National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2015 National Indian Education Study (NIES) Report Focus Group

Tribal Tech, LLC., an American Indian-owned company based in Alexandria, VA, specializing in the education, health, and well-being of Native communities is recruiting participants for a focus group study.

As you may know, the National Indian Education Study (NIES) was created in a 2004 Executive Order to help fulfill the United States’ responsibility to educate American Indian and Alaska Native children, according to nationwide standards for academic achievement. To date, the NIES has been conducted six times, in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015, and 2019. The report for NIES 2015 was released March 7, 2017.

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Tribal Tech, LLC., will conduct a focus group session on the report at the Tenth Annual American Indian/Indigenous Teacher Education Conference in Flagstaff, Arizona, June 20, 2019, 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., the exact location to be determined.

The purpose of the focus group is to provide feedback to the U.S. Department of Education on the content, presentation, and usability of the report in order to improve future publications. The focus group session will give selected participants an opportunity to provide input on the report. Should you choose to participate, you will receive a $100 gift card to thank you for your time and input. Participants play a key role in making sure Indian education stakeholders’ voices will be heard in helping improve the NIES to best share and utilize education data.

All participants will be assigned a unique identifier, and names will not be linked to answers. All of the information provided by participants 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).

If you are willing to participate in these discussions and have your opinion heard, please respond by sending an email with your name, organization, position, and contact phone to Corinne Taylor at ctaylor@tribaltechllc.com. Feel free to call Ms. Taylor at (970) 471-1461 should you have any questions related to this project, the report, or what your participation will entail. We hope you will be able to join us for these important discussions and we appreciate your participation.

Sincerely,

Margaret Springe

Deputy Project Manager

Tribal Tech, LLC.

(785)205-6067

mspringe@tribaltechllc.com

APPENDIX B: Participation Introductory Letter

<Date>

Dear [First name] [Last name],

On behalf of Tribal Tech, LLC., we would like to thank you for agreeing to participate in the National Indian Education Study (NIES) 2015 Report focus group. As you may know, NIES consists of performance results based on assessments of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students in Grade 4 and 8 in reading and mathematics. Two major themes of this report are:

To what extent are AI/AN culture and language part of the curricula?
To what extent are school resources available for improving AI/AN student achievement?

In preparation for your participation in the focus group discussion, we ask that you take time to review the report online before the conference to familiarize yourself with its content. The information for the report is available for download online at: https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2017161.

Please keep in mind that we do not expect you to spend more than an hour to review the report prior to the focus group.

Upon registering at the Tenth Annual American Indian/Indigenous Teacher Education Conference, you will be given a physical copy of this report as well. Your input is very important to the future of AI/AN children, and we appreciate the time and input you are investing by participating in the focus group. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the report, the project, or what your participation will entail, please contact me at 970-471-1461 or at ctaylor@tribaltechllc.com.

Thank you very much. We look forward to seeing you at the Tenth Annual American Indian/Indigenous Teacher Education Convention in Flagstaff, AZ.

Sincerely,

Corinne Taylor

Tribal Tech, LLC.

970-471-1461

ctaylor@tribaltechllc.com

APPENDIX C: Registration Letter

Dear Participant,

Welcome! We are glad you are here and look forward to meeting you at the National Indian Education Study (NIES) Focus Group Session which will be held on June 20, 2019, 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. at [Location] at Northern Arizona University.

As you know, the focus group you are attending will be a discussion of the 2015 NIES report. We have enclosed a copy of this report for you to review prior to the focus group session. As was mentioned in previous correspondence, in preparation for your participation in the focus group discussion, we have asked that you take approximately 60 minutes to review the report to familiarize yourself with its content. Please keep in mind we do not expect you to spend any more than 60 minutes reviewing this report.

Also enclosed is the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) NIES Informed Consent Form. We ask you to review this form and bring it with you to the focus group session. You will have an opportunity to ask any questions concerning privacy and confidentiality before signing the form.

Thank you, and we look forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,

Corinne Taylor

Tribal Tech, LLC.

970-471-1461

ctaylor@tribaltechllc.com

APPENDIX D: Focus Group Consent Form

Introduction

In 2004, the National Indian Education Study (NIES) was created to fulfill the United States’ responsibility for the education of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) children to meet the academic achievement standards set forth in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the primary federal entity dedicated to the collection and analysis of data on children’s education, reports on the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on reading and mathematics assessments and on the educational experiences of AI/AN students in grades 4 and 8. The reports on the 2015 results of this study were released in March 2017. Tribal Tech, LLC., an American Indian-owned company based in Alexandria, VA, is under contract with NCES to conduct a focus group with potential users of the NIES 2015 Report. The purpose of the focus group is to assess the utility of the data presentation in terms of accessibility and functionality of language; layout; ease of accessing relevant information, etc. The goal of this project is to provide feedback to NCES on the content, presentation, and usability of the reports for end users in order to improve future reports.

Participation and Confidentiality

The focus group sessions will be held with selected individuals who have pre-registered to attend the Tenth Annual American Indian/Indigenous Teacher Education Conference. Your participation is entirely voluntary. If you agree to participate in this project, you will be asked to take part in a 90-minute focus group. You have the right to refuse to answer any question that is asked and to refuse to participate at any point. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is authorized to conduct NAEP by the National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. §9622). All of the information provided by participants 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). By law, every NCES employee as well as every NCES agent, such as contractors and NAEP coordinators, has taken an oath and is subject to a jail term of up to 5 years, a fine of $250,000, or both if he or she willfully discloses ANY identifiable information about you. Electronic submission of your information will be monitored for viruses, malware, and other threats by Federal employees and contractors in accordance with the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015. The collected information will be combined across respondents to produce statistical reports.

Your responses will be recorded, and written notes will be taken; however, your name will not appear in any oral presentation or written report and any information that you provide us will be aggregated with other participants’ information. Electronic and hard copies of focus group notes and other data will be stored without personal identifiers in secure locations and will be destroyed at the close of the project. If you have any questions regarding this project or your participation, please contact Margaret Springe, Deputy Project Manager at Tribal Tech LLC., at (785) 205-6067 or at mspringe@tribaltechllc.com.

Risks and Benefits

There are no known risks from taking part in this project. The main benefits of your participation in the project include the enhancement of the NIES Study Report. Finding out this kind of information will enable NCES to better serve AI/AN students and their education.

Participant Costs and Incentives

There is no cost to you to participate in this focus group, with the exception of time. To thank participants for their time and input, each participant will receive a $100 gift card.
Consent to Participate in Project
I have read and reviewed the above information about this evaluation. I hereby consent and voluntarily agree to participate in the NCES NIES project. By signing, I am not waiving any legal claims, rights, or remedies.

___________________________ ___________________________
Participant’s Printed Name Participant’s Signature Date

___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________

Moderator’s Printed Name Moderator’s Signature Date

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 1880-0542. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 3 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate, or suggestions for improving this study, write directly to: National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), NCES, Potomac Center Plaza, 550 12th St., SW, 4th floor, Washington, DC 20202.

APPENDIX E: Focus Group Demographic Screener

Please answer the following questions by checking the number box(s) corresponding to the correct answer(s) or by filling in the appropriate blank. All information is protected* and includes no identifying information.

1. What is your current occupation or connection to Indian education? Please check all that apply.

Teacher
School Administrator
Tribal Official
Parent of a student (s) in grades K-12
Other: ________________________________________________________________________

If you are a school educator, please tell us what grade(s) you teach.

_________________________________________________________________________________

If you are a school administrator, please tell us what grades are included in your school.

_________________________________________________________________________________

If you work in a school, please tell us what type of school(s) do you work in?

Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)
High Density public school (where 25 percent or more of all the students in the school are American Indian and/or Alaska Native)
Other: __________________________________________________________

If you work in a school, do you consider the area where your school is located to be…?

Rural
Suburban
Urban

If you work in a school, what is the name of the school where you work?

Specify: __________________ City: ______________ State: _______________________

Are you the parent or guardian of an American Indian or Alaska Native child (ren) who currently attend(s) a Bureau of Indian Education or High-density public school?

What is your sex?

Male

Female

What is your age?

18-24
25-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60 and above

How do you identify yourself? Please check all that apply.

American Indian or Alaska Native (Tribal affiliation(s)): ______________________________
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
Black or African American
Asian
White

Are you of Hispanic or Latino(a) origin?

To participate in the focus group and receive the $100 gift card we must receive the consent form that we will email to you. You can either sign it, scan and e-mail the consent form to us, sign it electronically and email it back to us, or fill out and sign a form prior to the start of the focus group.

Thank you for your interest. If you qualify, we will follow-up with you to let you know if you are a designated participant or an alternate. Please provide us with your contact information.

FIRST NAME: ____________________________________________________________

LAST NAME: ____________________________________________________________

EMAIL ADDRESS: _______________________________________________________

BEST PHONE NUMBER: ___________________________________________________________

ALTERNATE PHONE NUMBER: ____________________________________________________

* The study will not retain any personally identifiable information. Participation in this study is voluntary. 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). By law, every NCES employee as well as every NCES agent, such as contractors and NAEP coordinators, has taken an oath and is subject to a jail term of up to 5 years, a fine of $250,000, or both if he or she willfully discloses ANY identifiable information about you. Electronic submission of your information will be monitored for viruses, malware, and other threats by Federal employees and contractors in accordance with the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015.

APPENDIX F: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

What is this study about?

On behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Education, Tribal Tech, LLC., a company based in Alexandria, VA, is convening a focus group with educational stakeholders to provide feedback on the National Indian Education Study (NIES) 2015 Report, which is designed to describe the condition of education for American Indian and Alaska Native students in the United States.

Where will the research focus group take place?

The focus group will take place at the Tenth Annual American Indian/Indigenous Teacher Education Conference at Northern Arizona University.

What will happen during the research focus group?

During the focus group, you will take part in an hour and a half group discussion with other fellow stakeholders in Indian education on the topics related to NIES 2015 Report and the information it provides.

Will information be kept confidential?

You will be assigned a unique identifier, and your name will not be linked to your answers. All of the information provided 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 six U.S.C. §151). Audio of the session will be recorded only for analysis, but no other personally identifying information will be recorded or retained.

How will I prepare for the research focus group?

If you are selected to participate in the focus group, you will be sent a link to the digital version of the 2015 NIES report to read and review prior to attending the focus group session. Approximately one hour will be needed to read and review the report.

How long will the research focus group last and when will it take place?

The focus group will last no more than one and a half hours. The focus group will convene on June 20, 2019 at the Tenth Annual American Indian/Indigenous Teacher Education Conference in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Will the results go to my school?

Your answers will not be disclosed to your school and will not be linked to any personally identifiable information.

Is there an incentive for participating?

Yes. You will receive a $100 gift card from a major credit card company as a thank you for participating.

What are the possible risks of being in the study?

There are no known risks to participating in this voluntary study. Participation in this focus group is completely voluntary. You have the right to refuse to answer particular questions. You may elect to withdraw from this focus group at any time and can leave the focus group early if you wish.

Who can I contact with questions or for further information?

If you have any questions about the study, you can call Corinne Taylor at 970-471-1461. If you have questions about your rights as a study participant, you can call Margaret Springe at 785-205-6067.

APPENDIX G: Recruitment Intake Form

Paid Research Study Opportunity for Indian Education Stakeholders

To be read by interviewer during follow-up call with potential participant

Thank you for your interest in our study!

Tribal Tech, LLC., an American Indian-owned company based in Alexandria, VA, is convening an important study on behalf of Educational Testing Service and the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, or NCES.

We are recruiting educational stakeholders who may or may not be familiar with the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, to participate in a focus group to provide feedback about the National Indian Education Study 2015 Report. If you qualify and participate in the study, you will receive a $100 gift card from a major credit card company at the end of the session as a thank you.

The focus group will last no more than an hour and a half and will convene at <LOCATION>. Any information gathered during this study 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).

To ensure that we speak with a broad mix of individuals, please answer a few screening questions. Some are multiple choice and some are short answer. When they are multiple choice, I will read all choices and then ask for your response.

If you have any questions, please contact <NAME> at <PHONE> or <EMAIL>.

What is your current occupation or connection to Indian education? Please indicate all that apply.

Teacher
School Administrator
Tribal Official
Parent of a student (s) in grades K-12

Other___________________________________________________________

[If a teacher] Please tell us what grade(s) you teach.

______________________________________________________________________

[If a school administrator] Please tell us what grades are included in your school.

______________________________________________________________________

4. [If works in a school] What type of school(s) do you work in?

Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)
High Density public school (where 25 percent or more of all the students in the school are American Indian and/or Alaska Native)
Other: __________________________________________________________

[If works in a school] Do you consider the area where your school is located to be…?

Rural
Suburban
Urban

[If works in a school] What is the name of the school where you work?

Specify: __________________ City: ______________ State: _______________________

Are you the parent or guardian of an American Indian or Alaska Native child (ren) who currently attend(s) a Bureau of Indian Education or High-density public school?

What is your sex?

Male
Female

What is your age?

18-24
25-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60 and above

How do you identify yourself? (Indicate all that apply)

American Indian or Alaska Native (Tribal affiliation(s)): _____________________________
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
Black or African American
Asian
White

Are you of Hispanic or Latino(a) origin?

Yes
No

To participate in the focus group and receive the $100 gift card we must receive the consent form that we will email to you. You can either sign it, scan and e-mail the consent form to us, sign it electronically and email it back to us, or fill out and sign a form prior to the start of the focus group. Do you understand that you must have a completed and signed consent form to participate?

Yes
No  THANK AND TERMINATE

Thank you for your interest. If you qualify, we will follow-up with you to let you know if you are a designated participant or an alternate. Could you please provide us with your contact information? (All required except “Alternate phone number”)

RECORD FIRST NAME: ____________________________________________________________

RECORD LAST NAME: ____________________________________________________________

RECORD EMAIL ADDRESS: _______________________________________________________

BEST PHONE NUMBER: ___________________________________________________________

ALTERNATE PHONE NUMBER: ____________________________________________________

Termination Language: Based on the requirements of this study, we are not able to include you in the focus groups at this time. We greatly appreciate your time speaking with us. Have a good <day/evening.>

APPENDIX H: Confirmation Email/Letter

IF SENT AS EMAIL-Subject: Confirmation for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Research Focus Group

<DATE>

Dear <NAME>:

Thank you for agreeing to participate in this voluntary research focus group to share feedback on the National Indian Education Study 2015 Report. The focus group will last about one and a half hours.

This is a confirmation that you have been scheduled for a focus group at the following location, date, and time:

LOCATION: Northern Arizona University

Eastburn Education Building, Room 200

801 S. Knoles Dr.

Flagstaff, AZ 86011

Interactive Campus Map: http://www2.nau.edu/nau-map/

DATE: Thursday, June 20, 2019

TIME: 4:00 PM Arizona Time

GIFT CARD: You will receive a $100 gift card from a major credit card company at the conclusion of the session to thank you for your time and input.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS:

Since you will be participating in a focus group discussion with other education stakeholders, we ask that you arrive no later than 15 minutes prior to the scheduled starting time of the focus group to ensure the group begins and ends on-time. If you arrive late, we are unable to guarantee your slot in the focus group discussion.

Please bring the following to your appointment:

Your valid picture ID – this is required for participation.
Signed consent form (attached), if not, we will have copies available in person when you arrive.
If you use eyeglasses for reading or watching TV, you should bring them to the study session.

We look forward to speaking with you. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at ctaylor@tribaltechllc.com or 970-471-1461.

Sincerely,

Corinne Taylor

Tribal Tech, LLC.

970-471-1461

ctaylor@tribaltechllc.com

ATTACHED: Consent Form

APPENDIX I: Confirmation Phone Script

Good morning/afternoon/evening. May I please speak to <NAME> about a focus groups session at [Location] being convened for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)?

If not available, confirm that this is a correct number for the participant and ask for a good time to call back.

If available, read script below.

Good morning/afternoon/evening. My name is <NAME> and I’m calling from Tribal Tech LLC. about your scheduled focus group session that we are convening on behalf of NCES, part of the U.S. Department of Education. We are pleased that you have agreed to participate in this study. This is a reminder that we have scheduled your session for 4:00 p.m. on June 20, 2019.

The session will last no more than one and a half hours and it will take place at <ADDRESS>.

During the focus group, you will be asked to share feedback on the National Indian Education Study 2015 Report. Your responses 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).

As soon as you complete the session, you will receive a $100 gift card from a major credit card company as a thank you for participating.

Do you have any questions at this time?

We plan on speaking with you at 4:00 p.m. on June 20, 2019. If you have any questions before then, please call 970-471-1461.

Thank you again for agreeing to be part of this very important research study.

APPENDIX J: Thank You Email/Letter to Participants: Focus Groups

IF SENT AS EMAIL - Subject: Thank you – National Indian Education Study Focus Group

<DATE>

Dear <Name>,

On behalf of Tribal Tech LLC., I want to thank you for participating in our research study.

Your participation provided valuable feedback about the National Indian Education Study 2015 Report. We appreciate your open, candid, and insightful comments; they were very helpful. The input from you and other respondents like you is incredibly useful and informative. Again, thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Corinne Taylor

Tribal Tech, LLC.

970-471-1461

ctaylor@tribaltechllc.com

APPENDIX K: Notification that Respondent Was Not Selected to Participate in Study Email

NOTE: This will be sent as an email to a respondent who was not selected to participate in the 2015 NIES Report Focus Group.

<Insert respondent name>,

Thank you for agreeing to participate in the 2015 NIES Report Focus Group in Flagstaff AZ. Unfortunately, we have filled the twelve participant slots for the focus group. We want to thank you for the time you took to complete the questionnaire and for your interest in the report.

If you have questions, please contact me at mspringe@tribaltechllc.com. I look forward to working with you in the future.

Sincerely,

Margaret Springe

Contractor, Deputy Project Manager

Tribal Tech, LLC.

(785)205-6067

mspringe@tribaltechllc.com

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