Notification, Survey Invitation, and Reminder Materials

Appendix C:
Notification, Survey Invitation,
and Reminder Materials

Notification Materials

• District notification letter

district NOTIFICATION Letter

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance

MONTH 2024

Superintendent

District Name

Address

City, State ZIP

Dear Superintendent:

Thank you for all your efforts on behalf of the nation’s children. I am writing to ask for your help in obtaining information this spring for the Study of the Impact of English Learner Classification and Reclassification Policies. The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education has contracted with Westat to conduct the study. The study will provide policymakers, administrators, and educators with information about how classification and reclassification of English learners affect their instructional experiences and outcomes. The surveys will provide valuable information on local implementation of classification and reclassification procedures and other instructional settings, programs, and services that may affect outcomes for English learners. This information can be used to understand the policy environments associated with entrance policies that identify students most likely to benefit from receiving English learner services and exit procedures that provide a smooth transition out of English learner status.

[State] is participating in the study and the state Title III coordinator has been notified that <<D_NAME>> has been selected to participate in this study. The information your district provides is critical to the Department’s ability to improve federal programs provided to English learners under Title III. Your survey responses will be combined with state longitudinal data system data that [State] is providing for the study. More information about the study can be found on the IES website (https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/projects/evaluation/elreclassification.asp).

There is nothing for your office to do at this time. Soon, you will receive a request to complete an online survey from Westat, which is conducting the survey on behalf of IES. Recipients of funds under Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) are expected to cooperate with Department evaluations (Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 C.F.R. § 76.591)). The survey will take approximately 45 minutes to complete.

[FOR DISTRICTS WITH SAMPLED SCHOOLS: In addition, one or more schools within your district has been selected for the study’s sample. Westat will send principals of sampled schools a request to complete an online survey for their school. The principal survey is voluntary and designed to be completed in about 30 minutes. If allowed by district policy, principals will receive $50 after completing their survey to thank them for their participation.]

Information collected for this study 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. Reports will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with specific districts, schools, or individuals. All of the information you 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 study has been approved by the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB No. 1850-0974).

Thank you in advance for your support of this important study. If you have any questions about the expectation to cooperate, please feel free to contact me at Tracy.Rimdzius@ed.gov. If you have any other questions about this study, please contact a member of the study team at xxx-xxx-xxxx or by email at IES_ELStudy_surveys@westat.com. We look forward to working with your district to make this study a success!

Sincerely,

Tracy Rimdzius

Project Officer

Study of the Impact of English Learner Classification and Reclassification Policies

Institute of Education Sciences

U.S. Department of Education

«DISTRICT_ID»

Survey Invitation Materials

• District survey invitation letter

• School survey invitation letter

• School survey invitation email

district survey invitation Letter

MONTH 2024

Superintendent

District Name

Address

City, State ZIP

Dear Superintendent:

As previously notified, << D_NAME>> has have been selected to participate in a multi-state survey for the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) as part of the Study of the Impact of English Learner Classification and Reclassification Policies. [State] is participating by contributing data from its state longitudinal data system. Your survey responses will be combined with state longitudinal data to understand local policies, practices, and procedures influencing English learners’ outcomes following classification and reclassification. More information about the study can be found on the IES website (https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/projects/evaluation/elreclassification.asp).

Who will collect the data from my district? IES has contracted with Westat to conduct the survey.

What do you need from my district? We request that you complete a 45-minute survey about your district. This survey includes questions about (1) procedures for initial classification of students as English learners, (2) language instruction for English learners, (3) selection or assignment processes for academic content courses for students in grades 6 to 12, (4) procedures for reclassifying students out of English learner status, (5) monitoring of students after they leave English learner status, (6) dual identification of students as English learners and as students with disabilities, and (7) dual language immersion programs.

Why is my participation important? The information from this survey is critical to the Department’s ability to improve federal programs and to support districts and schools. Recipients of funds through Title III are expected to cooperate with Department evaluations (Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 C.F.R. § 76.591)).

How does IES protect the confidentiality of the information that I provide? Information collected for this survey comes under the confidentiality and data protection requirements of IES (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. Reports will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with specific districts or individuals. All of the information you 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 study has been approved by the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB No. 1850-0974).

How do I complete the survey? Below is the URL for the online survey, along with your district’s username and password.

https://

District Username: «Username»

District Password: «Password»

District name: «D_NAME»

You or your designee can access the survey at any time by typing the URL into your web browser. You can save your answers and return to the survey as many times as you need. Please note that more than one respondent can be working on different sections of the survey simultaneously, but no two people should try to enter data for the same survey section at the same time, as responses will not be saved accurately. It is our expectation that you will be responsible for the quality and integrity of the data.

We ask that you or your designee(s) submit it by Month xx, 2025.

Thank you for your participation in this important study. If you have any questions about the expectation to cooperate, please feel free to contact Tracy Rimdzius, the federal project officer for the study, at Tracy.Rimdzius@ed.gov. If you have any other questions about this study, please contact a member of the study team at xxx-xxx-xxxx or by email at IES_ELStudy_surveys@westat.com. We look forward to working with your district to make this study a success!

Sincerely,

Eric Isenberg

Westat Project Director

Notice of Confidentiality

Information collected for this study 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. Reports will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with specific districts or individuals. All of the information you 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). Districts receiving funds under Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) are expected to cooperate with Department evaluations (Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 C.F.R. § 76.591)).

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 1850-0974. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 45 minutes per survey, including the time to review instructions, search existing data sources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-4651. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to: Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202.

Study of the Impact of English Learner Classification and Reclassification Policies

school Survey invitation letter

MONTH 2025

Principal

School Name

Address

City, State ZIP

Dear Principal:

Thank you for all your efforts on behalf of the nation’s children. I am writing to ask for your help in obtaining information this spring for the Study of the Impact of English Learner Classification and Reclassification Policies. The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education has selected [SCHOOL] and [District] to participate in surveys being conducted as part of this study. The survey focuses on school-level practices and procedures that may affect English learners’ instructional experiences and outcomes. IES requests your cooperation by providing important information on your school’s experiences. [State] is participating in the study and the state Title III coordinator has been notified that [District] and [School] have been selected to participate in the survey.

Who will collect the data from my district? IES has contracted with Westat to conduct the survey.

What do you need from my school? We request that you complete a 30-minute survey about your school. This survey includes questions about (1) language instruction for English learners, (2) selection or assignment processes for academic content courses, (3) procedures for reclassifying students out of English learner status, and (4) monitoring of students after they leave English learner status.

Why is my participation important? Your perspectives are important to ensure that the study incorporates your school’s experiences. While your participation in this study is voluntary, it is critical to make the results of the study comprehensive, accurate, and timely because your school is one of a small sample selected for the study. To thank you for your participation, you will receive $50 after submission of your completed survey (if allowed by district policy).

How does IES protect the confidentiality of the information that I provide? Information collected for this study 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. Reports will summarize findings across the sample of schools and will not associate responses with specific districts, schools, or individuals. All of the information you 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. § 151Your district has been informed about this study, and it has been approved by the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB No. 1850-0974).

How do I complete the survey? Below is the link to the unique school survey, along with your username and password:

https://

School Username: «Username»

School Password: «Password»

School name: «S_NAME»

Please submit your survey by Month xx, 2025.

Thank you for your participation in this important study. If you have any questions about this study, please contact a member of the study team at XXX-XXX-XXXX (toll-free) or by email at IES_ELStudy_surveys@westat.com. We look forward to working with your school to make this study a success!

Sincerely,

Tracy Rimdzius

Project Officer

Study of the Impact of English Learner Classification and Reclassification Policies

Institute of Education Sciences

U.S. Department of Education

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. Reports will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with specific schools or individuals. All of the information you 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).

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 1850-0974. The time required to complete the survey is estimated to average 30 minutes per survey, including time to review instructions, search existing data sources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-4651. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to: Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202.

school Survey invitation email

From: IES_ELStudy_surveys@westat.com

Sent to: Principal Email

Subject: U.S. Department of Education Study of the Impact of English Learner Classification and Reclassification Policies

Study of the Impact of English Learner Classification and Reclassification Policies

U.S. Department of Education * Institute of Education Sciences

Date

Dear Principal:

Thank you for all your efforts on behalf of the nation’s children. I am following up on a recent letter asking for your help in obtaining information this spring for a study being conducted on the Impact of English Learner Classification and Reclassification Policies. The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education has selected [SCHOOL] and [District] to participate in surveys being conducted as part of this study. The survey focuses on school-level practices and procedures that may affect ELs’ experiences after classification and reclassification. IES requests your cooperation by providing important information on your school’s experiences. [State] is participating in the study and the state Title III coordinator has been notified that [District] and [School] have been selected to participate in the survey.

Who will collect the data from my district? IES has contracted with Westat to conduct the survey.

What do you need from my school? We request that you complete a 30-minute survey about your school. This survey includes questions about (1) language instruction for English learners, (2) selection or assignment processes for academic content courses, (3) procedures for reclassifying students out of EL status, and (4) monitoring of students after they leave English learner status.

Why is my participation important? Your perspectives are important to ensure that the study incorporates your school’s experiences. While your participation in this study is voluntary, it is critical to make the results of the study comprehensive, accurate, and timely because your school is one of a small sample selected for the study. To thank you for your participation, you will receive $50 after submission of your completed survey (if allowed by district policy).

How does IES protect the confidentiality of the information that I provide? Information collected for this study 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. Reports will summarize findings across the sample of schools and will not associate responses with specific districts, schools, or individuals. All of the information you 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). Your district has been informed about this study, and the study has been approved by the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB No. 1850-0974).

How do I complete the survey? Below is the link to the unique school survey, along with your username and password:

https://

School Username: «Username»

School Password: «Password»

School name: «S_NAME»

Please submit your survey by Month xx, 2025.

Thank you for your participation in this important study. If you have any questions about this study, please contact a member of the study team at XXX-XXX-XXXX (toll-free) or by email at IES_ELStudy_surveys@westat.com. We look forward to working with your school to make this study a success!

Sincerely,

Tracy Rimdzius

Project Officer

Study of the Impact of English Learner Classification and Reclassification Policies

Institute of Education Sciences

U.S. Department of Education

Reminder Materials

• District survey reminder email

• School survey reminder email

District Survey REMINDER email

From: IES_ELStudy_surveys@westat.com

Sent to: Superintendent Email

Subject: Reminder - U.S. Department of Education English Learner Study

Study of the Impact of English Learner Classification and Reclassification Policies

U.S. Department of Education * Institute of Education Sciences

Dear «Superintendent_name»:

We recently asked for your help with a survey on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education’s Study of the Impact of English Learner Classification and Reclassification Policies. I am reaching out today to encourage the completion of your district’s survey by the deadline.

The purpose of this survey is to understand the district-level practices and procedures that may affect English learners’ experiences after classification and reclassification. As a reminder, recipients of funds through Title III are expected to cooperate with Department evaluations of those programs (Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 C.F.R. § 76.591)).

If you have recently submitted your district survey, please accept our sincere thanks! If you have not, please submit your survey by [DATE]. The survey will take approximately 45 minutes to complete and can be accessed at any time. If you have started the survey, your answers have been saved and you can pick up where you left off. You may return to the survey as many times as you need and it can be accessed at any time. Responding to the survey is your opportunity to ensure that the study incorporates the experiences of English learners in your district.

Below is the link to the survey, along with your district’s username and password. The survey may require input from more than one respondent in your district.

URL: https://

District Username: «Username»

District Password: «Password»

District name: «D_NAME»

You or your designee may return to the website at any time by clicking on the link above. You can save your answers and return to the survey as many times as you need. Please note that more than one respondent can be working on different sections of the survey simultaneously, but no two people should try to enter data for the same survey section at the same time, as responses will not be saved accurately. 

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and participation in this important study. If you have any questions about this study, please contact a member of the study team at 855-780-0647 or by email at IES_ELStudy_surveys@westat.com. We look forward to working with your district to make this study a success!

Sincerely,

Eric Isenberg

Westat Project Director

Study of the Impact of English Learner Classification and Reclassification Policies

school Survey REMINDER email

From: IES_ELStudy_surveys@westat.com

Sent to: Principal Email

Subject: Reminder – U.S. Department of Education English Learner Study

Study of the Impact of English Learner Classification and Reclassification Policies

U.S. Department of Education * Institute of Education Sciences

Date

Dear Principal:

This email is to remind and encourage you to complete the school survey for the Study of the Impact of English Learner Classification and Reclassification Policies being conducted for the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education.

I want to assure you there is still time to complete the survey. I am following up to encourage you to complete the survey. As a reminder, the survey is focused on the school-level practices and procedures that may affect English learners’ experiences after classification and reclassification.

If you have recently submitted your school survey, please accept our sincere thanks! If you have not, please submit your survey by [DATE]. The survey will take approximately 30 minutes to complete and can be accessed at any time. If you have started the survey, your answers have been saved and you can pick up where you left off. You may return to the survey as many times as you need and it can be accessed at any time. Responding to the survey is your opportunity to ensure that the study incorporates the experiences of English learners in your school.

Below is the link to the school survey along with your login credentials:

URL: https://

School Username: «Username»

School Password: «Password»

School name: «S_NAME»

Please complete and submit your survey as soon as possible. While your participation is voluntary, your response to the entire survey is critical to make the results of the study comprehensive, accurate, and timely. To thank you for your participation, you will receive $50 after submission of your completed survey (if allowed by district policy).

Thank you for your participation in this important study. If you have questions, please contact a member of the study team at XXX-XXX-XXXX (toll-free) or by email at IES_ELStudy_surveys@westat.com.

Sincerely,

Eric Isenberg

Westat Project Director

Study of the Impact of English Learner Classification and Reclassification Policies

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