Notification Materials

Appendix C: Notification Materials

State Notification Letter

April XX, 2023 

 

 

Dear [Title III Director],

 

This letter is to notify you that the U.S. Department of Education (the Department), in partnership with the American Institutes for Research® (AIR®), 2M Research, NORC, and the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics (TIMES), is conducting the National Evaluation of Title III Implementation. I would like to take this opportunity to explain the study purpose and design and to ask for your support. 

The purpose of this study is to provide information to policymakers, administrators, and educators about state and local practices for serving English learners (ELs), both through implementation of Title III, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and more generally. In spring 2023, the study team will conduct surveys of state Title III directors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to obtain information about their EL identification and exit criteria, accountability policies and supports, EL teacher supports and credentialing policies, monitoring and evaluation practices, use of Title III funds, and EL personnel. The study will also conduct surveys of a nationally representative sample of Title III-funded districts to learn about local activities to support ELs’ success.

Survey responses collected for this study are confidential and will be used only for descriptive purposes. Upon completion of this study, the study team will produce publicly available reports that will summarize findings across the samples and will not associate responses with specific individuals, states, or districts. The findings will help inform federal program managers in developing useful technical assistance and support for states and local school systems. The study will also help to identify topics for further study.

Please note that Department regulations require recipients of federal funds to cooperate in evaluations of grant programs under which they receive funding (Education Department General Administrative Regulations Section, 34 C.F.R. § 76.591), including this one. If you have any questions about the study, please feel free to contact the study director, Kerstin Le Floch, at klefloch@air.org or 1-800-XXX-XXXX. If you have any questions about the requirement for grantees to participate, you may contact me at Tracy.Rimdzius@ed.gov.   

We truly appreciate your cooperation and support in enabling this study to inform policymakers and other stakeholders about how states and districts are supporting ELs. 

Sincerely, 

 

 

Tracy Rimdzius 
Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education 

State Survey Administration Email

Dear [Title III Director],

You were recently sent a letter from the U.S. Department of Education notifying you of a survey of state Title III directors being conducted as part of its National Evaluation of Title III Implementation. The purpose of this survey is not to monitor states but rather to provide policymakers and other stakeholders with important information on states’ practices for serving English learners (ELs), both through implementation of Title III, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and more generally.

The survey should take approximately 30–45 minutes to complete and will ask about your state’s EL identification and exit criteria, accountability policies and supports, teacher supports and credentialing policies, monitoring and evaluation practices, use of Title III funds, and EL personnel. Data collected through this survey will be summarized across states in publicly available reports, which will not identify any individual survey respondents by name. 

 

At your earliest convenience, please complete the survey using the following link:   

[insert link]  

 

We ask that you please finalize and submit your survey responses by [date].  

 

As a reminder, U.S. Department of Education regulations require recipients of federal funds to cooperate in evaluations of grant programs under which they receive funding (Education Department General Administrative Regulations Section, 34 C.F.R. § 76.591), including this one.  

 

If you have any questions about this survey or the National Evaluation of Title III Implementation in general, please feel free to contact me at klefloch@air.org or 1-866-XXX-XXXX.   

 

We sincerely appreciate your cooperation and support for this important data collection!  

 

Best regards,  

  

Kerstin Le Floch 

Study Director
American Institutes for Research® (AIR®)  

District Notification Letter

April XX, 2023 

 

 

Dear [District Superintendent],

 

[District Name] has been selected to participate in a nationwide survey for the U.S. Department of Education (the Department). The Department contracted with the American Institutes for Research® (AIR®), in partnership with NORC, and the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics (TIMES) to conduct the National Evaluation of Title III Implementation. I would like to take this opportunity to explain the study purpose and design and to ask for your cooperation and support. 

The purpose of this study is to provide information to policymakers, administrators, and educators about state and local practices for serving English learners (ELs), both through implementation of Title III, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and more generally. In spring 2023, the study team will conduct surveys in a nationally representative sample of Title III-funded districts to learn about local activities to support ELs’ success. The survey will be administered online and will take approximately 30–45 minutes to complete. The study will also conduct a survey of state Title III directors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to learn about state-level practices for serving ELs.

Prior to conducting the district survey, the study team will complete any required research approval processes. Survey responses collected for this study are confidential and will be used only for descriptive purposes. Upon completion of this study, the study team will produce publicly available reports that will summarize findings across the samples and will not associate responses with a specific individual, state, or district. The findings will help inform federal program managers in developing useful technical assistance and support for states and local school systems. They will also help to identify strategies that show promise for testing rigorously on a large scale to inform future efforts to build the evidence base on effective strategies for improving EL instruction and supports.

Please note that Department regulations require recipients of federal funds to cooperate in evaluations of grant programs under which they receive funding (Education Department General Administrative Regulations Section, 34 C.F.R. § 76.591), including this one. If you have any questions about the study, please feel free to contact the study director, Kerstin Le Floch, at klefloch@air.org or 1-800-XXX-XXXX. If you have any questions about the requirement for grantees to participate, you may contact me at Tracy.Rimdzius@ed.gov.   

We truly appreciate your cooperation and support in enabling this study to inform policymakers and other stakeholders about how states and districts are supporting ELs. 

Sincerely, 

 

 

Tracy Rimdzius 
Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education 

District Survey Administration Email

Dear [Title III Director],

Your district superintendent recently received a letter from the U.S. Department of Education notifying your district of a survey of district Title III directors being conducted as part of its National Evaluation of Title III Implementation. The purpose of this survey is to provide policymakers and other stakeholders with important information on district practices for serving English learners (ELs), both through implementation of Title III, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and more generally.

The survey should take approximately 30–45 minutes to complete and will ask about your district’s EL services, EL teacher supports, EL identification and reclassification practices, practices for improving schools with a state accountability designation for low EL performance, use of Title III funds, and EL personnel.  Data collected through this survey will be summarized across districts in publicly available reports, which will not identify any districts, schools, or survey respondents by name. 

 

At your earliest convenience, please complete the survey using the following link:   

[insert link]  

 

We ask that you please finalize and submit your survey responses by [date].  

 

As a reminder, U.S. Department of Education regulations require recipients of federal funds to cooperate in evaluations of grant programs under which they receive funding (Education Department General Administrative Regulations Section, 34 C.F.R. § 76.591), including this one.  

 

If you have any questions about this survey or the National Evaluation of Title III Implementation in general, please feel free to contact me at klefloch@air.org or 1-866-XXX-XXXX.   

 

We sincerely appreciate your cooperation and support for this important data collection!  

 

Best regards,  

  

Kerstin Le Floch 

Study Director
American Institutes for Research® (AIR®)