Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011) Computerized Executive Function Task Field Test

Appendix A:
Respondent Materials

9

November 2011
Dear Principal,
I am writing to invite your school to participate in the development of an insightful
study, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLSK:2011). The ECLS-K:2011 is the third in a series of longitudinal studies of young
children conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The
earlier studies have been important sources of data for researchers and policy makers
to address key issues related to children’s development and learning including literacy
in the home, the teaching of reading and mathematics, and the associations between
physical exercise, childhood obesity, and well-being. Researchers using the data have
published their findings widely in scientific journals and the popular press. NCES also
presents the results from these studies for practitioners and the general public on our
website, http://nces.ed.gov/ecls.
Like its predecessor studies, the ECLS-K:2011 will provide important information on
children’s early learning and development, transition into kindergarten, and progress
through elementary school. The new cohort of children’s school experiences will be
compared to those of over a decade earlier to study the extent to which the
demographic profile of children and their environment for learning have changed.
We are contacting you because your school has been selected to take part in a brief
data collection focusing on assessment development for the ECLS-K:2011 that will
run from January 23rd through February 24th, 2012. For this phase of the study, we
will test and refine the procedures for administering an assessment of second-grade
students’ executive functioning ability, specifically their ability to follow changing rules
in a structured task. This computer-based instrument is planned for inclusion in the
full second-grade assessment that will be administered to the students in the main
ECLS-K:2011 study. The full assessment includes items on reading, mathematics, and
science. To test our assessment procedures, we would like to administer the full ECLSK:2011 assessment to second graders at your school. The assessment will be
individually administered by our trained staff and will take approximately 60 minutes
per child. We expect that an assessment team will be in your school for 2-3 days.
Participation in this study is voluntary; however, I encourage your school’s
participation during this development phase. The responses of children in your school
will help to decide whether the new assessment will work in the national data
collection. In appreciation for your time and effort, your school will receive a $5
honorarium for each participating child.
The National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education’s
Institute of Education Sciences is the primary sponsor of the ECLS-K:2011, which is
being conducted on behalf of NCES by Westat. ECLS-K:2011 has been endorsed by
the national education organizations listed on this letter. NCES is authorized to
conduct this study under 20 U.S. Code, Section 9541. Under that law, the data
provided by your school, staff, students, and their parents 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. Code, Section 9573). The U.S. Office
of Management and Budget has approved the data collection under OMB # 18500803. Information collected from multiple individuals will be combined to produce
reports of findings from the ECLS-K:2011. The reports will not identify participating
districts, schools, children and their parents, or individual staff.

Within the next few days, a representative of Westat will contact you about
participating in this important study. Detailed information about the ECLS-K:2011
can be found in the brochure enclosed with this letter. If you have questions about the
study, please feel free to call Westat toll-free at 1-888-204-4864 or send an email to
ECLSKHELP@westat.com. Also, more information about ECLS-K:2011 is available
at: http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/MyECLSK2011.
Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011.
Sincerely,

Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences

December 2011

Dear Parent,
I am writing to invite your child to participate in the development of an insightful
study, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11
(ECLS-K:2011). The ECLS-K:2011 is sponsored by the National Center for
Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of
Education Sciences and is being conducted on behalf of NCES by Westat. This
study is the third in a series of longitudinal studies of young children sponsored by
NCES and is described in more detail in the enclosed brochure. Since fall of 2010,
the ECLS-K:2011 has followed children across the nation as they have moved from
kindergarten into first grade, collecting information about their educational
experiences both in and out of school.
Your child’s district office and school principal have agreed to participate in
the current phase of the study in which we are developing a computer-based
assessment that measures children’s ability to adapt to changing directions.
We are asking parents of all second graders in the school to allow their
children to assist us with the development of the ECLS-K:2011 assessments
by completing an individualized assessment with a trained ECLS-K:2011
assessor. The assessment is designed to measure children’s reading, mathematics,
and science skills and knowledge, as well as to obtain information on children’s
memory and ability to follow rules in a structured task, both of which are associated
with learning. The assessment activities will take approximately 60 minutes per child.
The information collected during this phase will be used to guide the development
of the ECLS-K:2011 second-grade child assessment that will be used in the main
study. We are looking forward to working with your child during this phase, which is
taking place in January and February of 2012.
Information from multiple individuals will be combined to produce statistical
reports; no information that identifies you or your child (for example, name or
address) will be included in any reports. All information collected will be protected
from disclosure to the fullest extent allowable by law (20 U.S.C., § 9573). Your
child’s school will not receive any of the information about you or your child
collected as part of this study. Performance on the assessment will not affect your
child’s grades or progress in school.
A consent form for your child to participate in the ECLS-K:2011 assessment tasks is
enclosed. Please sign the form and return it to your child’s school in the enclosed
envelope by the day of the assessment.

The collection of information in this survey is authorized by 20 U.S. Code, Section 9541. Participation is voluntary.
Responses are protected from disclosure by federal statute (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). All responses that relate to
or describe identifiable characteristics of individuals 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. The valid OMB control
number for this information collection is 1850-0803. Approval expires 09/30/2013.
A

Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011. If you have questions about the
study, please feel free to call Westat toll free at 1-888-204-4864 or send an email to
ECLSKHELP@westat.com. Also, more information about the ECLS-K:2011 is
available on the NCES website at http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/myECLSK2011.
Thank you for your time and consideration of the study.
Sincerely,

Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences

Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011)
Parent Permission for Child to Participate

Your child is being asked to take part in one phase of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study,
Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011), which is taking place in January and February of
2012. The ECLS-K:2011 is sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the
U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences and is being conducted on behalf of
NCES by Westat. The ECLS-K:2011 is an ongoing study that measures children’s skills and
knowledge in reading, mathematics, and science. Study staff are currently developing the ECLSK:2011 assessment for second-grade students.
We have selected your child to participate in the current phase of the study in which we are
developing a computer-based assessment that measures children’s ability to adapt to
changing directions. The information collected during this phase of the ECLS-K:2011 will be used
to guide the development of the second-grade child assessment.
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has approved the data collection under OMB # 18500803. NCES is authorized to conduct this study under 20 U.S. Code, Section 9541. Participation in
the ECLS-K:2011 is voluntary. Children may skip questions they do not wish to answer; however, we
hope that they will answer as many questions as they can. Children’s responses are protected from
disclosure by federal statute (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). All responses that relate to or describe
identifiable characteristics of individuals 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.
Code, Section 9573). Data from multiple individuals will be combined to produce statistical reports.
No individual data that link names, addresses, telephone numbers, or identification numbers with
responses will be included in the statistical reports.
If you have any questions or concerns about the protection of the information you provide or your
rights in this research study, please contact Gail Mulligan at the National Center for Education
Statistics at 1-202-502-7491 or Gail.Mulligan@ed.gov.

PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT
By signing below, I indicate that I have read the information provided and I freely agree to allow my
child to participate in the ECLS-K:2011 assessment.
Please complete, sign, and return this form in the enclosed envelope to your child’s school.
CHILD NAME:
First and last name
Sign your name:
Signature of parent/guardian

Date

Print your name:
First

Middle

Last

A

December 2011

Dear Parent,
I am writing to invite your child to participate in the development of an insightful
study, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11
(ECLS-K:2011). The ECLS-K:2011 is sponsored by the National Center for
Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of
Education Sciences and is being conducted on behalf of NCES by Westat. This
study is the third in a series of longitudinal studies of young children sponsored by
NCES and is described in more detail in the enclosed brochure. Since fall of 2010,
the ECLS-K:2011 has followed children across the nation as they have moved from
kindergarten into first grade, collecting information about their educational
experiences both in and out of school.
Your child’s district office and school principal have agreed to participate in
the current phase of the study in which we are developing a computer-based
assessment that measures children’s ability to adapt to changing directions.
We are asking parents of all second graders in the school to allow their
children to assist us with the development of the ECLS-K:2011 assessments
by completing an individualized assessment with a trained ECLS-K:2011
assessor. The assessment is designed to measure children’s reading, mathematics,
and science skills and knowledge, as well as to obtain information on children’s
memory and ability to follow rules in a structured task, both of which are associated
with learning. The assessment activities will take approximately 60 minutes per child.
The information collected during this phase will be used to guide the development
of the ECLS-K:2011 second-grade child assessment that will be used in the main
study. We are looking forward to working with your child during this phase, which is
taking place in January and February of 2012.
Information from multiple individuals will be combined to produce statistical
reports; no information that identifies you or your child (for example, name or
address) will be included in any reports. All information collected will be protected
from disclosure to the fullest extent allowable by law (20 U.S.C., § 9573). Your
child’s school will not receive any of the information about you or your child
collected as part of this study. Performance on the assessment will not affect your
child’s grades or progress in school.
A consent form for your child to participate in the ECLS-K:2011 assessment tasks is
enclosed. If you will allow your child to participate in the study, you do not need to
return this form. If you do not want your child to take part in this study, please fill
out the form and return it in the enclosed envelope to your child’s school by the day
of the assessment.
The collection of information in this survey is authorized by 20 U.S. Code, Section 9541. Participation is voluntary.
Responses are protected from disclosure by federal statute (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). All responses that relate to
or describe identifiable characteristics of individuals 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 . The valid OMB control
number for this information collection is 1850-0803. Approval expires 09/30/2013.
P

Thank you for your support of the ECLS-K:2011. If you have questions about the
study, please feel free to call Westat toll free at 1-888-204-4864 or send an email to
ECLSKHELP@westat.com. Also, more information about the ECLS-K:2011 is
available on the NCES website at http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/myECLSK2011.
Thank you for your time and consideration of the study.
Sincerely,

Jack Buckley, Ph.D.
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences

Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011)
Parent Permission for Child to Participate

Your child is being asked to take part in one phase of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study,
Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011), which is taking place in January and February of
2012. The ECLS-K:2011 is sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the
U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences and is being conducted on behalf of
NCES by Westat. The ECLS-K:2011 is an ongoing study that measures children’s skills and
knowledge in reading, mathematics, and science. Study staff are currently developing the ECLSK:2011 assessment for second-grade students.
We have selected your child to participate in the current phase of the study in which we are
developing a computer-based assessment that measures children’s ability to adapt to
changing directions. The information collected during this phase of the ECLS-K:2011 will be used
to guide the development of the second-grade child assessment.
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has approved the data collection under OMB # 18500803. NCES is authorized to conduct this study under 20 U.S. Code, Section 9541. Participation in
the ECLS-K:2011 is voluntary. Children may skip questions they do not wish to answer; however, we
hope that they will answer as many questions as they can. Children’s responses are protected from
disclosure by federal statute (20 U.S. Code, Section 9573). All responses that relate to or describe
identifiable characteristics of individuals 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.
Code, Section 9573). Data from multiple individuals will be combined to produce statistical reports.
No individual data that link names, addresses, telephone numbers, or identification numbers with
responses will be included in the statistical reports.
If you have any questions or concerns about the protection of the information you provide or your
rights in this research study, please contact Gail Mulligan at the National Center for Education
Statistics at 1-202-502-7491 or Gail.Mulligan@ed.gov.

PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT
I have read the letter and the information above.
ˆ

I DO NOT consent to my child’s participation in the ECLS-K:2011.

Please complete, sign, and return this form in the enclosed envelope to your child’s school.
CHILD NAME:
First and last name
Sign your name:
Signature of parent/guardian

Date

Print your name:
First

Middle

Last

P