An Impact Evaluation of Support for Principals

• M EMORANDUM

P.O. Box 2393

Princeton, NJ 08543-2393

Telephone (609) 799-3535

Fax (609) 799-0005

www.mathematica-mpr.com

TO: [District Name]

FROM: [Data Collection Liaison] DATE:

PPD-12

SUBJECT: Administrative Data Collection for the Impact Evaluation of Support for Principals, Round 1

[This memo will be customized for each district and round of data collection.]

Thank you for participating in the Impact Evaluation of Support for Principals, a study that Mathematica Policy Research and its partners, American Institutes for Research, Social Policy Research Associates, and Pemberton Research, are conducting for the U.S. Department of Education. The goal of the evaluation is to examine the effects of principal professional development on principals’ practices, school climate, teachers’ effectiveness and retention, and student achievement. This memo outlines our request to [district name] for data on school administrators, teachers, and students for the 2014–2015 through 2017–2018 school years.

Table 1 provides a description of the types and years of administrative data requested and the timing of each request. During the fall of 2015 (Round 1 of data collection), we will request educator school and grade assignment data for the full 2014–2015 school year as well as for the fall of the 2015–2016 school year to sample teachers to receive a survey during the spring of 2016. During the fall of 2016 and 2017 (Rounds 2 and 3 of data collection), we will request additional data, specified in this memo, for school years 2014–2015 through 2017–2018.

Table 1. Administrative Data Collection Timeline

Data requested	School year of data requested, by round of data collection
	Fall 2015 (Round 1)	Fall 2016 (Round 2)	Fall 2017 (Round 3)
Educator school/grade assignment data	Data for 2014–2015 (full year) and 2015–2016 (as of fall 2015)	Data for 2015–2016 (full year) and 2016–2017 (as of fall 2016)	Data for 2016–2017 (full year) and 2017–2018 (as of fall 2017)
Educator demographic and performance data	n.a.	Data for 2014–2015 and 2015–2016	Data for 2016–2017
Student demographic and assessment data	n.a.	Data for 2014–2015 and 2015–2016	Data for 2016–2017

n.a. = not applicable. We are not requesting this type of data during this round of data collection.

We will work with your district to determine the appropriate timing of data delivery, recognizing that some data may be ready for submission earlier than other data. In addition, we realize that some data elements listed in this memo might not be collected by your district. If a data element is not available in your district’s data systems, please let us know, and we will work with you to determine if another, similar data element may be used instead. When you provide data, please include a data dictionary or codebook that explains what the variables and values mean.

Table 2 lists the schools and grades for which we are requesting data.

Table 2. Schools and Grades Included in Data Request

School Name	LEA ID	Grades
[school name 1]	[LEA ID]	[grades per school]
[school name 2]	[LEA ID]	[grades per school]
[school name …N]	[LEA ID]	[grades per school]

a. Educator school assignment and bACKGROUND data

Tables 3 and 4 list the school assignment and background data we are requesting on teachers and educators. Please include all teachers and school administrators (principals and vice principals) who worked in any of the participating schools listed in Table 2 at any time during the school years for which we are requesting data. This includes teachers and administrators who were in participating schools for only one year (or part of a year), as well as those who were in participating schools for more than one year.

Table 3 lists the data we are requesting on teachers’ and educators’ school assignments.

Table 3. Teacher and Administrator School Assignment Data

Data Element	Description	Notesa
School year	School year to which the record pertains (2014–2015 through 2017–2018)
Employee ID	Number that uniquely identifies the educator across multiple files, records, and years. We prefer that the ID number not be personally identifiable information such as a Social Security number.
First and last name	First and last name of each teacher and administrator
Email address	Email address for each teacher and administrator
School ID	Number, such as NCES ID, that uniquely identifies the school where the educator is assigned. If an educator is assigned to more than one school during a school year, please provide separate records or rows of information for that educator for each school. This may include schools not listed in Table 2.
School name	Name of school corresponding to School ID
Staff category or job type	Employment category, such as principal, assistant principal, or classroom teacher
Grade(s) taught	Grade(s) taught (if teacher)
Subject(s) taught	Subject(s) taught (if applicable)
School assignment start date	Date when teacher or administrator began his or her assignment at each school listed
School assignment end date	Date when teacher or administrator ended his or her assignment at each school listed (if he or she left prior to date that data are provided)

^aThe notes column will be completed by study staff using information provided during the initial call to discuss the data request.

Table 4 lists the professional and demographic data we are requesting for educators.

Table 4. Educator Professional and Demographic Data

Data Element		Description	Notesa
School year	School year to which the record pertains (2014–2015 through 2016–2017)
Employee ID	Number that uniquely identifies the educator across multiple files, records, and years. We prefer that the ID number not be personally identifiable information such as a Social Security number.
Highest degree held	Highest degree held by educator
Certification and licensure held	Name or type of each certification and licensure held by educator
Score for each certification and licensure test	Score for each certification and licensure test taken by educator
Years of service as teacher in the school	Number of years as a teacher at the first school assigned during the school year, as of the end of the school year (for example, for data on the 2015–2016 school year, provide years of experience as of the end of the 2015–2016 school year)
Years of service as teacher in the district	Number of years as a teacher in the school district as of the end of the school year (for example, for data on the 2015–2016 school year, provide years of experience as of the end of the 2015–2016 school year)
Years of experience as teacher (ever)	Number of years as a teacher in any school or school district, as of the end of the school year (for example, for data on the 2015–2016 school year, provide years of experience as of the end of the 2015–2016 school year)
Years of service as school administrator in the school	Number of years as a school administrator at the first school assigned during the school year, as of the end of the school year (for example, for data on the 2015–2016 school year, provide years of experience as of the end of the 2015–2016 school year)
Years of service as school administrator in the district	Number of years as a school administrator in the school district as of the end of the school year (for example, for data on the 2015–2016 school year, provide years of experience as of the end of the 2015–2016 school year)
Years of experience as school administrator (ever)	Number of years as a school administrator in any school or school district, as of the end of the school year (for example, for data on the 2015–2016 school year, provide years of experience as of the end of the 2015–2016 school year)
Year of birth	Year of birth of educator
Gender	Gender of educator
Race	Race of educator
Ethnicity	Hispanic or Latino indicator for educator

^aThe notes column will be completed by study staff using information provided during the initial call to discuss the data request.

b. educator performance data

Table 5 lists the data we are requesting on educator performance. Please include all teachers and school administrators (principals and vice principals) who worked in any of the participating schools listed in Table 2 at any time during the school years for which we are requesting data. As described in Section A of this memo, this should include all teachers and administrators who were in participating schools for only one year (or part of a year), as well as those who were in participating schools for more than one year.

Table 5. Teacher and Administrator Performance Data

Data Element	Description	Notesa
School year	School year to which the record pertains (2014–2015 through 2016–2017)
Employee ID	Number that uniquely identifies educator across multiple files, records, and years. We prefer that the ID number not be personally identifiable information such as a Social Security number.
School ID	Number, such as NCES ID, that uniquely identifies school of record for performance measures. This may include a school not listed in Table 2.
School name	Name of school corresponding to School ID
Educator practice score(s)b	Each practice score for teachers and school administrators such as an observation score
Measure(s) of student achievement growthb	Each measure of student achievement growth, such as teacher and school value-added measures (VAMs), student growth percentile (SGP), and scores on student learning objectives
Other measure(s)b	Other performance scores or measures, if applicable, aside from educator practice scores and student achievement growth
Composite evaluationb	Composite evaluation score, if applicable (often created by combining observation scores, measures of student achievement growth, and other scores or measures)

^a The notes column will be completed by study staff using information provided during the initial call to discuss the data request.

^b Please provide underlying score and associated categorization or rating (such as highly effective, effective, developing, or ineffective), if applicable.

c. Student DEMOGRAPHIC and assessment data

Table 6 lists the demographic, behavioral, and attendance data we are requesting for students who were enrolled in the participating schools and grades listed in Table 2 at any point during the school years requested (2014–2015 through 2016–2017). Please provide these data for students in tested grades and non-tested grades, as well as students in tested grades who did not take the test for any reason.

Table 6. Student Demographic and Other Data Requested for All Students

Data Element	Description	Notesa
School year	School year to which the record pertains (2014–2015 through 2016–2017)
Student ID	Number that uniquely identifies educators across multiple files, records, and years. We prefer that the ID number not be personally identifiable information such as a Social Security number.
School ID: beginning of the school year	Number, such as NCES ID, that uniquely identifies the school in which the student was enrolled at the beginning of the school year
School name: beginning of the school year	Name of school corresponding to School ID for beginning of school year
School ID: end of the school year	Number, such as NCES ID, that uniquely identifies the school in which the student was enrolled at the end of the school year
School name: end of the school year	Name of school corresponding to School ID for end of school year
Gender	Gender of student
Year of birth	Year of birth of student
Race	Race of student
Ethnicity	Hispanic or Latino indicator for student
Grade level	Grade level of student
Free and reduced-price lunch (FRPL) status	Student’s eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch as of the beginning of the school year
English language learner status	English language learner status or limited-English-proficient status of student, with level if available, as of the beginning of the school year
Special education status	Special education status of student, such as having an Individual Education Plan, as of the beginning of the school year
Suspensions (days)	Total number of days during the school year that the student was suspended
Suspensions (times)	Total number of times during the school year that the student was suspended
Expulsions	Indication if the student was expelled at any point during the school year from any school in the district
Attendance	Total number of days the student attended school in the district during the school year requested (this should be a total for all schools attended during the year; not only for those schools listed in Table 2)
Days in school year	Total number of school days for each school the student attended during the school year requested

^aThe notes column will be completed by study staff using information provided during the initial call to discuss the data request.

Table 7 provides the specific state assessment data requested for students in tested grades who were enrolled in the participating schools and grades listed in Table 2 during the school years requested (2014–2015 through 2016–2017).

Table 7. Student Assessment Data

Data Element	Description	Notesa
A. Math assessments
School year	School year to which the record pertains (2014–2015 through 2016–2017)
Student ID	Number that uniquely identifies educators across multiple files, records, and years. We prefer that the ID number not be personally identifiable information such as a Social Security number.
Math score on the state assessment for the school years requested, as available	Student’s score on the math section of the state assessment. The scale score is preferred, but normal curve equivalents, percentile ranks, and number correct are acceptable (in descending order of preference). If a student retook the test, please provide the most recent score in that year; not the highest score.
Math test grade level for each state test	Grade level of math test taken by the student for each state test
Math test description for each state test	Name of math test and test form information (such as “Stanford 9 Form S”) for each state test. Please indicate if a modified or alternate form of a state test was taken.
Math test language indicator (if other than English) for each state test	For each state test, an indicator of whether the test was taken in a language other than English, such as Spanish
Math test date for each state test	Date of each math test taken by student. If no date is available, then “spring,” “fall,” or similar qualifier can be provided.
Math test exemption or invalidation code, as applicable, for each state test	Code or indicator if a student received an exemption from taking a math test (such as a medical exemption) or the test was found to be invalid
School identifier as of time of testing (math)	Number, such as NCES ID, that uniquely identifies the school in which the student was enrolled at the time of testing in math
School name as of time of testing (math)	Name of the school in which the student was enrolled at the time of testing in math
B. Reading assessments
Reading score on the state assessment for the school years requested, as available	Student’s score on the reading section of the state assessment. The scale score is preferred, but normal curve equivalents, percentile ranks, and number correct are acceptable (in descending order of preference). If a student retook the test, please provide the most recent score in that year; not the highest score.
Reading test grade level for each state test	Grade level of reading test taken by the student for each state test
Reading test description for each state test	Name of reading test and test form information (such as “Stanford 9 Form S”) for each state test. Please indicate if a modified or alternate form of a state test was taken.
Reading test language indicator (if other than English) for each state test	For each state test, an indicator of whether the test was taken in a language other than English, such as Spanish
Reading test date for each state test	Date of each reading test taken by student. If no date is available, then “spring,” “fall,” or similar qualifier can be provided.
Reading test exemption or invalidation code, as applicable, for each state test	Code or indicator if a student received an exemption from taking a reading test (such as a medical exemption) or the test was found to be invalid
School identifier as of time of testing (reading)	Number, such as NCES ID, that uniquely identifies the school in which the student was enrolled at the time of testing in reading
School name as of time of testing (reading)	Name of the school in which the student was enrolled at the time of testing in reading

^aThe notes column will be completed by Mathematica staff using information provided during the initial call to discuss the data request.

D. Justification for Requested Data

We greatly appreciate your assistance with this data request. We want to assure you that the evaluation team and the U.S. Department of Education carefully considered this request to ensure it asks for the least amount of data necessary to conduct a high quality evaluation. Below, we briefly describe why the requested data elements are required in order to conduct the study.

1. Educator grade and school assignment data: We will use the educator grade and school assignment data for the participating schools to examine staff retention and mobility, as well as to select a sample of teachers to complete a survey.

2. Educator demographic and performance data: We will use the teacher and administrator demographic data to describe the characteristics of teachers and administrators in the study sample. We will use the performance data to examine how the principal professional development program affects the performance of teachers and administrators.

1. Student demographic, behavior, and assessment data: We will use the student demographic data to describe the characteristics of students in the study sample. We will use the student behavior and assessment data to examine how the principal professional development program affects students’ attendance, behavior, and achievement in reading and math.

E. Data Confidentiality

Mathematica and its subcontractors follow the confidentiality and data protection requirements of The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183. We will use the data provided in response to this request for research purposes only. The reports prepared for the study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific district, school, or individual. We will not provide information that identifies respondents to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law.

F. File Format

You may provide the data in a single file or multiple files, whichever the district prefers. We can work with almost any file format, including Excel, comma delimited or fixed-width text files, SAS, SPSS, Stata, and Access. Please also provide documentation of the data, including definitions of variables/fields, any codes used, and contact information for someone who can answer questions about the data. See Attachment A for instructions on transferring the data securely to Mathematica.

Thank you very much for your assistance with this data request! We greatly appreciate your assistance. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns at [liaison phone number and email].

Attachment A

This attachment describes procedures for securely transferring administrative data to Mathematica for the Impact Evaluation of Support for Principals. Step 1 describes the process for obtaining your username and password for the secure file transfer site. Step 2 describes the procedures for delivering data to Mathematica. If you have any questions, please contact [data manager’s phone and email].

Step 1. Obtaining Your Username and Password

We have created a unique username and password to protect the security of your data; no other districts will have access to the data you provide.

Username: [insert username]

Password: Please call [data manager’s name and phone number] to obtain your password. Passwords may not be emailed.

Step 2. Sending Data to Mathematica

When you are ready to transmit data, you may choose one of two delivery options listed below. The options are listed in order of preference, with Option 1 being the most secure and Option 2 the least secure. To best ensure the security of your data, please choose Option 1 if possible. Detailed instructions for each option are included below.

Option 1: Upload Your Data File(s) to Our Secure File Transfer Website

To upload your file(s) to our secure website, go to: [study FX site address]

You will be prompted to enter your username and password. When prompted, please enter the following (case-sensitive) login information:

• Username: [insert username]

• Password: (provided by telephone, see Step 1)

After you log in, to upload files, click on the Browse button as seen in the picture below.

Locate your file where it is saved on your computer (for example, My Documents or Desktop) in the familiar Windows dialog box. Click the Open button in the dialog box to complete this action, as pictured below.

When the dialog box closes, click the Upload button to upload your file, as pictured below. When this step is complete, you have successfully uploaded your file. Repeat this step if you have multiple files to upload.

Option 2: FedEx

If you are unable to use Mathematica’s secure file transfer site to upload data, you may ship data to designated staff at the address below via FedEx. Please contact [data manager’s phone and email] for a prepaid FedEx label. Please ship data to:

[Data manager]

Mathematica Policy Research

600 Alexander Park, Suite 100

Princeton, NJ 08540

Note: To protect the security of your data, Mathematica requires the use of encryption software for all disks, CDs, and DVD-ROMs shipped via FedEx. Shipping unencrypted materials places your data at risk. Please do not include the encryption password in your shipment; encryption passwords should be communicated by telephone to the contact listed above.

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