Case Studies Correspondance/notificaiton Letters

Task Order 27
Study of Digital Learning Resources for
Instructing English Learner Students
Task 4.4 (Part 18) Case Study — Case Study Correspondence

July 11, 2016

Submitted to:
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development

Submitted by:
Westat
1600 Research Boulevard
Rockville, Maryland 20850-3129
(301) 251-1500

Study of Digital Learning Resources for
Instructing English Learner Students
Task 4.4 (Part 18) Case Study — Case Study Correspondence

Prepared by:
Philip Vahey
Daniela Torre
Kaily Yee
Savitha Moorthy
Kea Vogt
SRI International
Annette Zehler
Eva Chen
Jennifer Flynn
Karin Katterfeld
Adrienne von Glatz
Westat
Yesim Yilmazel-Sahin
OneWorld Linguistic Consulting, LLC

Table of Contents
District Superintendent Notification Letter ....................................................................

1

District Interview Participant Email .................................................................................

3

School Principal Notification Letter .................................................................................

5

School Participant Email....................................................................................................

7

Study of Digital Learning Resources for Instructing English Learner Students

Case Study: District Superintendent Notification Letter
Dear [District Superintendent]:
Thank you for your district’s participation in the Study of Digital Learning Resources for Instructing
English Learner Students. We greatly appreciate your contributions to the survey components of the
study. You are contributing to an important initiative on the part of the U.S. Department of Education to
understand more about how DLRs are being used in K–12 education for EL students in schools today, as
well as to provide developers with advice on the design of DLRs with ELs.
The goals of the study include the development of a toolkit for DLR developers to inform them on how
best to meet the needs of educators who instruct EL students, and production of a guide for educators
to assist them in selecting and using DLRs in instructing EL students. Your participation in the survey
component of the study is assisting the study to meet the study goals.
We are writing to invite your participation in the case study component of this project to further inform
the study findings through your district’s experience in use of DLRs. The study includes detailed case
studies of six school districts serving ELs. Within each school district, the case studies will focus on two
schools. The goal of the case studies is to provide a window into understanding how districts, schools,
and teachers identify, select, and use DLRs with EL students.
Our plan for each three-day case study includes:





A two-person research team will visit your school district for three days in the fall of the
2016–17 school year.
One day will be spent at the district office interviewing district administrators. The exact
individuals to be interviewed can be determined in future discussions with you, but will include
district administrators with responsibilities related to identifying, selecting, and supporting the
use of DLRs and administrators familiar with services for EL students in your district.
One day will be spent at each of two school sites. Our researchers will interview the principal,
teachers of ELs, and any coordinator for EL services, and/or technology coach, where present.
We will also include one to two observations in the classrooms of teachers of ELs who are also
frequent users of DLRs. We will ask interviewed teachers to provide a brief demonstration of a
DLR they use and its features and functions.

While it is always extra work to have visitors on campus, the study team is committed to doing
everything in its power to minimize impact on your district. We will be flexible and work with you to set
a date for the site visit within the study period that is convenient for you and will not interfere with
other activities taking place in the district or in the selected two schools.
Prior to being interviewed, all participants will be informed that their participation is voluntary and that
their responses are confidential to the extent permitted by law. They will receive a consent form that
describes the purposes of the data collection and outlines their privacy rights and the confidentiality of
the data as described here. Responses to this data collection will be used to summarize findings in an
aggregate manner (across groups of sites), or will be used to provide examples of program
implementation in a manner that does not associate responses with a specific district or individual. In
the report, pseudonyms will be used for each district. The study team may refer to the generic title of
an individual (e.g., “district coordinator,” or “school principal”) but neither the district name nor the

1

individual name will be used. All efforts will be made to keep the description of the district and schools
general enough so that a reader would never be able to determine the true name or identity of the
district or individuals at the site. The study team will make sure that access to all data with identifiable
information is limited to members of the study team. The study team will not provide information that
associates responses or findings with a subject or district to anyone outside the study team, and will
protect or maintain confidentiality for data collected, except as required by law.
A summary of the case study findings will be included in a report published by the U.S. Department of
Education. In addition to the report, the research team will also produce two brief, field-focused guides
for educators and technology developers on the design and use of DLRs with EL students. While
participation in this study is completely voluntary, your district’s participation will be important to our
fully informing the Department of Education. We hope that you will accept this invitation so that your
experiences and insights can inform the development of these resources, and advance the design and
use of DLRs with ELs.
If you have any comments or questions regarding the study, please contact the Project Co-Director,
Philip Vahey, at 650-859-2143 or via email at philip.vahey@sri.com. A member of the study team will be
in touch shortly to discuss further details related to your participation in this important study.
Thank you very much for your consideration.
Sincerely,

Philip Vahey
Deputy Director

Attached:

Annette M. Zehler
Project Director

Study Description

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 xxxx-xxxx. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to average 60 minutes
per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed,
and complete and review the information collection. There is no obligation to respond to this collection;
participation is voluntary. If you have comments or concerns about the status of your individual submission of this
form, application, or survey, please contact [Name and Contact Information], U.S. Department of Education, Policy
and Program Studies Service, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20202, directly. (Note: Please do not return
the completed instrument, form, application, or survey to this address.)

2

Study of Digital Learning Resources for Instructing English Learner Students

Case Study: District Interview Participant Email

Dear [Administrator Name]:
I am writing to invite you to participate in a case study visit to your district that is part of an important
national Study of Digital Learning Resources (DLRs) for Instructing English Learner (EL) Students, a study
conducted for the U.S. Department of Education by Westat and SRI International. The attached
document provides a brief description of the overall study.
Your district superintendent, [Name], has agreed to your district’s participation in a three-day case study
visit. To assist with the study, we are asking district administrators who have a role in decision-making
and support related to DLR use in general and DLR use in instruction of EL students to participate in
interviews during the visit to your district.
We would like to include you in the interviews to be conducted so that we can learn more about DLR
use at [district/school] and your perspectives on DLRs, their use, and gaps in the field. The interview will
last approximately an hour, and will cover topics related to the use of DLRs in instruction in general and
in particular with ELs.
We hope that you will accept our invitation to participate so that your experiences and insights can be
included and more fully inform the study findings. You will be contributing to an important initiative on
the part of the U.S. Department of Education to understand more about how DLRs are being used in
K–12 education for EL students in schools today.
Your participation is voluntary but is needed to ensure that the findings of the study are accurate. Your
responses will represent many other districts that are similar to yours. Responses to this data collection
will be used to summarize findings in an aggregate manner (across groups of sites), or will be used to
provide examples of program implementation in a manner that does not associate responses with a
specific district, school, or individual. In the report, pseudonyms will be used for each district and
school. The study team may refer to the generic title of an individual (e.g., “district coordinator,” or
“school principal”) but neither the site name nor the individual name will be used. All efforts will be
made to keep the description of the district and school general enough so that a reader would never be
able to determine the true name or identity of the site or individuals at the site. The study team will
make sure that access to all data with identifiable information is limited to members of the study team.
The study team will not provide information that associates responses or findings with a subject, school,
or district to anyone outside the study team, and will protect or maintain confidentiality for data
collected, except as required by law.

3

Thank you so much for considering our request. A member of the study team will be in touch shortly to
discuss further details related to your participation in this study. In the meantime, please let me know if
you have questions or need more information about the study.
Best,
Philip Vahey
Deputy Director

Annette M. Zehler
Project Director

Contact information
Attached:
Study Description

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 xxxx-xxxx. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to average 60 minutes
per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed,
and complete and review the information collection. There is no obligation to respond to this collection;
participation is voluntary. If you have comments or concerns about the status of your individual submission of this
form, application, or survey, please contact [Name and Contact Information], U.S. Department of Education, Policy
and Program Studies Service, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20202, directly. (Note: Please do not return
the completed instrument, form, application, or survey to this address.)

4

Study of Digital Learning Resources for Instructing English Learner Students

Case Study: School Principal Notification Letter

Dear [Principal]:
I am writing to invite [school] to participate in an important national study of the use of Digital Learning
Resources (DLRs) with English Learners (ELs). The purpose of the Study of Digital Learning Resources for
Instructing English Learner Students is to provide an understanding of the current use of DLRs for
instructing EL students and to provide guidance to developers and teachers around the design and use
of DLRs for ELs. The study is being conducted by Westat and SRI International for the U.S. Department of
Education.
In particular, I am writing to invite your participation in the case study component of this project. The
study includes detailed case studies of six school districts serving ELs, and two schools within each
district. The goal of the case studies is to provide a window into understanding how districts, schools,
and teachers identify, select, and use DLRs with EL students. Your school district superintendent, [Insert
name here], has agreed to participate in this study.
In order to develop these case studies, a two-person research team will visit your school for one day in
fall of the 2016–17 school year. While it is always extra work to have visitors on campus, the study team
is committed to do everything in its power to minimize impact on your school. We will be flexible and
work with you to set a date for the site visit within the study period that is convenient for you and will
not interfere with other activities taking place at the school.
While we are at your school, we will interview you, other administrators involved with the instruction of
ELs and the use of DLRs (e.g., EL Coordinator or Lead Teacher or Technology coach), and one to three
teachers (including mainstream teachers of ELs as well as EL specialists, if any). Additionally, we will
conduct observations in the classroom of one teacher who is a frequent user of DLRs.
Prior to being interviewed, all participants will be informed that their participation is voluntary and that
their responses are confidential to the extent permitted by law. They will receive a consent form that
describes the purposes of the data collection and outlines their privacy rights and the confidentiality of
the data as described here. Responses to this data collection will be used to summarize findings in an
aggregate manner (across groups of sites), or will be used to provide examples of program
implementation in a manner that does not associate responses with a specific district, school, or
individual. In the report, pseudonyms will be used for each district and school. The study team may
refer to the generic title of an individual (e.g., “school principal,” or “teacher”) but neither the site name
nor the individual name will be used. All efforts will be made to keep the description of the district or
school general enough so that a reader would never be able to determine the true name or identity of
the site or individuals at the site. The study team will make sure that access to all data with identifiable
information is limited to members of the study team. The study team will not provide information that
associates responses or findings with a subject, school, or district to anyone outside the study team, and
will protect or maintain confidentiality for data collected, except as required by law.
A summary of the case study findings will be included in a report published by the U.S. Department of
Education. In addition to the report, the research team will also produce two brief, field-focused toolkits
or guides for educators and technology developers that will provide guidance regarding the design and

5

use of DLRs with EL students. While participation in this study is completely voluntary, your district’s
participation will be important to our fully informing the Department of Education. We hope that you
will accept this invitation so that your experiences and insights can inform the development of these
resources, and advance the design and use of DLRs with ELs.
If you have any comments or questions regarding the study, please contact the Project Co-Director,
Philip Vahey, at 650-859-2143 or via email at philip.vahey@sri.com. A member of the study team will be
in touch shortly to discuss further details related to your participation in this important study.
Thank you very much for your consideration.
Sincerely,

Philip Vahey
Deputy Director

Annette M. Zehler
Project Director

Contact information
Attached:
Study Description

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 xxxx-xxxx. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to average 60 minutes
per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed,
and complete and review the information collection. There is no obligation to respond to this collection;
participation is voluntary. If you have comments or concerns about the status of your individual submission of this
form, application, or survey, please contact [Name and Contact Information], U.S. Department of Education, Policy
and Program Studies Service, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20202, directly. (Note: Please do not return
the completed instrument, form, application, or survey to this address.)

6

Study of Digital Learning Resources for Instructing English Learner Students

Case Study: School Participant Email
Dear [Name]:
I am writing to invite you to participate in a case study visit to your district that is part of an important
national Study of Digital Learning Resources (DLRs) for Instructing English Learner (EL) Students, a study
conducted for the U.S. Department of Education, by Westat and SRI International. The attached
document provides a brief description of the overall study.
[School District] and [School] have kindly agreed to participate in this study. Since you are [insert role
here], we are interested in interviewing you to learn more about DLR use with ELs at your school. The
interview will last approximately an hour, and will cover topics related to the use of DLRs in instruction,
in particular with ELs.
[ADD only if also an observation participant: We are also interested in observing your classroom during a
lesson in which you would use DLRs. The observation will last one class period.]
We hope that you will accept our invitation to participate so that your experiences and insights can be
included and more fully inform the study findings. You will be contributing to an important initiative on
the part of the U.S. Department of Education to understand more about how DLRs are being used in
K–12 education for EL students in schools today.
Your participation is voluntary but is needed to ensure that the findings of the study are accurate. Your
responses will represent many other districts that are similar to yours.
Responses to this data collection will be used to summarize findings in an aggregate manner (across
groups of sites), or will be used to provide examples of program implementation in a manner that does
not associate responses with a specific district, school, or individual. In the report, pseudonyms will be
used for each site. The study team may refer to the generic title of an individual (e.g., “school principal,”
or “teacher”) but neither the site name nor the individual name will be used. All efforts will be made to
keep the description of the district and school general enough so that a reader would never be able to
determine the true name or identity of the site or individuals at the site. The study team will make sure
that access to all data with identifiable information is limited to members of the study team. The study
team will not provide information that associates responses or findings with a subject, school, or district
to anyone outside the study team, and will protect or maintain confidentiality for data collected, except
as required by law.

7

Thank you so much for considering our request. A member of the study team will be in touch shortly to
discuss further details related to your participation in this study. In the meantime, please let me know if
you have questions or need more information about the study.
Best,
Philip Vahey
Deputy Director

Annette M. Zehler
Project Director

Contact information
Attached:

Study Description

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 xxxx-xxxx. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to average 60 minutes
per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed,
and complete and review the information collection. There is no obligation to respond to this collection;
participation is voluntary. If you have comments or concerns about the status of your individual submission of this
form, application, or survey, please contact [Name and Contact Information], U.S. Department of Education, Policy
and Program Studies Service, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20202, directly. (Note: Please do not return
the completed instrument, form, application, or survey to this address.)

8