Parental Consent Forms

ORP USE ONLY:

The Pennsylvania State University

Office for Research Protections

Approval Date:

Expiration Date:

Social Science Institutional Review Board

September, 2009

Dear Parent/Guardian:

Through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences Regional Educational Lab program, your child’s school is participating in a study evaluating “Connected Mathematics 2” math curriculum that uses authentic, relevant problem solving practices to motivate students and improve math skills. The study will be conducted in the ________School during all 6^th grade math classes.

Schools in this study will be randomly assigned to use Connected Mathematics 2 program, those who do not use Connected Mathematics 2 will use their usual math program. If your child uses Connected Mathematics or not, he/she will take an assessments and survey at the beginning and end of 6^th grade that will require approximately 1 hour each to complete. The assessment and survey will not count towards your child’s grade and are used for research purposes only. Responses to this data collection will be used only for statistical purposes. The reports prepared for this 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.

There are no significant risks to your child in this study and participation may improve your child’s understanding and math skills. Your child’s participation in this research is confidential. Only Dr. Martin and Dr. Millwood will have access to your child's identity and to information that can be associated with his or her identity. We assure that identifying information will be kept completely private and in the event of publication of this research, no personally identifying information will be disclosed.

If you have any questions about this study, please contact Dr. Taylor Martin, 512.232.9686, taylormartin@mail.utexas.edu; or, Dr. Millwood, 310.945.5157, kmillwood@metiri.com. If you have questions about the rights of research participants, please contact the Office for Research Protections (814.865.1775).

Your child’s participation in this study is voluntary, and your child may withdraw from this study at any time by talking with his or her teacher, Dr. Martin, or Dr. Millwood, or by completing and returning the attached form. Your child's withdrawal from this study or refusal to participate will in no way affect access to education at the _____ School. You may also ask that information provided by your child’s assessments be removed from the collected information at any time during the project.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Taylor Martin, Ph.D. Kelli Millwood, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education Associate, Metiri Group

The Pennsylvania State University

Title of Project: The Effect of Connected Mathematics 2 (CM2) on the Math Achievement of Middle School Students in Selected Schools in the Mid-Atlantic Region: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Principal Investigators: Taylor Martin, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education, University of Texas at Austin, 512.232.9686, taylormartin@mail.utexas.edu; Kelli Millwood, Ph.D., Associate, Metiri Group, 310.945.5157, kmillwood@metiri.com.

I do not want my child to participate in the Connected Mathematics 2 program.*

*No form need be returned unless you do not want your child to participate. Thank you.

Parent/Guardian Signature

Parent/Guardian Name (please print)

Child’s Name

Please return this form to your child’s teacher or mail this form to: Kelli Millwood, PhD, Metiri Group, 600 Corporate Pointe, Suite 1180, Culver City, California 90230

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