Change Sheet Memo

Memorandum United States Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

National Center for Education Statistics

DATE: May 22, 2020

TO: Robert Sivinski, OMB

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

FROM: Carolyn Fidelman, NCES

SUBJECT: Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017-18 (MGLS:2017) Main Study First Follow-up (MS2) Data Collection End Date Change Request (OMB# 1850-0911 v.27)

The Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017-18 (MGLS:2017) is the first study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to follow a nationally representative sample of students as they enter and move through the middle grades (grades 6–8). The data collected through repeated measures of key constructs will provide a rich descriptive picture of the academic experiences and development of students during these critical years and will allow researchers to examine associations between contextual factors and student outcomes. The study focuses on student achievement in mathematics and literacy along with measures of student socioemotional wellbeing and other outcomes. The study includes students with disabilities for whom descriptive information on their outcomes, educational experiences, and special education services are being collected.

The study conducted an Item Validation Field Test (IVFT) in Winter/Spring 2016 to determine the psychometric properties of assessment and survey items and the predictive potential of items so that valid, reliable, and useful assessment and survey instruments could be developed for the Main Study. An Operational Field Test (OFT) was conducted in Winter/Spring 2017 with a follow-up in Winter/Spring 2018 to test the near-final instruments and recruitment and data collection procedures and materials in preparation for the MGLS:2017 Main Study Base Year (MS1). The MS1 data collection took place in Winter/Spring 2018. The MS2 data collection was delayed by a year to allow time to secure participation from a supplemental sample of schools. While the MS1 data collection was conducted primarily in school settings, the MS2 collection will be conducted outside of school for those students no longer attending their MS1 school or those students who miss the MS2 session.

OMB has approved recruitment activities for the MS2 data collection, tracking of the MS1 sample, and plans for the MS2 data collection. (OMB# 1850-0911 v.20-26).

The current request is to (1) extend the end date for the student data collection to July 31, 2020, and (2) add an email to sample members. Both changes aim to increase participation and the number of student responses. The MS2 student data collection was originally designed to be aligned with the academic year since much of the data collection was scheduled to take place in schools, meaning that the MGLS team had currently scheduled to conclude that data collection at the end of June 2020, while the data collection for adult surveys (parent, teacher, and administrator) is scheduled to go through July 2020. Since the COVID-10 pandemic has moved more of the student data collection away from schools as a collection site, this request is to extend the student data collection through July, in line with the adult surveys, to allow students more time to participate. Prior to school closures due to COVID-19, about 8,000 students from 400 schools participated in MGLS MS2. Since shifting to an all out-of-school data collection in April 2020, an additional 2,200 students have participated. This extension will enable us to increase the number of student responses for the study.

The revisions made to the last approved MGLS:2017 clearance documents (OMB# 1850-0911 v.26) are reflected below. Blue text indicates the document and green text the section of the document in which a change was made, followed by notes regarding the edits. Black font demarks the text that remains unchanged from the last approved, while text in red font shows the revisions that were made.

Part A

Preface was modified to reflect the current request, as follows:

The MS2 data collection, to be conducted from January through June 2020 (when most sample students will be in the eighth grade), was approved in November 2019 and January with the latest update in April 2020 (OMB# 1850-0911 v.24-265). The current request is to (1) conduct out-of-school data collection during school closures due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019); (2) offer students participating outside of school a choice between two session times with differential incentives:

Session length	Incentive
A 45-minute session	$20 plus a certificate for 2 hours of community service from the U.S. Department of Education
A 75-minute session	$20 plus a certificate for 3 hours of community service from the U.S. Department of Education and a donation of $20 to Save the Children’s special fund to help kids affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The current request is to extend the end date for the student data collection to July 31, 2020 and add an email to sample members.

Part B

Preface was updated to reflect the current request, as follows:

MS2 data collection was approved in November 2019 with an update in April 2020 (OMB# 1850-0911 v. 24-265), and the current request is to (1) conduct out-of-school data collection during school closures due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019); (2) offer students participating outside of school the choice between a 45-minute session for $20 plus a certificate for 2 hours of community service from the U.S. Department of Education or a 75-minute session for $20 plus a certificate for 3 hours of community service from the U.S. Department of Education and a donation of $20 to Save the Children’s special fund to help kids affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. extend the end date for the student data collection to July 31, 2020 and add an email to sample members.

Part W

Appendix MS2-W.6. was added to include a second email message from NCES.

Subject line = “Reminder from the U.S. Department of Education”

Dear <<fname>>,

As the Project Officer for the Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017-18 (MGLS:2017), from the National Center for Education Statistics, I hope you will consider participating in this exciting study. During these unprecedented times of school closures and remote learning, your participation is more important than ever. The final day to participate is <<end date>>.

<<IF STUDENT IS OOS AND NOT YET COMPLETE: As a thank you for participating, <student_fname> will receive $20 plus a 2-hour community service certificate for completing a 45-minute session or a 3-hour service certificate for completing a 75-minute session.

For those who complete the 75-minute session, we will make an additional donation of $20 to Save the Children’s special fund to help kids affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Please give <student_fname> the information below to complete the student session:

Student Web Address: https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/mglsstudent/

Student Study ID: <<Student Study ID>>

Student Password: <<Student Password>>

<<IF PARENT/TEACHER/ADMIN HAS NOT ALREADY PARTICIPATED: On average, the <parent/teacher/administrator> survey takes about <##> minutes <IF INCENTIVE: and you will receive $<<inc_amount>> as a token of appreciation for completing it.>

To complete the survey online, go to our secure website, or click here:

Web Address: https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/mgls/

Study ID: << StudyID>>

Password: << password>>

If you have questions, please call us toll free at 855-500-1432. Our data collection contractor, RTI International, is available to assist you with any questions you may have.

Thank you for helping to make MGLS:2017 a success.

Carolyn Fidelman

MGLS:2017 Project Officer

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education

Carolyn.Fidelman@ed.gov

OMB Control Number: 1850-0911

Learn more about our confidentiality procedures at https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/MGLS/Home/About