Administrative Records Data Request

Chapter # Title of Chapter

Appendix A

Administrative Records Data Request

To: District Name

From: Data Collection Liaison

Date: 3/XX/2021

Subject: Administrative Data Collection for the Evaluation of Departmentalized Instruction in Elementary Schools, Round 2

Thank you for participating in the Evaluation of Departmentalized Instruction in Elementary Schools, a study that Mathematica and its partners are conducting for the U.S. Department of Education. The goal of this evaluation is to examine the impact of departmentalized instruction in elementary schools on student and teacher outcomes.

This memo outlines our request to [district name] for Round 2 of administrative data collection for teachers and students. We will request two types of data from the 2018–2019, 2019–2020, and 2020–2021 school years: (1) teachers’ background and teaching assignments and (2) students’ background and outcomes.

We will work with your district to determine the appropriate timing of data delivery. In addition, we realize that some data elements listed in this memo might not be collected by your district. If a data element is not available in your district’s data systems, please let us know, and we will work with you to determine if another, similar data element may be used instead.

In addition, throughout this data request, we have sought to provide straightforward descriptions of the samples and data elements being requested. As a result, some of the data elements we are requesting for particular teachers and/or students may overlap with data you already provided in Round 1. Although we are happy to accept duplicated data, you do not need to provide any data that you already provided in Round 1, and we can work with you to drop redundant portions of this data request if you wish to do so.

A. List of Study Schools in Your District

The following schools are participating in our study:

[Bulleted list of schools]

B. Teacher Background and Assignment Data Requested

Sample of teachers for whom data are requested. We would like data on all teachers who ever taught 4th or 5th grade in a study school during the 2018–2019, 2019–2020, or 2020–2021 school years. For each of those teachers, we would like data from all three years (2018–2019, 2019–2020, and 2020–2021), even if the teacher was teaching a different grade or teaching outside the study school. For example, if a teacher taught 4th grade in a study school in the 2018–2019 school year but taught 2nd grade at a different school in the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 school years, we would still like data on that teacher from all three school years. If your data are structured as “snapshots” at specific points in the school year, we prefer receiving a snapshot in the spring—close to the end of each school year. To save you the trouble of extracting this sample of teachers and years, we would welcome receiving data on all teachers in your district during the 2018–2019, 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 school year, from which we could extract the sample ourselves.

For our purposes, “teachers” consist of all teachers, co-teachers, and special education teachers who led instruction of academic subjects. We do not need data on front office staff or support staff such as school psychologists, coaches, and teaching assistants/aides who provide classroom support but do not lead instruction.

Data elements requested. Table 1 lists the background data we are requesting for teachers in the sample.

Table 1. Teacher Background Data

Data Element	Description	Notesa
School year	School year to which the record pertains (2018–2019, 2019–2020, or 2020–2021)
Employee ID	Number that uniquely identifies each teacher across multiple files, records, and years. We prefer that the ID number not be personally identifiable information such as a Social Security number.
First and last name	First and last name of teacher
Staff category or job type	A brief description or code that indicates the staff member leads classroom instruction and is not an administrator, support staff, or other staff who does not lead instruction
Highest degree held	Highest degree held by teacher
Certification and licensure held	Name or type of each certification and licensure held by teacher
Score for each certification and licensure test	Score for each certification and licensure test taken by teacher, if available
Years of service as teacher in the district	Number of years as a teacher in the school district, as of the spring of each school year requested (spring 2019, 2020, and 2021). Please count only years the teacher led or co-led instruction; please do not count years spent as a teacher’s assistant, aide, or in non-teaching post.
Years of experience as teacher (ever)	Number of years as a teacher in any school or district, as of the spring of each school year requested (spring 2019, 2020, and 2021). Please count only years the teacher led or co-led instruction; please do not count years spent as a teacher’s assistant, aide, or in non-teaching post.
Year of birthb	Year of birth of teacher
Gender	Gender of teacher
Raceb	Race of teacher
Ethnicityb	Hispanic or Latino indicator for teacher

^a The notes column will be completed by study staff using information provided during calls to discuss the data request.

^b You do not need to provide these data elements on teachers who were also included in the previous data request, since these characteristics do not change over time. However, we recognize that it may be easiest for you to provide the same data elements on all teachers, so it is fine for us to receive data that duplicates data from the previous request.

Table 2 lists the school, grade, and subject assignment data we are requesting for teachers in the sample.

Table 2. Teacher Assigned School, Grade, and Subject Data

Data Element	Description	Notesa
School year	School year to which the record pertains (2018–2019, 2019–2020, or 2020–2021)
Employee ID	Number that uniquely identifies the teacher across multiple files, records, and years. We prefer that the ID number not be personally identifiable information such as a Social Security number.
First and last name	First and last name of teacher
School ID	Number, such as NCES ID, that uniquely identifies the school where the teacher was assigned as of the spring of the school year to which the record pertains
School name	Name of school corresponding to School ID
Grade(s) taught	Grade(s) taught
Subject(s) taught	Subject(s) taught

^aThe notes column will be completed by study staff using information provided during calls to discuss the data request.

C. Student background and outcomes data requested

Sample of students for whom data are requested. We would like data on seven groups of students:

• 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders enrolled in the study schools in 2018–2019: For these students, we would like data from 2018–2019.

• 3rd graders enrolled in the study schools in 2019–2020: For these students, we would like data from 2019–2020.

• 4th graders enrolled in the study schools in 2019–2020: For these students, we would like data from 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 (even if they were not enrolled in a study school in 2018–2019 but were still in your district). For example, if a student attended 4th grade in a study school in 2019–2020 but previously attended 3rd grade in another school in your district in 2018–2019, we would like data for that student from both 2018–2019 and 2019–2020. (For students who remained in study schools in both years, the 2018–2019 data will be the same as some of the data from the first bullet above. You do not need to provide the same data twice, but we are happy to accept duplicated data if it makes this data request easier for you.)

• 5th graders enrolled in the study schools in 2019–2020: For these students, we would like data from 2018–2019, 2019–2020, and 2020–2021 (even if they were not enrolled in a study school in 2018–2019 and/or 2020–2021 but were still in your district). For example, if a student attended 5th grade in a study school in 2019–2020 but attended different schools in your district in 2018–2019 and 2020–2021, we would like data for that student from all three years. (For students who remained in study schools in both 2018–2019 and 2019–2020, the 2018–2019 data will be the same as some of the data from the first bullet above. You do not need to provide the same data twice, but we are happy to accept duplicated data if it makes this data request easier for you.)

• 3rd graders enrolled in the study schools in 2020–2021: For these students, we would like data from 2020–2021.

• 4th graders enrolled in the study schools in 2020–2021: For these students, we would like data from both 2019–2020 (when most of these students were in 3rd grade) and 2020–2021, even if they were not enrolled in a study school in 2019–2020. For example, if a student attended 4th grade in a study school in 2020–2021 but previously attended 3rd grade in another school in your district in 2019–2020, we would like data for that student from both years.

• 5th graders enrolled in the study schools in 2020–2021: For these students, we would like data from 2018–2019 (when most of these students were in 3rd grade), 2019–2020 (when most of these students were in 4th grade), and 2020–2021, even if they were not enrolled in a study school in 2018–2019 and/or 2019–2020. For example, if a student attended 5th grade in a study school in 2020–2021 but had attended 3rd and 4th grade in another school in your district in 2018–2019 and 2019–2020, we would like data for that student from all three years.

To save you the trouble of extracting this sample of students and years, we would welcome receiving data on all 3rd through 6th grade students who attended any school in your district (not only study schools) during the 2018–2019, 2019–2020, and 2020–2021 school years, from which we could extract the sample ourselves.

Data elements requested. Table 3 lists the background, behavioral, and attendance data we are requesting for students in the sample.

Table 3. Student Background, Behavioral, and Attendance Data

Data Element	Description	Notesa
School year	School year to which the record pertains (2018–2019, 2019–2020, or 2020–2021)
Student ID	Number that uniquely identifies each student across multiple files, records, and years. We prefer that the ID number not be personally identifiable information such as a Social Security number.
School ID: beginning of the school year	Number, such as NCES ID, that uniquely identifies the school in which the student was enrolled at the beginning of the school year
School name: beginning of the school year	Name of school corresponding to School ID for beginning of school year
School ID: end of the school year	Number, such as NCES ID, that uniquely identifies the school in which the student was enrolled at the end of the school year
School name: end of the school year	Name of school corresponding to School ID for end of school year
Gender	Gender of student
Year of birthb	Year of birth of student
Raceb	Race of student
Ethnicityb	Hispanic or Latino indicator for student
Grade level	Grade level of student as of the beginning of the school year
Free and reduced-price lunch (FRPL) status	Student’s eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch as of the beginning of the school year
English learner status	English learner status of student, with English language proficiency level if available, as of the beginning of the school year
Special education status	Special education status of student, such as having an Individualized Education Program, as of the beginning of the school year
Gifted education status	Gifted education status of student, such as being in Gifted and Talented classes for reading or math, as of the beginning of the year.
In-school suspensions (days)	Total number of days during the school year that the student was suspended (in-school)
In-school suspensions (times)	Total number of times during the school year that the student was suspended (in-school)
Out-of-school suspensions (days)	Total number of days during the school year that the student was suspended (out-of-school)
Out-of-school suspensions (times)	Total number of times during the school year that the student was suspended (out-of-school)
Expulsions	Indicator if the student was expelled at any point during the school year from any school in the district
Attendance	Total number of days the student attended school in the district during the school year requested. This should be a total for all schools attended in the district during the year.
Days enrolled	Total number of school days the student was enrolled in the district during the school year requested

^aThe notes column will be completed by study staff using information provided during the initial call to discuss the data request.

^bYou do not need to provide these data elements on students who were also included in the previous data request (or students who were included in this data request during multiple years), since these characteristics do not change over time. However, it is fine for us to receive duplicated data across years.

Table 4 provides the specific state assessment data requested for students in the sample. We are not requesting 2019–2020 state assessment data, given that state assessments were not administered in that school year due to COVID-19. We will discuss with your district if 2020–2021 state assessment data are available for the requested subjects.

Table 4. Student Assessment Data

Data Element	Description	Notesa
Math state assessment data
School year	School year to which the record pertains (2018–2019 or 2020–2021)
Student ID	Number that uniquely identifies each student across multiple files, records, and years. We prefer that the ID number not be personally identifiable information such as a Social Security number.
Math score on the state assessment for the school years requested, as available	Student’s score on the math section of the state assessment. Please provide all available scores (for example, scale score, normal curve equivalents, and number correct). If a student retook a test, please provide the first score in that year, not the highest score.
Math test grade level	Grade level of math test
Math test description	Name of math test. Please indicate if a modified or alternate form of a math test was taken.
Math test language indicator (if other than English)	Indicator for whether the math test was taken in a language other than English, such as Spanish
Math test date	Date of math test taken by student. If no date is available, then “spring,” “fall,” or similar qualifier can be provided.
Math test exemption or invalidation code, as applicable	Code or indicator if a student received an exemption from taking a math test (such as a medical exemption) or the test was found to be invalid
School identifier as of time of testing (math)	Number, such as NCES ID, that uniquely identifies the school in which the student was enrolled at the time of testing in math
School name as of time of testing (math)	Name of the school in which the student was enrolled at the time of testing in math
English Language Arts (ELA) state assessment data
School year	School year to which the record pertains (2018–2019 or 2020–2021)
Student ID	Number that uniquely identifies each student across multiple files, records, and years. We prefer that the ID number not be personally identifiable information such as a Social Security number.
ELA score on the state assessment for the school years requested, as available	Student’s score on the ELA section of the state assessment. Please provide all available scores (for example, scale score, normal curve equivalents, and number correct). If a student retook a test, please provide the first score in that year, not the highest score.
ELA test grade level	Grade level of ELA test
ELA test description	Name of ELA test. Please indicate if a modified or alternate form of a ELA test was taken.
ELA test language indicator (if other than English)	Indicator for whether the ELA test was taken in a language other than English, such as Spanish
ELA test date	Date of ELA test taken by student. If no date is available, then “spring,” “fall,” or similar qualifier can be provided.
ELA test exemption or invalidation code, as applicable	Code or indicator if a student received an exemption from taking a ELA test (such as a medical exemption) or the test was found to be invalid
School identifier as of time of testing (ELA)	Number, such as NCES ID, that uniquely identifies the school in which the student was enrolled at the time of testing in ELA
School name as of time of testing (ELA)	Name of the school in which the student was enrolled at the time of testing in ELA
Science state assessment data
School year	School year to which the record pertains (2018–2019 or 2020–2021)
Student ID	Number that uniquely identifies each student across multiple files, records, and years. We prefer that the ID number not be personally identifiable information such as a Social Security number.
Science score on the state assessment for the school years requested, as available	Student’s score on the science section of the state assessment. Please provide all available scores (for example, scale score, normal curve equivalents, and number correct). If a student retook a test, please provide the first score in that year, not the highest score.
Science test grade level	Grade level of science test
Science test description	Name of science test. Please indicate if a modified or alternate form of a science test was taken.
Science test language indicator (if other than English)	Indicator for whether the science test was taken in a language other than English, such as Spanish
Science test date	Date of science test taken by student. If no date is available, then “spring,” “fall,” or similar qualifier can be provided.
Science test exemption or invalidation code, as applicable	Code or indicator if a student received an exemption from taking a science test (such as a medical exemption) or the test was found to be invalid
School identifier as of time of testing (science)	Number, such as NCES ID, that uniquely identifies the school in which the student was enrolled at the time of testing in science
School name as of time of testing (science)	Name of the school in which the student was enrolled at the time of testing in science
Social studies state assessment data
School year	School year to which the record pertains (2018–2019 or 2020–2021)
Student ID	Number that uniquely identifies each student across multiple files, records, and years. We prefer that the ID number not be personally identifiable information such as a Social Security number.
Social studies score on the state assessment for the school years requested, as available	Student’s score on the social studies section of the state assessment. Please provide all available scores (for example, scale score, normal curve equivalents, and number correct). If a student retook a test, please provide the first score in that year, not the highest score.
Social studies test grade level	Grade level of social studies test
Social studies test description	Name of social studies test. Please indicate if a modified or alternate form of a social studies test was taken.
Social studies test language indicator (if other than English)	Indicator for whether the social studies test was taken in a language other than English, such as Spanish
Social studies test date	Date of social studies test taken by student. If no date is available, then “spring,” “fall,” or similar qualifier can be provided.
Social studies test exemption or invalidation code, as applicable	Code or indicator if a student received an exemption from taking a social studies test (such as a medical exemption) or the test was found to be invalid
School identifier as of time of testing (social studies)	Number, such as NCES ID, that uniquely identifies the school in which the student was enrolled at the time of testing in social studies
School name as of time of testing (social studies)	Name of the school in which the student was enrolled at the time of testing in social studies

^aThe notes column will be completed by Mathematica staff using information provided during the initial call to discuss the data request.

D. Justification for Requested Data

We greatly appreciate your assistance with this data request. We want to assure you that the evaluation team and the U.S. Department of Education carefully considered this request to ensure it includes only the data necessary to conduct a high-quality evaluation.

We will use the requested data for several purposes to compare schools that implement departmentalized instruction in 4th and 5th grades (the treatment schools) and those that do not (the comparison schools). First, we will use data on teachers’ background characteristics to examine whether departmentalized instruction led to changes in the types of teachers who chose to work in schools and grades with this staffing structure. Second, we will use data on teachers’ school, grade, and subject assignments to measure the impact of departmentalized instruction on whether teachers continue teaching at their current school or within the district. Third, we will use data on the outcomes of 3rd graders in 2019–-2020 and 2020–2021 to confirm that treatment and comparison schools continued to have similar outcomes in grades that were not affected by departmentalization. Fourth, we will use data on the outcomes and characteristics of 3rd through 5th graders in 2018–2019 to ensure that we compare only treatment and comparison schools that have students with similar baseline (2018–2019) achievement and characteristics. Fifth, we will use data on the outcomes of 4th and 5th graders in 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 to measure the impacts of departmentalized instruction on these outcomes, while ensuring that the 3rd grade outcomes of these same students (before experiencing departmentalized instruction) were similar in treatment and comparison schools. Sixth, we will use data on the 6th grade (2020–2021) outcomes of students who previously attended 5th grade in the study schools to examine whether experiencing departmentalization in 5th grade led students to be more or less prepared for middle school.

E. Data Confidentiality

Mathematica and its subcontractors follow the confidentiality and data protection requirements of The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183. We will use the data provided in response to this request for research purposes only. The reports prepared for the study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific district, school, or individual. We will not provide information that identifies respondents to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law.

F. File Format

You may provide the data in a single file or multiple files, whichever the district prefers. We can work with almost any file format, including Excel, comma delimited or fixed-width text files, SAS, SPSS, Stata, and Access. Please also provide documentation of the data, including definitions of variables/fields, any codes used, and contact information for someone who can answer questions about the data.

Thank you very much for your assistance with this data request! We greatly appreciate your assistance. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns at [liaison phone number and email].

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1850-0942. The time required to complete this voluntary information collection is estimated to average 20 hours per district, including the time to review instructions, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collected. 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. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences 550 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024.

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