SCLS Cog Labs & Usability Testing Revisions to Questions about Safety Memo

Memorandum United States Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

National Center for Education Statistics

DATE: July 15, 2014

TO: Shelly Martinez, Office of Management and Budget

THROUGH: Kashka Kubzdela, NCES

FROM: Isaiah O’Rear, NCES

SUBJECT: School Climate Surveys (SCLS) Cognitive Interviews & Usability Testing – Revisions to Questions about Safety (OMB No. 1850-0803 v.107)

Since the OMB approval of the School Climate Surveys (SCLS) Cognitive Interviews & Usability Testing on May 26^th, 2014, the SCLS team decided to clarify wording in several survey questions and to include more substantive definitions for the key terms used in the domain of Safety – specifically in the topical areas of Bullying (revisions in 5 questions), Substance Abuse (revisions in 5 questions), and Emergency Readiness and Management (revision in 1 question).

Kathy Chandler, who at NCES is in charge of the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) and other crime and safety related work and surveys, reviewed and provided feedback on the proposed SCLS revisions to questions about safety. The resulting survey item wording changes and expanded definitions are attached in this submittal. They are aligned with other surveys related to school safety and use the bullying definition that will be used in the 2015 School Crime Supplement.

This request is for approval to replace the wording cleared on May 26^th, 2014, for the currently under way School Climate Surveys (SCLS) Cognitive Interviews & Usability Testing, in the specified survey items, with that delineated in the attached “Revised Safety Definitions & Items - School Climate Surveys Cog Labs & Usability Testing.pdf” document.