OMB83C Change Memo

Memorandum United States Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

National Center for Education Statistics

DATE: May 16, 2017

TO: Robert Sivinski and E. Ann Carson, OMB

THROUGH: Kashka Kubzdela, OMB Liaison, NCES

FROM: Ted Socha, B&B:08/18 Project Officer, NCES

Tracy Hunt-White, Team Lead, Postsecondary Longitudinal and Sample Surveys, NCES

SUBJECT: 2008/18 Baccalaureate and Beyond (B&B:08/18) Field Test Change Request (OMB# 1850-0729 v.12)

The Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B), conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education, examines students’ education and work experiences after they complete a bachelor’s degree, with a special emphasis on the experiences of school teachers. The B&B-eligible cohort is initially identified in the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). The third cohort (B&B:08) was identified in NPSAS:2008, and consisted of students who received their bachelor’s degree in the 2007–08 academic year. It became the base year for follow-up interviews in 2009 and 2012. The B&B:08/18 data collection will be the third and final follow-up for the third cohort of the B&B series (OMB# 1850-0729). The request to conduct the B&B:08/18 field test data collection was approved in May, 2017 (1850-0729 v.11). Data collection is scheduled to begin on July 17, 2017 (the schedule in Part A has been updated accordingly).

This request is to reduce the number of data collection experiments, modify the B&B:08/18 instrument facsimile, and update data collection materials to reflect minor changes in procedures. This request does not introduce changes to main survey content, respondent burden, or to the costs to the federal government.

Former Experiment #1c and Security Questions

Experiment #1c proposed using two sets of security questions to verify respondent identity before beginning the student interview. The first set of questions was based on the method currently in production in the BPS:12/17 full-scale student data collection (OMB # 1850-0631 v.10-14), where respondents are asked to select the school from which they received their bachelor’s degree in the 2007-08 academic year. The other set of security questions proposed in Experiment #1c would ask respondents to provide the last 4 digits of their Social Security number or pick a previous street address or phone number from a list to verify their identities. Due to the successful implementation of the school picklist in the BPS:12/17 full-scale student data collection, we plan to exclude this experiment from the B&B:08/18 field test. The current school picklist method has the lower respondent burden of the two proposed security methods and asks about less sensitive information, while still verifying respondent identity. Hence, we will use the school picklist set of security questions during field test data collection. Should a sample member fail the initial question (which is possible, for example, given that IPEDS lists some institutions under their system “parent” rather than as separate institutions), respondents will be asked for their email address, their phone numbers, and the month and the year of their birth. If at least two of their responses are correct, they will be allowed into the survey. If not correct, data collection staff will attempt to contact the sample member to confirm their identity.

Data Collection Materials (Appendix C)

Several minor edits are needed to the data collection materials included in the approved Appendix C:

• In the original version of the initial contact materials, a sentence was omitted that invited sample members to update their contact information in advance of the start of data collection. We changed the language in the initial contact letter and initial contact email to direct sample members to visit the study website and update their information. This initial contact activity was already mentioned in Part A.

• To ensure consistency with other communication materials, Edits were made to the brochure and website text:

  • “B&B:08/18” follows any reference to the full name of the study: “2008/18 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B:08/18).”

  • References to RTI International were changed from “a nonprofit research organization based in North Carolina” to “a U.S.-based nonprofit research organization.”

  • In the following sentence, “project staff” was changed to “NCES employees and contractors”: Project staff is subject to large fines or imprisonment if individual responses are disclosed.

  • More detail was added to FERPA citations.

• Photographs in postcards were updated to reflect those featured in finalized website and brochure designs.

• Reminder text in the Thank You Letter and Thank You Email was updated to reflect the time, during data collection, that resumes would be requested.

• A sentence reminding sample members to upload resumes was added to the reinterview reminder materials.

• The expiration date was updated to 5/31/2020.

• Early dates in the Contacts Calendar were changed from “Upon approval” to June 1, 2017, and all dates were updated to those currently planned.

• All references to the RTI study director were changed from Jennifer Wine to Melissa Cominole.

Modifications to the Instrument Facsimile (Appendix E)

• Quality Control Interview – Self-Selection. As described in the approved study plan, quality control interviews (“reinterviews”) will be conducted to evaluate data quality and response reliability. All sample members who complete the full survey will be asked to self-select into the reinterview sample. Appendix E was updated with a survey item (REINTSEL) that asks sample members for contact infomration to be used when asking them to complete a quality control interview. This item was inadvertently omitted from the original submission.

• Upload Resume Later Language. To accommodate those who request to upload their resume at a later date, language was adjusted in survey items: (a) RESUME1 to clarify wording for this scenario and (b) INCTYP to include wording specific to the resume upload incentive.

• General Edits. All references to the RTI study director were changed from Jennifer Wine to Melissa Cominole.

Updated Supporting Statement Part A and Part B and Appendices E and C are included with this submission.

1