Evaluation of the Toolkit to Support Evidence-Based Algebra Instruction in Middle and High School-Recruitment Activities

Appendix C

Study Recruitment Screener Tool

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OMB # XXXX-XXXX

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

REL Central Toolkit Efficacy Study

District Screening Call – Mathematica Talking Points

Effective communication with school district officials is critical to the success of the study’s recruitment efforts. In addition to sending a recruitment letter (Appendix A) and a study flyer (Appendix B), the study team will be calling school districts to recruit them for study participation. In this appendix, we outline the key goals, discussion topics, and questions for our recruitment calls to district staff. We expect these calls to take approximately 1 hour.

Within a week of sending the recruitment letter and study flyer, a recruiter from the study team will call the appropriate district contact. The recruiter will cover the four topics outlined in this document and will use the included questions to gather information about whether the district will be a good fit for the study. After this first call, recruiters may conduct follow-up calls for clarification purposes. After the study team completes their recruitment call effort, they will review the collected information to determine which districts are the best fit for participating in the study. The study team will then notify the districts of their selection status before moving on to post-recruitment study activities with the selected districts.

1. Introduce and describe the study (10 minutes)

To begin the call, the recruiter will describe the study, covering the following items:

1. The potential benefits of participating in the study

2. A description of the Toolkit

3. The study activities

After describing the study, the recruiter will provide an opportunity for the district point of contact to ask questions.

2. Confirm the district and school eligibility (30 minutes)

After describing the study, the recruiter will use the following talking points to confirm district and school eligibility:

Now I’d like to gather some information about each of the middle and high schools in your district. This will help us determine your district’s eligibility as well as which schools would be a good fit for this study. Before we move forward, I want to let you know that your participation in this call is voluntary, and there are no consequences if you choose not to answer any of the questions or choose to end this call, which you may do at any time. All information from this call will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. We will ensure any information is reported in summary form and none of the responses will be attributed to an individual respondent, school, or district. The information from this call will be used for research purposes only.

First, I’d like to understand a bit more about which schools Algebra 1 is taught at in your district. I understand that there are X middle and high schools in your district. Do all of these schools have Algebra 1 classes? If not, which schools have Algebra 1 classes? [Name each school listed in the table below and collect the following for schools that teach Algebra 1]:

1. About how many Algebra 1 teachers are in each school [name each school that has Algebra 1 classes]?

School Name	Algebra 1 taught in school? (Yes/No)	Number of Algebra 1 teachers at the school
Middle School 1
Middle School 2
High School 1
High School 2

Next, I’d like to learn more about the Algebra 1 curriculum and assessments used throughout the district.

• Is there a single Algebra 1 curriculum that all Algebra 1 classes in your district use? Please share the name(s) of the Algebra 1 curricula used in your district.

Now I’d like to ask you a few questions about the assessments that are given to students in Algebra 1 classes in your district.

• First, do Algebra 1 students take any district-wide algebra assessments?

• IF YES – what is the name of the assessment and when is it typically administered (e.g., at the beginning of the school year; at the beginning and end of the school year; etc).

• Do Algebra 1 students take any state algebra assessments?

• IF YES – what is the name of the assessment and when is it typically administered?

I’d now like to ask a few questions about the professional development supports that Algebra 1 teachers across your district receive throughout the year.

• Approximately how many hours of professional development do Algebra 1 teachers participate in each year? Professional development can include in-person or virtual trainings, workshops, or training through online resources. Please do not include coaching in this estimate; we ask about coaching separately. You can provide an estimated range, if that’s easier.

• Please describe the topics that are typically covered in these professional development sessions.

• Do any Algebra 1 teachers receive individualized coaching on their algebra instruction?

• IF YES – do all Algebra 1 teachers receive coaching or just some?

• IF SOME – can you provide an estimate of the number of Algebra 1 teachers who receive coaching?

• If an Algebra 1 teacher receives coaching, approximately how many hours of coaching does that teacher receive in a year?

• Does the district provide any other resources to Algebra 1 teachers to support their use of teaching Algebra 1 content? For example, this could include teachers’ guides for specific curriculum, online resource repositories that might include things like sample lessons or assessments, or recordings of professional development sessions or lessons? If yes, please describe.

Thank you for answering all of my questions, I really appreciate it. Before we move on, do you have any questions?

3. Other participation considerations (15 minutes)

Next the recruiter will using the following talking points to ask about other considerations that could affect the district’s participation:

Now I’d like to discuss any issues that you think could affect your district’s participation in this study.

1. Often times, districts have processes for reviewing and approving schools to participate in research studies. Could you provide an overview of the process for conducting a study in your school district, or could you direct me to who might have this information?

1. Do you know if your district requires a research application in order for schools to participate in the study?

• IF YES: Could you tell me a bit about what is involved in this process, including any specific deadlines we should be aware of?

2. Ultimately, we will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with districts that participate in the study. Do you know who from the district would need to be involved in reviewing or signing the MOU, and what that process might look like?

2. Are you the right person to be the main point of contact for our study team as we continue exploring [district]’s participation in this study, including informing schools, teachers and instructional leaders to participate in the study? If you are not the right person, could you provide me with this person’s name, role, and contact information?

1. Name:

2. Title/role:

3. Email:

4. Phone Number

3. Finally, I want to get a sense from you with how well you feel this study aligns with your district’s goals and interests based on what we’ve discussed today.

1. On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is not at all interested and 5 is very interested, where would you rate your current level of interest in your district participating in this study?

2. Do you feel that this is something that Algebra 1 teachers and instructional leaders in your district would be interested in participating in?

3. Do you have any concerns, curiosities, or potential barriers about your district’s participation?

4. Review next steps and closing (5 minutes)

The recruiter will end the call using the following talking points:

Thanks so much for answering all my questions and providing this important information. The study team will review everything in the coming weeks and may reach out with follow-up questions if necessary. If your district turns out to be eligible for the study, we will be in touch to work collaboratively with you on exploring potential next steps for participating.

I will follow up with you shortly via email on the next steps. If you have any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.