Appendix D
Introductory Letters to Students
<date>
Dear Institutional Research Staff, Registrars and Officials:
«entity_name» has been selected to participate in the 2004/09 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09). The study collects information on students’ persistence in postsecondary education, movement in and out of postsecondary education and between institutions, their degree attainment, and eventual career decisions. Students in the study were identified as being eligible based upon their responses to the 2004 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). As part of the BPS:04/09 study, these students will be interviewed again, focusing on their experiences in the three years since their last interview. Publications from previous BPS studies are available on the National Center for Education Statistics website: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/bps/.
As part of the BPS:04/09 study, the U.S. Department of Education is requesting undergraduate transcripts for all BPS sample members for your institution. Transcript data, in conjunction with data from student interviews and databases, such as the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), result in a dataset that can link BPS sample members’ undergraduate academic experiences to their subsequent career paths and employment history. We are requesting that the transcript data be submitted electronically, preferably in EDI or XML format. Many options are available to you for providing transcript data. These options and instructions are included in this package.
Transcript data will be collected under the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) that allow the release of student records to the Secretary of Education or his/her agent without prior written consent from students. The purposes of the study and the manner in which the transcript data will be acquired comply fully with FERPA requirements. We have included in this package the relevant passages of the legislation that authorize the transcript data collection.
Let me assure you that the most stringent measures are in place to safeguard the confidentiality of participants and that individually identifying information will be protected from disclosure by federal statute (42 U.S. Code 24, 308d).
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), U.S. Department of Education, has contracted with RTI International (RTI) to conduct BPS:04/09. Your cooperation with RTI in this important study is greatly appreciated. For further information or questions, please contact the RTI project director, Dr. Jennifer Wine, at (919) 541-6807 or jennifer@rti.org. You may also contact the NCES Project Officer, Dr. Tracy Hunt-White at (202) 502-7438.
Sincerely,
Mark Schneider
Commissioner
National Center for Education Statistics
{date}
{contact_salute} {contact_fname}{contact_lname}
{inst_name}
{inst_addr1}
{inst_adr2}
{inst_city}, {inst_st} {inst_zip}
Dear {contact_salute} {contact_lname}:
As indicated in the enclosed letter from Mark Schneider, Commissioner of the U. S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, RTI International is currently conducting the 2004/09 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09). Authorized by federal law (P.L. 103-382), the BPS data will provide researchers, educators, and policymakers with critical information about the role that an undergraduate education plays in the short- and long-term outcomes of postsecondary students. I am writing to request transcripts for {sch_num} BPS:04/09 sample member{s} who attended your institution during the {year} academic year. To facilitate our coding of your institution’s transcripts, it would be helpful to also receive a mapping of your institution’s degree programs and courses to the Classification of Instructional Programs: 2000 Edition, if such a mapping exists.
Included with this package are detailed instructions for preparing and transmitting transcript data to RTI. A list of students for whom transcripts are requested is posted, with their student ID numbers and dates of birth, at the secure study website listed in the box below. To gain access to the site, you will need to log in using the username and password printed at the bottom of this letter. Also available at the website are instructions for obtaining reimbursement for the requested transcripts, should your institution require it. We would appreciate receiving the requested transcript data on or before [DUE DATE]. Please do not hesitate to call me if you feel you need to have a later delivery date.
Thank you for your cooperation and timely attention to this matter. Please feel free to contact me for additional information. You can reach me by telephone at (919) 541-6870 or e-mail me at jennifer@rti.org.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Wine, Ph.D.
B
Please visit the study
website for more information:
https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/bpsschool/
To
log in,
enter
the IPEDS UNITID below as your username and enter the password
below.
Your IPEDS UNITID: «entity_id»
Your password: «password»
This document provides instructions for you to use while preparing and transmitting the transcript data for the students at your institution who have been selected to participate in the 2004/09 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09). To find out more about the study, visit the study’s secure website at https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/bpsschool/. Log in using the username and password printed at the bottom of the letter you received with these instructions. You will need your username and password each time you log in to the web site.
Whose transcript data are requested?
BPS:04/09 selected its sample from the 2004 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:04), sampling from those students who first started their postsecondary education after high school during the 2003-2004 academic year. The secure study website contains the names, student ID numbers, and dates of birth for the BPS:04/09 sample students.
To see the list of sampled students for your institution, please go to the secure study website referenced above.
Does the transcript data collection comply with FERPA?
The BPS:04/09 postsecondary transcript collection complies with all provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), allowing the release of student information to RTI without the express permission of the student. FERPA regulations stipulate that all disclosures be reported in the student record, with an indication of who received the information and their legitimate interests in the information. For schools without electronic student record systems, we have enclosed a Disclosure Notice which may also be printed from the study website. These notices fulfill the requirements of 34 CFR 99.32(a) pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. 1232g). Electronic student record systems will require the insertion of a similar statement.
How can my institution be reimbursed for the transcripts provided?
If your institution requires reimbursement for transmitting transcript data, please refer to the Detailed Instructions for Providing Transcript Data page on the study website. Complete the form available on that page and be sure to include the address to which reimbursement should be sent. RTI will reimburse your institution’s expenses upon receipt of the transcript data.
Whom should I contact for questions or problems?
Please do not hesitate to contact the BPS Help Desk at RTI if you have any questions or problems with this request, the transmission of transcript data, or your reimbursement. The help desk may be called toll-free at 1-877-256-8029 or contacted via e-mail at BPStranscripts@rti.org.
What should I do BEFORE sending any transcripts?
Prior to sending transcript data, please complete the Institution Information and Transcript Data Transmission pages available on the study website.
Institution Information page: At this page, you will need to provide or, if already available, confirm selected information about your institution.
Transcript Data Transmission page: Each student’s name will be listed on the transmission page. Please check the box next to each student whose transcript you are sending and select the mode of submission. If you are unable to provide a transcript for some reason, please enter the reason in the space provided. For example, reasons might be: "No record that student ever attended" or "Transcript cannot be located." Please print it and retain a copy of your completed transmission page for your records. You must complete the Transcript Data Transmission webpage, prior to sending transcript data, so that we may verify receipt of all transcript data submitted.
How do I transmit transcripts to RTI?
A number of options are available for transmitting transcripts to RTI. Each is described below.
Uploading to the Secure Study Website: Uploading electronic transcript data directly to the secure study website, preferably in XML or EDI format, is the preferred method for sending transcript data to RTI. If your transcript data are not in one of these formats, we ask that you or a programmer from your institution convert them to a format that we can process using the file specifications available on the study website. However, if you are unable to reformat the transcript data to match the file specifications, we will accept them in their existing format.
Sending Transcript Data as an Encrypted Attachment by Electronic Mail: If you choose to use electronic mail (e-mail) to submit student transcript data, the attachment containing the data will need to be encrypted, such as using SecureZIP (select the option Use FIPS 140 Mode), to ensure they are transmitted securely. SecureZIP can be downloaded free of charge from the website: http://www.securezip.com. Detailed instructions for downloading and using SecureZIP can be found on the BPS website at https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/bpsschool/. If you would like to use encryption software other than SecureZIP, we ask that you first contact the Help Desk to ensure that the software you plan to use complies with our security standards.
Once the attachment is encrypted, please send the e-mail to BPStranscripts@rti.org. In the body of your e-mail message containing the transcript data, please tell us how many attachments you are sending and what they are so we may verify that we received everything. If you need assistance with this process, please contact our Help Desk toll-free at 1-877-256-8029 or via e-mail at BPStranscripts@rti.org.
Sending Transcript Data by Secure File Transfer Protocol (FTPS): If you wish to submit transcript data using our FTPS site, please contact John Doherty at RTI to obtain the FTPS site location and your username and password. Mr. Doherty may be reached by telephone at (919) 541-7120 or e-mail at doherty@rti.org. Additional instructions on how to perform the data transfer via FTPS may be found on the BPS study website. After you have successfully uploaded your files to the FTPS server, please send an e-mail to doherty@rti.org with the names of the files and their structure.
Faxing Hard Copy Transcripts: If your institution is unable to provide the transcript data electronically via any of the methods previously mentioned, you may fax transcripts toll-free to our secure fax machine at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX. First, you need to fax the Student Transcript Fax Test Page included in this packet with your name, telephone number, and fax number to ensure that the transfer is working correctly. We will then contact you to confirm that we successfully received the test page. At that point, you may send the completed Student Transcript Fax Transmittal Sheet along with the transcripts to the same number.
What is the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) mapping that is requested for transcript coding?
Once transcript data are received, the individual courses and degree programs reported in the transcript will be coded using a common classification system, the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP): 2000 Edition. Receiving a mapping already defined for your institution will greatly facilitate the coding effort. The mapping can be transmitted to RTI by uploading it to the secure study website: https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/bpsschool/, or sending it via e-mail to BPStranscripts@rti.org.
Why are you also collecting course catalogs?
We are also collecting course catalogs from institutions to use when coding transcript courses to the Classification of Instructional Programs: 2000 Edition. We have already collected the majority of the catalogs via online resources. If we need a course catalog from your institution, there will be a Catalog Transmittal Sheet immediately following this document in your packet. It will include a list of the catalogs requested and instructions for sending them to RTI. If you do not find a Catalog Transmittal Sheet in this packet, then none is needed from your institution at this time.
How can I indicate that I am done submitting data?
When you have submitted all available data to RTI, select “Indicate you are done submitting data” from the BPS Transcripts Main Menu on the study website and click the button available on that screen. That will alert us to examine the data you provided.
How else may I contact RTI?
If you wish to send non-confidential correspondence to RTI, please use RTI's address below. Do not send hard copy transcripts to this address.
Tiffany Mattox
BPS:04/09 Transcripts
RTI International
PO Box 12194
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
IPEDS ID#: «School_ID»
Name of Sender: ____________________________________
Date: ___________________________
Telephone number: __________________________________
In order to properly code the transcript data we will receive for your graduates, we need to obtain a copy of your institution’s course catalogs, bulletins, or other materials that describe the course offerings for each academic year listed below.
<cat_yr_needed> <level>
<cat_yr_needed> <level>
<cat_yr_needed> <level>
<cat_yr_needed> <level>
Instructions:
If the catalog(s) exist electronically, please send an e-mail to BPStranscripts@rti.org and either direct us to the catalog(s) online or send the catalog(s) as an attachment. If you need to send hard copy catalogs, please place check marks in the appropriate columns below to indicate the types of course catalogs you are sending for each year. Please do not send catalogs for which “not needed” appears. Please keep a copy of this completed sheet for your records and send the original to RTI with the catalogs using the FedEx materials provided.
Academic Year |
Type of catalog provided (please place checks or comments as appropriate) |
|||
Institution-wide/general |
Undergraduate |
Graduate |
Other school/program (please specify) |
|
2003-2004 |
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|
N/A |
|
2004-2005 |
|
|
N/A |
|
2005-2006 |
|
|
|
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2006-2007 |
|
|
|
|
2007-2008 |
|
|
|
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2008-2009 |
|
|
|
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Other year (please describe) |
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|
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|
IPEDS ID#: «School_ID»
Name of Sender: ____________________________________
Date: ___________________________
Telephone number: __________________________________
Fax number: __________________________________
Number of sampled students: «tot_cnt»
Number of students whose transcripts you are sending: ________
Number of transcripts you are sending (there could be multiple per student): ________
Instructions:
Be sure that you have faxed the Student Transcript Fax Test Page and been contacted to confirm its receipt before sending this page or the transcripts.
If a student transferred to your institution from another institution, please also send copies of any transcripts that you have from other institutions (unless that information is already included on the transcript from your institution).
Once you have filled out the top of this document, please fax it and student transcripts to 1-866-XXX-XXXX.
DISCLOSURE NOTICE
The transcript data for this student have been provided to RTI International, a not-for-profit research organization and agent for the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. This disclosure statement fulfills the requirements of 34 CFR 99.32(a) pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. 1232g).
The transcript data were requested for the 2004/09 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09), a longitudinal study of students who first enrolled in postsecondary education during the 2003-04 academic year. Data from these records will be combined with others into statistical summaries and tables and may not be used in identifiable form for any purpose unless otherwise compelled by law (Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Section 183).
The collection of information in this study is authorized by Section 404(a) of the National Education Statistics Act of 1994, Title IV of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994, Public Law 103-382 and continued under the auspices of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Public Law 107-279. Participation is voluntary. Information will be protected from disclosure by federal statute (20 USC 9003a-9007, as amended).
OMB # Expiration Date:
|
BPS:04/09
Supporting Statement Request for OMB Review (SF83i) D-
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | Appendix D Contacting Materials |
| Subject | BPS:04/09 OMB |
| Author | spowell |
| Last Modified By | kathy.axt |
| File Modified | 2008-09-01 |
| File Created | 2008-09-01 |