Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017-18 (MGLS:2017) Eye-tracking Cognitive Laboratory

National Center for Education Statistics

Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017-18 (MGLS:2017) Eye-tracking Cognitive Laboratory

Volume IV -

Participant Communication & Screener Materials

OMB# 1850-0803 v. 148

November 2015

A. Sample Recruitment Flyer

Do you have a child in grade 6, 7, or 8?

Your child may be eligible to receive $30 for participating in an interview. And you would receive $25 if you bring your child to and from the interview.

About the interviews:

Fors Marsh Group (FMG) and RTI International are collecting data for a study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of the study is to obtain student feedback on some of the questions that will be used in an NCES national study. The interviews will begin in [month, year] and will be held at an office in <OFFICE LOCATION>. This one-time activity will last no more than 2 hours. A researcher will ask your child to respond to questions, and then ask your child about the experience. The items will cover math and reading skills, socioemotional wellbeing, and family- and school-life. After the session, your child will receive a $30 giftcard as a thank you for participating, and you will receive $25 for taking the time to bring your child in to our office.

Eligibility to participate:

If you are interested in participating, please call us so we can ask a few questions to make sure your child is eligble for the interview. These questions will only take 3 to 5 minutes of your time.

Contact: <NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION GOES HERE>

B. Email Recruitment Message for Parents Students in Grade 6, 7, or 8, on MGLS:2017 Letterhead

Subject: U.S Department of Education Research Study for Students in Grade 6, 7, or 8

Dear <NAME>,

My name is <CONTACT NAME> from Fors Marsh Group. We are carrying out a study on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). We are recruiting students who are enrolled in grades 6, 7, and 8 to participate in research interviews to develop items and survey questions for a national research study. An important piece of this study is making sure to include all students, including students with disabilities. We want to make sure that the questions we ask students are clear and understandable. As a thank you, we are offering students a $30 giftcard for participating. Parents will be given $25 as a thank you for bringing their children to and from the interview.

NCES would like to know if students understand the assessment questions being developed for the study, called the Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017-18 (MGLS:2017). This study will follow students as they progress from sixth grade through to eighth grade. The goals of the study are to assess students’ mathematics and reading skills, as well as socioemotional wellbeing, and to collect data on family and school factors that may encourage success during these important years of education.

Your child will be asked to participate in a 2-hour-long session at one of our corporate offices. Participating students will be asked to answer questions related to math, reading, and family- and school-life on a computer. A researcher will observe students one-on-one while they complete the tasks and the computer will record how students interact with the screen. The researcher will also cconduct a brief interview at the end of every section (for example, once your child has completed all of the math questions)

Students will not be graded on their responses. Participation is completely voluntary, and all responses will only be used for research purposes and will not be disclosed or used in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 [ESRA 2002], 20 U.S.C., § 9573).

The feedback received from your child will provide NCES with valuable information to improve the items and survey questions that will be included in the national research study. If you are interested in having your child participate in this very important research study, please call <CONTACT PHONE> or email <CONTACT EMAIL>. We look forward to speaking with you soon.

Thank you,

<NAME>

Fors Marsh Group

<CONTACT INFO>

C. Recruitment Phone Script/Screener for Parents

Good morning/afternoon. May I please speak to <NAME>?

Good morning/afternoon. My name is <CONTACT NAME> and I am contacting you from Fors Marsh Group, a local research company. We are carrying out an important study for the National Center for Education Statistics, referred to as NCES, part of the U.S. Department of Education. We are recruiting students from grades 6, 7, and 8 to participate in research interviews to support the development of items and survey questions for a national research study. As a thank you, we are offering students a $30 giftcard for participating. Parents will be given $25 for bringing their children to and from the interview.

The Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017-2018 (MGLS:2017) will follow students as they progress from sixth grade through to eighth grade. The goals of the study are to assess students’ mathematics and reading skills, as well as socioemotional wellbeing, and to collect data on family and school factors that may encourage success during these important years of education.

Your child will be asked to participate in a 2-hour session at our office. Participating students will be asked to answer questions related to math, reading, and family- and school-life on a computer. A researcher will observe students one-on-one while they complete the task and and the computer will record how students interact with the screen. The researcher will also conduct a brief interview at the end.

Students will not be graded on their responses. Participation is completely voluntary and all responses may only be used for research purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law [Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002), 20 U.S.C., § 9573].

The feedback received from students will provide NCES with valuable information to improve the items and refine the survey questions that will be included in the national research study.

Would your child be interested in participating in this research study?

[If No] Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today about this important study. Have a wonderful day/evening.

[If Yes] That is wonderful. I would now like to ask you a few brief screening questions to ensure that we include a variety of different students in our interviews.

STUDENT SCREENER

[Interviewer: Determine recruitment needs in advance by referring to the recruitment spreadsheet. Our goal is to recruit 140 students overall and we have set targets for students with different characteristics. End the screener interview at the first point the parent gives a response indicating that the student demographics have already been adequately sampled. Be sure to record all responses.]

Is your child a boy or a girl?

What grade is your child currently in?

grade 6

grade 7

grade 8

Other 

END SCREENER IF STUDENT IS ENROLLED IN OTHER GRADE.

(Thank you for your time. However, based on the requirements of this study, we are not able to include your child in the interviews at this time. We greatly appreciate your help.)

IF PARENT INDICATES THAT CHILD IS UNGRADED--> How old is your child?

END SCREENER IF STUDENT IS NOT UNGRADED AND AGE 10-16.

Continue with screener if students is in appropriate age group.

Does your child have an IEP or 504 Plan at school? ?

IF YES -> Has your child been diagnosed with autism?

Has your child been diagnosed with specific learning disability?

Has your child been diagnosed with emotional disturbance?

All interviews will be conducted in English. Will your child be able to answer questions in English?

Yes

No END SCREENER IF CHILD IS NOT FLUENT IN ENGLISH (Thank you for your time. However, based on the requirements of this study, we are not able to include your child in the interviews at this time. We greatly appreciate your help.)

ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANT SCRIPT, IF APPLICABLE

Thank you for taking the time to answer the screening questions. Your child is eligible to participate. The interview sessions should take no more than two hours. As a thank you for your and your child’s time and effort, your child will receive a $30 gift card for participating, and the parent or guardian who brings their child to and from the interview will receive $25.

As I mentioned, participation is entirely voluntary and student answers will be used only for research purposes and will not be disclosed or used, in identifiable form, for any other purpose except as required by law.

Your child’s feedback, along with the feedback of other students, is valuable and will help NCES improve the items that will be administered in the national study.

Do you think your child would like to participate?

[If No] Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today about this important study.

[If Yes] And would you be willing to submit a signed consent form, indicating your approval for your child to participate?

[If No] Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today about this important study.

[If Yes] Thank you. We will send you the consent form via email. You may either sign the form and bring a copy with you, or you can complete and sign the form in our office when you arrive. What is your child’s name? Is there a day and time that would work well for you and <STUDENT NAME>? [PROVIDE LIST OF AVAILABLE DATES/TIMES FROM WHICH THE PARENT MAY CHOOSE.

Thank you. We will send you a confirmation email containing the date, time, address, directions, and consent form. What email or mailing address would you like us to use to send you this information?

We may need to reach you by telephone. Is the number I called the best number to use?

Do you have any questions at this time?

[Interviewer: Answer any questions.]

If you have or <STUDENT NAME> have any questions when you receive the consent form or before the scheduled interview, please call <PHONE NUMBER>.

We look forward to having <STUDENT NAME> participate in this very important research study.

D. Parent Informed Consent (for minor child)

Dear <NAME>

On behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education, the Fors Marsh Group is conducting voluntary interviews with students in grades 6, 7, and 8 to support the development of items and survey questions for the Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017-18. Your child will receive a $[30/45] gift card as a thank you for his or her time. In addition, the parent will be given a $25 gift card if they bring their child to and from the interview.

Your child will be asked to participate in a 2-hour-long session at one of our corporate offices. Participating students will be asked to answer questions related to math, reading, and family- and school-life on a tablet computer. A researcher will observe students one-on-one while they complete the task and and the computer will record how students interact with the screen. The researcher will also conduct a brief interview at the end. Students will not be graded on their responses.

Participation is entirely voluntary and student answers will be used only for research purposes and will not be disclosed or used, in identifiable form, for any other purpose except as required by law [Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002) 20 U.S.C., § 9573].

The feedback received from students will provide NCES with valuable information to improve the items that will be included in the national research study.

By signing below, you agree that your child may participate in this study. Your signature below will indicate that your questions have been answered satisfactorily, and that you have read and understood the information provided above.

Respectfully,

< NAME><Fors Marsh Group>

I hereby accept the terms described above and give permission for my child _____________________ to participate voluntarily in the MGLS:2017 student interviews.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

__________________________________

Print Name

____________________________________ _______________________

Signature Date

E. Appointment Confirmation

Thank you again for agreeing to participate in the MGLS:2017 cognitive laboratory. You and your child are scheduled to participate on <DATE> at <TIME>. Our offices are located at <ADDRESS> and directions are provided below.

If you have any questions before your session, please call <CONTACT PHONE>. We look forward to working with you on this very important research project.

<DIRECTIONS>

F. Thank You Letter to Parents of Student Participants

Subject: Thank You for Your Participation

<DATE>

Dear <NAME>,

On behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education, thank you for allowing <CHILD’S NAME> to participate in the Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017-18 (MGLS:2017) research interview. The assistance <he/she> provided, combined with input from other students, was incredibly useful and informative. We greatly appreciate you taking the time to bring <CHILD’S NAME> to and from the interview location to participate.

Enclosed, please find a $[30/45] gift card for <CHILD’S NAME> as a thank you for <his/her> time and a $25 gift card for the parent who brought the child to the interview. We appreciate your assistance.

Sincerely,

<CONTACT NAME>

Fors Marsh Group

<CONTACT PHONE>