations, has approved the
research and this consent form. Questions regarding your rights as a participant in this
project can be answered by calling Mr. Eric Allen at (336) 256-1482. Questions regarding
the research itself will be answered by Denis Newman by calling 1-888-486-8886 x 127.
Any new information that develops during the project will be provided to you if the
information might affect your willingness to continue participation in the project.
By signing this form, you are agreeing to participate in the project described.

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Participant's Signature

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Date

Research Participant Responsibilities
All Participating Principals
Surveys. A survey will be sent to all participating principals in July of 2007. We will
send you an email that will have a web link you can click on to access the survey. The
survey will help researchers to understand the implementation of AMSTI at your school.
The survey contains up to 40 questions and should take about 30 minutes. If a principal
has not yet submitted their survey after 3 days of its distribution, they will be sent
friendly reminders via email and/or phone.
Questions/Comments? Contact Information
Principal Investigator: Denis Newman
Email: lsterling@empiricaleducation.com
Phone number: 650-328-1734 x 127 (Pacific Time)
Toll-free phone number: 1-888-486-8886 x 127
Fax: 650-328-1794

Approved by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Institutional Review Board 8/26/06
Renew by 8/25/07