Attachments 2-6 FRSS 105 Public School Facilities Survey

Attachment 2

FRSS 105 Superintendent Cover Letter

Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) 105: Condition of Public School Facilities

OMB# 1850-0733 v. 27

October 22, 2012

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education

[DATE]

Dear District Superintendent:

On behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), U.S. Department of Education, I am asking you to participate in the national survey Condition of Public School Facilities: 2012–13. The purpose of the survey is to provide nationally representative data about the current condition of facilities in U.S. public schools. The survey will also provide a picture of the change in this important area since 1999 when the U.S. Department of Education conducted a similar survey. Westat, a research firm in Rockville, Maryland, is conducting the study for NCES using the Fast Response Survey System (FRSS). The survey is designed to be completed in about 30 minutes.

The questionnaire is designed to be completed by district-level personnel who are familiar with the school facilities in this district. The enclosed list shows the school(s) in your district selected for this survey. A separate questionnaire is included for each selected school. Please give the list of selected schools to the respondent. For each school on the list, the district-level respondent should receive a questionnaire, a Web Survey Information Sheet, and a postage-paid Westat envelope.

• Why is participation by your district important? Your district’s participation, while voluntary, is vital to the development of national estimates. We need your input because only a small sample of schools was selected for this study. Therefore, your cooperation is critical to make the results of this survey comprehensive, accurate, and timely.

• How does NCES protect the confidentiality of the information that you provide? The information collected on the survey may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose unless otherwise compelled by law (Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, 20 U.S.C. 9573). The federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the survey (OMB No. 1850-0733).

• What do you get from the study? Once the study is completed, NCES will present the findings in a report that will be released on the NCES website. Your district will be notified when it is released.

The survey may be completed using either the enclosed questionnaire or an online version. The online version of the survey is available at www.frss-school-facilities.org. The username and password for each sampled school appear on the school’s Web Survey Information Sheet. If you complete the paper version of the questionnaire, please return it to Westat in the enclosed postage-paid envelope. Please complete the survey only once for each sampled school, using either the paper or the online version.

We ask that the survey be completed within 3 weeks, and that you keep a copy of the completed survey for your files. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Debbie Alexander, the Westat survey manager, at 800-937-8281, ext. 2088 (toll-free) or 301-294-2088, or by e-mail at SchoolConditionSurvey@westat.com. You may also call [NAME], the NCES Project Officer, at [NUMBER]. Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Jack Buckley

Commissioner

Enclosures

Attachment 3

FRSS 105 Facilities Coordinator Cover Letter

[DATE]

Dear District Facilities Coordinator:

On behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), U.S. Department of Education, I am requesting your participation in the national survey Condition of Public School Facilities: 2012–13. Westat, a research firm in Rockville, Maryland, is conducting the study for NCES using the Fast Response Survey System (FRSS). The questionnaire is designed to be completed in about 30 minutes by district-level personnel who are very familiar with the school facilities in this district. You may wish to consult with other district-level personnel or with school-level personnel, such as the principal of the sampled school, in answering some questions. The enclosed list shows the schools in your district that were selected for this survey. When completing a questionnaire, please provide information only about the school that is indicated on the front cover of the questionnaire. For each school on the list, you should have a questionnaire, a Web Survey Information Sheet, and a postage-paid Westat envelope.

• Why is NCES conducting the survey? The purpose of the survey is to provide nationally representative data about the current condition of facilities in U.S. public schools. The survey will also provide a picture of the change in this important area since 1999 when the U.S. Department of Education conducted a similar survey.

• Why is participation by your district important? Your district’s participation, while voluntary, is vital to the development of national estimates. Data collected from this survey will be used only for statistical purposes. We need your input because only a small sample of schools was selected for this study. Therefore, your cooperation is critical to make the results of this survey comprehensive, accurate, and timely.

• How does NCES protect the confidentiality of the information that you provide? The information collected on the survey may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose unless otherwise compelled by law (Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, 20 U.S.C. 9573). The federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the survey (OMB No. 1850-0733).

• What do you get from the study? Once the study is completed, NCES will present the findings in a report that will be released on the NCES website. Your district will be notified when it is released.

The survey may be completed using either the enclosed questionnaire or an online version. The online version of the survey is available at www.frss-school-facilities.org. The username and password for each sampled school appear on the school’s Web Survey Information Sheet. If you complete the paper version of the questionnaire, please return it to Westat in the enclosed postage-paid envelope. Please complete the survey only once for each sampled school, using either the paper or the online version.

We ask that the survey be completed within 3 weeks, and that you keep a copy of the completed survey for your files. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Debbie Alexander, the Westat survey manager, at 800-937-8281, ext. 2088 (toll-free) or 301-294-2088, or by e-mail at SchoolConditionSurvey@westat.com. You may also call [NAME), the NCES Project Officer, at [NUMBER]. Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Jack Buckley

Commissioner

Enclosures

Attachment 4

FRSS 105 Web Information Sheet

CONDITION OF PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITES

Web Survey Information Sheet for:

[School Name], [State]

Survey Website: www.frss-school-facilities.org

Username:

Password:

Questions? If you have questions about the completion of this survey, please
contact Debbie Alexander at 1-800-937-8281, Ext. 2088, or by email at
xxxxxxxxxx@westat.com

Attachment 5

FRSS 105 Nonresponse Follow-up Letter

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS

[Date]

Dear District Superintendent:

Recently, your district was asked to participate in a study on the condition public school facilities for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), U.S. Department of Education. This study, approved by the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB No. 1850-0733), will provide national data about the current condition of facilities in U.S. public schools. It is designed to be completed by the district-level person who is most familiar with school facilities in your district. If your district has already completed the questionnaire(s), I wish to thank you for your participation. It is only through the help of districts like yours that NCES is able to provide policymakers with valuable national data on the condition of public school facilities.

The short three-page questionnaire is designed to be completed in 30 minutes or less. If your district has not yet completed the survey(s) for the sampled schools, we ask that you do so at your earliest convenience. Your district’s participation, while voluntary, is vital to the development of national estimates. The selected schools are part of a small sample that was selected for this study, thus your input is needed to report a current picture of the condition of public school facilities.

The online version of the questionnaire is available at www.frss-school-facilities.org. The username and password for each sampled school appears on the school’s Web Survey Information Sheet. If you prefer to complete a paper questionnaire, you may obtain a printable version from the study website OR request a paper questionnaire for each sampled school by sending an e-mail to SchoolConditonSurvey@westat.com. Completed paper questionnaires may be faxed to 1-800-254-0984 (toll- free). Please complete the survey only once for each sampled school, using either the paper or the online version.

Westat, an independent research firm, is conducting the survey for NCES. If you have any questions, please contact Debbie Alexander, the Westat survey manager, at 1-800-937-8281, ext. 2088 (toll-free) or 301-294-2088, or by email at debbiealexander@westat.com. You may also call me at [NUMBER]. Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

[NAME]

Project Officer

Attachment 6

FRSS 105 Nonresponse Follow-up Script

RESPONDENT INFORMATION SHEET (RIS)

FRSS 105 – CONDITION OF PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES

I. DISTRICT INITIAL CONTACT

Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME]. I'm calling from Westat on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education to follow up on a packet that we recently sent to your superintendent. May I please have your superintendent's name? (RECORD NAME IN SPACE BELOW) Also, is there a direct line at which we could reach him? (IF YES, RECORD NUMBER IN SPACE BELOW.)

SUPERINTENDENT’S NAME:

SUPERINTENDENT’S NUMBER:

Is he/she available?

YES (GO TO B ON PAGE 2)

NO (GO TO A BELOW)

A. SUPERINTENDENT NOT AVAILABLE

The packet we mailed to your superintendent contained a green-colored questionnaire(s) from the U.S. Department of Education on the condition of public school facilities, along with a list of the schools in your district that were selected for the study, and two letters. The first letter, addressed to the superintendent, indicated that the questionnaire(s) is/are designed to be completed by the district-level person who is most familiar with school facilities in your district. Do you know to whom the superintendent would have given it/them?

Yes (CONTINUE BELOW)

May I have the name, title, and contact information for that person? (GO TO DESIGNATED RESPONDENT CONTACT INFORMATION ON PAGE 5 AND RECORD INFORMATION, INCLUDING BEST AVAILABLE TIME.)

No, don’t know who will complete (CONTINUE BELOW)

Would you please leave a message for the superintendent mentioning that I called about the survey on the condition of school facilities? When is a good time to call back?

Callback Date/Time:

Thank you for your time. I will call back.

B. SUPERINTENDENT CONTACT

Hello, my name is (YOUR NAME) and I am calling from Westat on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education regarding a packet that we recently mailed to your attention. The packet contained (GIVE NUMBER) green-colored questionnaire(s) on condition of public school facilities with a cover letter addressed to you. The letter, from the U.S. Department of Education, asked that the questionnaire(s) be completed by the person in your district who is most familiar with school facilities. Did you receive the survey packet? (CHECK ONE BOX BELOW)

Yes, survey packet received (CONTINUE WITH C BELOW)

No, survey packet not received (GO TO E ON PAGE 4)

C. SURVEY PACKET RECEIVED

Will you complete the questionnaire(s) yourself or have you given it to someone else?

Superintendent will complete (GO TO 1 BELOW)

Someone else will complete (GO TO 2 ON PAGE 3)

1. Have you had a chance to complete the questionnaire(s)? (SELECT ONE)

Questionnaire(s) completed and returned to Westat

DATE RETURNED: _______________________________________________

MODE (Mail/web/fax): _____________________________________________

Thank you very much for participating in the study. We will look for your questionnaire(s). If we do not receive it soon, we will call back to let you know.

Still working on questionnaire(s)

We would like to have all questionnaires completed and returned as soon as possible. Can you give us an idea of when we can expect your questionnaire?

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: _________________________________________

Please remember that you have the option of completing the questionnaire(s) online at www.frss-school-facilities.org, or you can complete the paper questionnaire(s) and return it/them by mail or by fax, using our toll-free fax number 1-800-254-0984. Please keep a copy for your records. We will look for your questionnaire(s); if we do not receive it/them, we will call back to let you know. What is the best time to reach you?

BEST TIME: _______________________________________________

Thank you for your time.

INTERVIEWER: IF THE RESPONDENT PREFERS TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY ONLINE, PLEASE PROVIDE THE USER ID AND PASSWORD FOR THE SAMPLED SCHOOL(S). IF HE/SHE HAS THE QUESTIONNAIRE(S), REFER HIM/HER TO THE SMALL LABEL AFFIXED TO THE COVER PAGE.

2. May I please have the name and contact information for the survey respondent?

Yes (GO TO DESIGNATED RESPONDENT CONTACT INFORMATION ON

PAGE 5)

No (CONTINUE WITH D BELOW)

D. REFUSED DIRECT CONTACT WITH RESPONDENT

Do you know the status of the questionnaire(s)? (SELECT ONE)

Questionnaire(S) completed and returned to Westat

DATE RETURNED: ________________________________________________

MODE (Mail/web/fax): ______________________________________________

Thank you very much for participating in the study. We will look for your questionnaire(s). If we do not receive it/them soon, we will call back to let you know. Thank you for your time.

Respondent still working on the questionnaire(s)

We are trying to have all questionnaires completed as quickly as possible. Can you give us an idea of when we can expect your questionnaire(s)?

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: _________________________________________

Please remind the respondent that he/she has the option of completing the questionnaire(s) online at www.frss-school-facilities.org or he/she can complete the paper copy and return it/them by mail or by fax, using our toll free fax number 1-800-254-0984. Please remind the respondent to keep a copy of the completed questionnaire(s) for their records. We will look for your questionnaire(s); if we do not receive it, I will call back to let you know. What is the best time to reach you?

BEST TIME: _______________________________________________

Thank you for your time.

Status unknown

Will you please check on the status of the questionnaire(s)? I will call you back to check on the status. When would be a convenient time for me to call back?

CALLBACK TIME: __________________________________________________

E. SURVEY PACKET NOT RECEIVED

The survey on the condition of public school facilities is being conducted for the U.S. Department of Education to provide nationally representative data about the current condition of facilities in U.S. public schools. The survey will also provide information about changes to the condition of school facilities since a similar study on this topic was conducted in 1999. It is designed to be completed by the district-level person who is most familiar with school facilities in your district.

You have the option of completing the questionnaire(s) online or we can send another package to your district. Would it be possible to send the questionnaire(s) directly to the district-level person who is most knowledgeable about school facilities in your district? (SELECT ONE BOX BELOW AND FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS.)

YES. Send to designated respondent (RECORD NAME AND CONTACT INFORAMATION IN PART II PAGE 5, DESIGNATED RESPONDENT CONTACT INFORMATION. COMPLETE A REMAIL, FAX OR EMAIL REQUEST FORM FOR DESIGNATED RESPONDENT.)

NO. Send to superintendent (CONTINUE BELOW; VERIFY/RECORD NAME, TITLE, AND ADDRESS ON LABEL. REQUEST FAX NUMBER OR EMAIL ADDRESS IF NEEDED. COMPLETE A REMAIL, FAX, OR EMAIL REQUEST FORM.)

I will mail/fax/email the questionnaire(s) out today. We are trying to obtain all completed questionnaires as soon as possible because the data are urgently needed. (CONTINUE BELOW. BASED ON PREFERENCE, ADJUST THE SENTENCE.)

May I please confirm your mailing address/get your fax number/get your email address? (VERIFY OR UPDATE ADDRESS AND OBTAIN FAX NUMBER AND/OR EMAIL ADDRESS.)

The survey can also be completed and returned online at www.frss-school-facilities.org. If you prefer, you may complete the paper questionnaire(s) and return it by mail or by fax, using our toll free number 1-800-254-0984. When can we expect your completed questionnaire(s)?

EXPECTED COMPLETION DATE:

Thank you for your time. We will look for your questionnaire. Please remember to keep a copy of the completed questionnaire(s) for your records.

INTERVIEWER: IF THE RESPONDENT PREFERS TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY ONLINE, PLEASE PROVIDE THE USER ID AND PASSWORD FOR THE SAMPLED SCHOOL(S). IF HE/SHE HAS THE QUESTIONNAIRE(S), REFER HIM/HER TO THE SMALL LABEL AFFIXED TO THE COVER PAGE.

II. DESIGNATED RESPONDENT CONTACT INFORMATION

NAME:

TITLE:

Phone #:

FAX #:

Email:

Address:

Time	M	T	W	TH	F
Available time
Other time

Comments

PROCEED TO PAGE 6, SECTION III - RESPONDENT CONTACT.

III. RESPONDENT CONTACT

Hello, my name is (YOUR NAME). I'm calling from Westat on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education. Your superintendent’s office indicated that they forwarded (GIVE NUMBER) green-colored questionnaire(s) from the U.S. Department on the condition of public school facilities to you. Did you receive the questionnaire(s)?

YES (CONTINUE WITH A BELOW)

NO (GO TO B ON PAGE 7)

A. QUESTIONNAIRE(S) RECEIVED

Have you had a chance to complete the questionnaire(s)?

Questionnaire completed and returned to Westat

DATE RETURNED: _______________________________________________

MODE (Mail/web/fax): ______________________________________________

Thank you very much for participating in the survey. We will look for your questionnaire(s). If we do not receive it soon, we will call back to let you know. What is the best time to reach you?

BEST TIME:_______________________________________________

Thank you for your time.

Still working on questionnaire(s)

We would like to have all questionnaires completed and returned as soon as possible. When can expect your questionnaire(s)?

EXPECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: ________________________________________

Please remember that you have the option of completing the questionnaire(s) online at www.frss-school-facilities.org, or you can complete the paper questionnaire(s) and return it/them by mail or by fax, using our toll-free fax number 1-800-254-0984. Please keep a copy of the completed survey(s) for your records. We will look for your questionnaire(s); if we do not receive it/them, we will call back to let you know. What is the best time to reach you?

BEST TIME:_______________________________________________

Thank you for your time.

INTERVIEWER: IF THE RESPONDENT PREFERS TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY ONLINE, PLEASE PROVIDE THE USER ID AND PASSWORD FOR THE SAMPLED SCHOOL(S). IF HE/SHE HAS THE QUESTIONNAIRE(S), REFER HIM/HER TO THE SMALL LABEL AFFIXED TO THE COVER PAGE.

B. QUESTIONNAIRE NOT RECEIVED

The survey on the condition of public school facilities is being conducted for the U.S. Department of Education to provide nationally representative data about the current condition of facilities in U.S. public schools. The survey will also provide information about changes to the condition of school facilities since a similar study on this topic was conducted in 1999.

You have the option of completing the questionnaire(s) online or we can send another package to you. (CONTINUE BELOW. BASED ON PREFERENCE, ADJUST THE SENTENCE.)

May I please confirm your mailing address/get your fax number/ get your email address?

The survey can also be completed and returned online at www.frss-school.facilities.org. If you prefer, you may complete the paper questionnaire(s) and return it by mail or by fax, using our toll free number 1-800-254-0984. When can we expect your completed questionnaire(s)?

EXPECTED COMPLETION DATE:

Thank you for your time. We will look for your questionnaire(s). Please remember to keep a copy of the completed survey(s) for your records.

INTERVIEWER: IF THE RESPONDENT PREFERS TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY ONLINE, PLEASE PROVIDE THE USER ID AND PASSWORD FOR THE SAMPLED SCHOOL(S). IF HE/SHE HAS THE QUESTIONNAIRE(S), REFER HIM/HER TO THE SMALL LABEL AFFIXED TO THE COVER PAGE.