Change Memo

1Memorandum United States Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

National Center for Education Statistics

DATE: April 21, 2020

TO: Robert Sivinski, OMB

THROUGH: Carrie Clarady, Avar Consulting, in contract with NCES

FROM: Elise Christopher, NCES

SUBJECT: High School and Beyond 2020 (HS&B:20) Base-Year Full-Scale Study Recruitment Spring 2020 Study Delay Change Request (OMB# 1850-0944 v.6).

The High School and Beyond 2020 study (HS&B:20) will be the sixth in a series of longitudinal studies at the high school level conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education. Because of school closures as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, NCES has decided to postpone the planned data collection from fall 2020 to fall of 2021. No other planned procedures or features of the study will change.

HS&B:21 will now follow a nationally representative sample of ninth grade students from the start of high school in the fall of 2021 to the spring of 2025 when most will be in twelfth grade. A field test will be conducted one year prior to the full-scale study. The study sample will be freshened in 2025 to create a nationally representative sample of twelfth-grader students. A high school transcript collection and additional follow-up data collections beyond high school are also planned. The NCES secondary longitudinal studies examine issues such as students’ readiness for high school; the risk factors associated with dropping out of high school; high school completion; the transition into postsecondary education and access/choice of institution; the shift from school to work; and the pipeline into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). They inform education policy by tracking long-term trends and elucidating relationships among student, family, and school characteristics and experiences. HS&B:25 will follow the Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017/18 (MGLS:2017) which followed the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011), thereby allowing for the study of all transitions from elementary school through high school and into higher education and/or the workforce. HS&B:25 will include surveys of students, parents, students’ math teachers, counselors, and administrators, plus a student assessment in mathematics and reading and a brief hearing and vision test. The HS&B:21 Base-Year Full-Scale study (BYFS) will now begin in the fall of 2021. The request to conduct the HS&B:20 Base-Year Field Test (BYFT) and the BYFS sampling and state, school district, school, and parent recruitment activities, both of which began in the fall of 2019, was last approved in 2019 with a change request approved in August 2019 (OMB# 1850-0944 v.3-5). These activities include collecting student rosters and selecting the BYFS sample. This request is to add five notification emails about the postponement of data collection (one each to states, districts that have agreed to participate and those that have not yet agreed to participate, and schools that have agreed to participate and those that have not yet agreed to participate) to the study’s communication materials (Appendix A). Approval for the base-year full scale study data collection will be requested in a separate submission in 2020.

The requested here change does not affect the approved total cost to the federal government for conducting this study nor the estimated respondent burden. While they delay of data collection will not affect the estimated respondent burden, it is expected to affect the approved total cost to the federal government. The revised cost, which is not currently known, will be included in the data collection package that requests approval to conduct the full-scale data collection.

The added letters are copied below.

Appendix A

The following new materials were added beginning on page 119 of Appendix A:

Appendix A14a. HS&B:20 District Notification Letter (new)

[DATE]

[DistSuptName]

[DistrictName]

[Address]

[CitySTZip]

Dear Superintendent,

We previously contacted you requesting your support for one or more of your schools to participate in the High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 2020 (HS&B:20). Thank you for the district’s continued support. I am writing to inform you that we have made a change in our plans for 9^th-grade data collection activities. Due to the unprecedented and ongoing disruptions to our nation’s schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have decided to delay the study’s first data collection from fall 2020 to fall 2021. We are making this change in acknowledgement that many schools and districts will likely have some disruptions in the fall as a result of restarting more normalized operations after COVID-19. NCES does not want to place additional burden on your schools or district. Therefore, to be respectful of your individual circumstances, we felt it best to delay the entire HS&B:20 collection cycle by one year. Moving forward, the study will be known as HS&B:21.

We will still contact schools in the 2020-21 school year to ask them to participate for the 2021-22 school year. The one-year delay will result in the planned first follow-up for this study occurring in the spring of 2025. Your continued support in this endeavor is important to advance the quality of education for our country’s high school students. For additional study details, please visit the study website: https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/hsb20. Please contact us with questions at (855) 500-1439 or HSB20@rti.org. School and student participation are discretional, and we are confident that you will continue to see the value and importance of this research to advance the quality of education for our country’s high school students.

We look forward to working with your school(s) in the 2021-22 school year to make the study a success.

Sincerely,

James L. Woodworth

NCES Commissioner

NCES is authorized to conduct the High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 2020 (HS&B:20) by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543) and to collect students’ education records from education agencies or institutions for the purposes of evaluating federally supported education programs under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA, 34 CFR §§ 99.31(a)(3)(iii) and 99.35). The data are being collected for NCES by RTI International, a U.S.-based nonprofit research organization. All of the information students, parents, and staff provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). The collected information will be combined across respondents to produce statistical reports.

Appendix A14b. HS&B:20 District Notification Letter – Districts That Have Not Yet Approved Participation (new)

[DATE]

[DistSuptName]

[DistrictName]

[Address]

[CitySTZip]

Dear Superintendent,

We previously contacted you requesting your support for one or more of your schools to participate in the High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 2020 (HS&B:20). Thank you for the district’s continued support. I am writing to inform you that we have made a change in our plans for 9^th-grade data collection activities. Due to the unprecedented and ongoing disruptions to our nation’s schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have decided to delay the study’s first data collection from fall 2020 to fall 2021. We are making this change in acknowledgement that many schools and districts will likely have some disruptions in the fall as a result of restarting more normalized operations after COVID-19. NCES does not want to place additional burden on your schools or district. Therefore, to be respectful of your individual circumstances, we felt it best to delay the entire HS&B:20 collection cycle by one year. Moving forward, the study will be known as HS&B:21.

The one-year delay will result in the planned first follow-up for this study occurring in the spring of 2025. Your continued support in this endeavor is important to advance the quality of education for our country’s high school students. For additional study details, please visit the study website: https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/hsb20. Please contact us with questions at (855) 500-1439 or HSB20@rti.org. School and student participation are discretional, and we are confident that you will continue to see the value and importance of this research to advance the quality of education for our country’s high school students.

We look forward to working with your school(s) in the 2021-22 school year to make the study a success.

Sincerely,

James L. Woodworth

NCES Commissioner

NCES is authorized to conduct the High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 2020 (HS&B:20) by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543) and to collect students’ education records from education agencies or institutions for the purposes of evaluating federally supported education programs under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA, 34 CFR §§ 99.31(a)(3)(iii) and 99.35). The data are being collected for NCES by RTI International, a U.S.-based nonprofit research organization. All of the information students, parents, and staff provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). The collected information will be combined across respondents to produce statistical report.

Appendix A14c. HS&B:20 School Administrator Notification Letter – Participating Schools (new)

<date>

<Principal name>

<school name>

<address>

<city> <state> <zip>

Dear <Principal Name>:

Recently, your school graciously agreed to participate in the High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 2020 (HS&B:20). I am writing to thank you for your school’s agreement to participate and to inform you that we have made a change in our plans for the 9^th-grade data collection activities. Due to the unprecedented and ongoing disruptions to our nation’s schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have decided to delay the study’s first data collection from fall 2020 to fall 2021. We are making this change in acknowledgement that many schools will likely have some disruptions in the fall as a result of restarting more normalized operations after COVID-19. NCES does not want to place additional burden on your school. Therefore, to be respectful of your individual circumstances, we felt it best to delay the entire HS&B:20 collection cycle by one year. Moving forward, the study will be known as HS&B:21.

We will still contact you next school year to discuss details of your participation but will not be conducting any sessions in your school in the 2020-21 school year. The one-year delay will result in the first follow-up occurring in spring of 2025.

Your continued support in this endeavor is important to advance the quality of education for our country’s high school students. For additional study details, please visit the study website: https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/hsb20. Please contact us with questions at (855) 500-1439 or HSB20@rti.org. We are confident that you will continue to see the value and importance of this research to advance the quality of education for our country’s high school students.

We look forward to working with your school in the 2021-22 school year to make the study a success.

Sincerely,

James L. Woodworth

NCES Commissioner

NCES is authorized to conduct the High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 2020 (HS&B:20) by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543) and to collect students’ education records from education agencies or institutions for the purposes of evaluating federally supported education programs under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA, 34 CFR §§ 99.31(a)(3)(iii) and 99.35). The data are being collected for NCES by RTI International, a U.S.-based nonprofit research organization. All of the information students, parents, and staff provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). The collected information will be combined across respondents to produce statistical reports.

Appendix A14d. HS&B:20 School Administrator Notification Letter – Sampled Schools That Have Not Yet Agreed to Participate (new)

<date>

<Principal name>

<school name>

<address>

<city> <state> <zip>

Dear <Principal Name>:

You may recall that we recently contacted your school about participating in the High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 2020 (HS&B:20). I am writing to inform you that we have made a change in our plans for the 9^th-grade data collection activities. Due to the unprecedented and ongoing disruptions to our nation’s schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have decided to delay the study’s first data collection from fall 2020 to fall 2021. We are making this change in acknowledgement that many schools will likely have some disruptions in the fall as a result of restarting more normalized operations after COVID-19. NCES does not want to place additional burden on your school. Therefore, to be respectful of your individual circumstances, we felt it best to delay the entire HS&B:20 collection cycle by one year. Moving forward, the study will be known as HS&B:21.

We will contact you next school year to further discuss whether your school is able to participate but will not be conducting any sessions in the 2020-21 school year. The one-year delay will result in the first follow-up occurring in spring of 2025.

Your support in this endeavor is important to advance the quality of education for our country’s high school students. For additional study details, please visit the study website: https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/hsb20. Please contact us with questions at (855) 500-1439 or HSB20@rti.org. We are confident that you will continue to see the value and importance of this research to advance the quality of education for our country’s high school students.

We look forward to working with your school in the 2021-22 school year to help make the study a success.

Sincerely,

James L. Woodworth

NCES Commissioner

NCES is authorized to conduct the High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 2020 (HS&B:20) by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543) and to collect students’ education records from education agencies or institutions for the purposes of evaluating federally supported education programs under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA, 34 CFR §§ 99.31(a)(3)(iii) and 99.35). The data are being collected for NCES by RTI International, a U.S.-based nonprofit research organization. All of the information students, parents, and staff provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). The collected information will be combined across respondents to produce statistical reports.

Appendix A14e. HS&B:20 State Notification Letter (new)

<Date>

<Title First Name Last Name>

<State Department of Education Official’s Title>

<State Department of Education>

<Address>

<City, State Zip>

Dear < Name>:

You may recall that we recently notified you that schools in your state may be requested to participate in the High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 2020 (HS&B:20). Thank you for communications that you already have had with schools in your state. I am writing to inform you that we have made a change in our plans for the 9^th-grade data collection activities. Due to the unprecedented and ongoing disruptions to our nation’s schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have decided to delay the study’s first data collection from fall 2020 to fall 2021. We are making this change in acknowledgement that many schools and districts will likely have some disruptions in the fall as a result of restarting more normalized operations after COVID-19. NCES does not want to place additional burden on your schools or districts. Therefore, to be respectful of your individual circumstances, we felt it best to delay the entire HS&B:20 collection cycle by one year. Moving forward, the study will be known as HS&B:21.

We will contact you next school year to further discuss your endorsement letter to send to schools in your state, but we will not be conducting any school sessions in the 2020-21 school year. The one-year delay will result in the first follow-up occurring in spring of 2025.

Your support in this endeavor is important to advance the quality of education for our country’s high school students. For additional study details, please visit the study website: https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/hsb20. Please contact us with questions at (855) 500-1439 or HSB20@rti.org. You may also contact Project Officer Elise Christopher, PhD at NCES at (202) 245-7098. We are confident that you will continue to see the value and importance of this research to advance the quality of education for our country’s high school students.

We look forward to working with schools in your state in the 2021-22 school year to help make the study a success.

Sincerely,

James L. Woodworth

NCES Commissioner

Cc: <STATE> Testing Coordinator

NCES is authorized to conduct the High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 2020 (HS&B:20) by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543) and to collect students’ education records from education agencies or institutions for the purposes of evaluating federally supported education programs under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA, 34 CFR §§ 99.31(a)(3)(iii) and 99.35). The data are being collected for NCES by RTI International, a U.S.-based nonprofit research organization. All of the information students, parents, and staff provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). The collected information will be combined across respondents to produce statistical reports.

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