Supporting Statement for OMB Clearance Request
Appendix A: Notification Letters
National Implementation Study of Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (Title IV, Part A)
Revision to reflect Congress’s creation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA)/ Stronger Connections (SC) Grant Program
Original approved:
March 30, 2022
Copies of the emails sent to the state superintendents, district superintendents, and state and district Title IV-A coordinators for the 2022 Title IV-A surveys are included in the original information collection request. This document includes copies of the correspondence that the study team will send to state superintendents and state Title IV-A coordinators regarding the 2023-24 Follow-Up Survey of State Title IV-A Coordinators.
A.1 State Superintendent pre-survey notification
A.2 State Title IV-A Coordinator pre-survey notification
A.3 State Title IV-A Coordinator survey invitation
Dear [State Superintendent]:
Thank you for participating in the summer 2022 survey of Title IV, Part A implementation. I am writing to ask for your support for an important new survey of state Title IV-A coordinators that will ensure that the U.S. Department of Education (Department) understands how states have begun implementing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Stronger Connections grant program (BSCA-SC). As you know, Congress authorized these funds to State Educational Agencies (SEAs) under Title IV, Part A (Student Support and Academic Enrichment) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The Department has contracted with Abt Associates to conduct this survey.
Purpose of the follow-up survey
The Department issued a total allocation of [SEA_AMOUNT] in BSCA-SC grant funds to your SEA in September 2022. This new survey is part of a broader study of state and district implementation of Title IV, Part A of the ESEA that the Department launched in 2022. The survey is designed to collect information on 1) how states have begun awarding BSCA-SC subgrants to districts, 2) how states defined districts as “high-need,” 3) what types of activities states wanted districts to prioritize when using BSCA-SC funds, and 4) the successes and challenges states may have encountered in implementing BSCA-SC grant-related activities.
Participation in the Survey
The survey will be conducted with all State Title IV, Part A Coordinators in SEAs that are required to award BSCA-SC subgrants on a competitive basis to high-need districts. States receiving BSCA-SC funds are expected to cooperate with Department evaluations under Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 C.F.R. § 76.591). We recognize that state staff have many demands on their time, and we have designed the survey to minimize the burden of participation. We estimate that this 2023-24 Follow-Up Survey of State Title IV-A Coordinators survey will require up to 20 minutes to complete and expect the survey to be administered in the coming months.
Confidentiality
Information collected for this survey comes under the confidentiality and data protection requirements of the Institute of Education Sciences (The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183). Responses to this data collection will be used by the U.S. Department of Education, its contractors, and collaborating researchers only for statistical purposes. While individual states may be identified in reporting, individual respondents will not be identified. The study has been approved by the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB No. 1850-XXXX). We will not provide information that identifies respondents to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law.
Next Steps
Our contractor, Abt Associates (Abt), will contact your State Title IV, Part A Coordinator shortly to provide additional information about the survey. If you have any questions, you may contact the Study Director, Ellen Bobronnikov, at ellen_bobronnikov@abtassoc.com or 617-349-2718 or Michael Fong at the U.S. Department of Education at michael.fong@ed.gov or (202) 245-8407.
Again, I appreciate your support of this survey, which is expected to provide critical information about this important federal program.
Sincerely,
Michael Fong
Contracting Officer’s Representative
National Implementation Study of Title IV, Part A
Institute of Education Sciences
U.S. Department of Education
Dear [State Title IV, Part A Coordinator],
Thank you for participating in the summer 2022 survey of Title IV, Part A implementation. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) recently notified your State Superintendent of an upcoming survey that will help the Department, Congress, and the public understand how states have begun implementing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Stronger Connections grant program (BSCA-SC). The Department has contracted with Abt Associates (Abt) to conduct this survey.
Because BSCA-SC funds were distributed through the Title IV-A program, we request your participation in this survey. However, if a different individual in your state educational agency coordinates BSCA-SC grant activities, please share this email with that person.
Within the next several weeks, please watch for an email invitation that will include [STATE]’s unique link to this survey. We recognize that state educational agency staff like you have many demands on your time, and we have worked with the Department to design the surveys to minimize the burden of participation. We estimate that the survey will require up to 20 minutes to complete. When you receive the unique link to your survey, please ask the most appropriate person in your agency to complete the survey using this link.
Purpose of the survey
The survey is designed to collect information on 1) how states have begun awarding BSCA-SC subgrants to districts, 2) how states defined districts as “high-need,” 3) what types of activities states wanted districts to prioritize when using BSCA-SC funds, and 4) the challenges states may have encountered in implementing BSCA-SC grant-related activities.
Participation in the survey
The survey will be conducted with all State Title IV, Part A Coordinators in SEAs that are required to award BSCA-SC subgrants on a competitive basis to high-need districts. States receiving BSCA-SC funds are expected to cooperate with Department evaluations under Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 C.F.R. § 76.591).
Confidentiality
Information collected for this survey comes under the confidentiality and data protection requirements of the Institute of Education Sciences (The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183). Responses to this data collection will be used by the U.S. Department of Education, its contractors, and collaborating researchers only for statistical purposes. While individual states may be identified in reporting, individual respondents will not be identified. The study has been approved by the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB No. 1850-XXXX). We will not provide information that identifies respondents to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, you may contact me, the Study Director, at SSAE_Study@abtassoc.com. We appreciate your participation in this survey which is expected to provide critical information about this important federal program.
Thank you very much!
Ellen Bobronnikov
Study Director
National Implementation Study of Title IV, Part A
Abt Associates Inc.
Dear [FIRSTNAME],
We recently asked you to watch for an invitation to complete the 2023-24 follow-up state survey for the U.S. Department of Education’s National Study of the Implementation of the Title IV, Part A. Below is your unique link for this survey. This link is specific to the [STATE] state educational agency:
[LINK]
We expect the state survey to take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Please complete the survey by [CLOSINGDATE]. If a different individual in your state educational agency coordinates BSCA-SC grant activities, such as awarding subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs), please ask that person to complete the survey using this link. If possible, for the best results, please use Google Chrome or Firefox browser on a desktop or laptop computer rather than a mobile device.
To answer some items on the survey, it may be useful to gather some information in advance. The survey includes questions about the following:
Total amount of BSCA-SC funding [STATE] has awarded to LEAs
When [STATE] awarded BSCA-SC subgrants to LEAs, or when [STATE] expects to award BSCA-SC subgrants
Number of LEAs that applied for a BSCA-SC subgrant and the number that were awarded a subgrant
[STATE]’s definition of “high-need” LEAs used to award BSCA-SC subgrants
[STATE]’s priorities for how LEAs should use BSCA-SC subgrant funds
Application materials, FAQs, scoring criteria, or other materials for LEAs to apply for a BSCA-SC subgrant
Why should my state participate? Your participation is very important to ensure that all states are represented in the study. Findings from the study will provide important information to policymakers about the implementation of Title IV, Part A and the BSCA-SC grant program. States that receive BSCA-SC funds are expected to cooperate with Department evaluations under Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 C.F.R. § 76.591).
Thank you in advance for your cooperation and participation in this important study. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at SSAE_Study@abtassoc.com.
Sincerely,
Ellen Bobronnikov
Study Director
National Implementation Study of Title IV, Part A
Abt Associates
Notice of Confidentiality
Information collected for this survey comes under the confidentiality and data protection requirements of the Institute of Education Sciences (The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183). Responses to this data collection will be used by the U.S. Department of Education, its contractors, and collaborating researchers only for statistical purposes. While individual states may be identified in reporting, individual respondents will not be identified. We will not provide information that identifies respondents to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law.
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1850-xxxx. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The obligation to respond to this collection is required to obtain or retain benefit (Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 C.F.R. § 76.591)). Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20210-4537 or email ICDocketMgr@ed.gov and reference the OMB Control Number 1850-xxxx.
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