Change Memo

U NITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

National Center for Education Statistics

April 27, 2022

MEMORANDUM

To: Bob Sivinski, OMB

From: Rachel Hansen, NCES

Through: Carrie Clarady, NCES

Re: School Pulse Panel May 2022 Questionnaire Change Request (OMB# 1850-0969 v.2)

The School Pulse Panel (SPP) monthly data collection (OMB #1850-0969) was formally cleared in April 2022. This collection allows NCES to comply with the January 21, 2021 EO 14000 Executive Order on Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers. Information is collected monthly from a nationally representative sample of public schools to better understand how schools, students, and educators are responding to the ongoing stressors of the coronavirus pandemic, along with other priority items for the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Department of Education program offices. The SPP study is extremely important particularly now that COVID-19 has not waned, and the pulse model is one that the agency will need after the pandemic subsides for other quick-turnaround data needs.

The purpose of this Change Request is to make modifications to previously approved items and to add new items (within the scope of research domains previously established) to be collected on the May instrument. These modifications and additions reflect cognitive interview feedback with school personnel, as well as input from key SPP stakeholders on items focused on student and staff absenteeism, as well as classroom management and student behavior.

The costs to the government have not changed as a result of this amendment, nor has the projected respondent burden. Planned communication materials and items to be collected in May and June are provided in Appendices A and B, with the changes to Appendix B detailed below.

Changes to Appendices

Modifications and Additions to Appendix A

The following has been added to communication materials to specify the topics of the survey for that month and to include OMB language in the FAQs:

Letters and Emails:

Thank you for your prior response to the School Pulse Panel data collection and your continued commitment to this study. This letter is your June survey invitation. The survey should take no more than 30 minutes to complete. The <insert month> survey collects data on <insert topic areas>, in addition to some repeated items from prior collections (learning modes offered and quarantine) so that we can analyze trends over time. Your school will receive $400 for each month that you complete the entire survey. The U.S. Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) need to continue to hear about the challenges your school is facing this month during the COVID-19 pandemic.

FAQ:

Other important information

All participation is voluntary. However, each school in the School Pulse Panel sample was selected to represent schools with similar characteristics, making your participation critical. Please be assured that, by federal mandate, we are required to protect the responses of all schools included in our survey. Individual responses will be combined with those from other participants to produce summary statistics and reports. No teacher or student time is required to complete the survey. Send comments regarding the 30-minute survey burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Institute of Education Sciences (IES) PCP, 550 12th Street, SW, 4th floor, Room  4036 Washington, D.C. 20202. 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 is 1850-0969 (expires 04/30/2025).

Modifications and Additions to Appendix B

Absenteeism

The following items will ask about your experiences with chronic absenteeism at your school during the 2021-22 school year. Chronic absenteeism is defined as students who are absent for at least 10 percent of the school year.

ABS1. During the 2021-22 school year, approximately what percentage of students STUDENTS at your school have been chronically absent? Include excused and unexcused absences.

Chronic absenteeism is defined as students who miss at least 10 percent or more of the school year.

• 0-2%

• 3-5%

• 6-10%

• More than 10%

Chronic absenteeism is defined as students who are absent for at least 10 percent the school year

• ____ percent of students

ABS2. To the best of your knowledge, Compared to a typical school year before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, how has the percentage of chronic STUDENT absenteeism changed at your school during the 2021-22 school yearsince the start of the pandemic? Include excused and unexcused absences. Do not include absences related to confirmed or suspected cases of exposures to COVID-19

• Chronic student absenteeism It has decreased a lot

• Chronic student absenteeism has decreased a little

• Chronic student absenteeism It has not changed remained about the same

• Chronic student absenteeism has increased a little

• Chronic student absenteeism It has increased a lot

• Don’t know

ABS2b. Compared to the last school year (2020-21), how has chronic absenteeism changed at your school during the 2021-22 school year? Include excused and unexcused absences.

• Chronic student absenteeism has decreased a lot

• Chronic student absenteeism has decreased a little

• Chronic student absenteeism has remained about the same

• Chronic student absenteeism has increased a little

• Chronic student absenteeism has increased a lot

• Don’t Know

ABS3. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which of the following types of student absenteeism have been prevalent at your school?

• Truancy (i.e., specific lesson absence or absence after students are registered as present in school)

• School withdrawal (i.e., absence based on parental knowledge and with consent)

• School refusal (i.e., absence based on parental knowledge but without consent)

• School exclusion (i.e., absence based on the use of school-based disciplinary measures)

• COVID-19 related concerns Other (please specify): __________

• None of the above

ABS3b. How large of a problem are these types of student absenteeism?

{Rows display based on responses to ABS3}	Minor problem	Moderate problem	Major problem
Truancy (i.e., specific lesson absence or absence after students are registered as present in your school)	A	B	C
School withdrawal (i.e., absence based on parental knowledge and with consent)	A	B	C
School refusal (i.e., absence based on parental knowledge but without consent)	A	B	C
School exclusion (i.e., absence based on the use of school-based disciplinary measures)	A	B	C
COVID-19 related concerns (i.e., absence based on the use of school-based disciplinary measures)	A	B	C
Other	A	B	C

The following items will ask about your experiences with teacher absences and your ability to find substitute teachers.

ABS3a. Compared to a typical school year before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, how have was the percentage of TEACHER teacher absences at your school changed during the 2021-22 school year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic? Include all planned and unplanned absences.

• Teacher absences have It has decreased a lot

• Teacher absences have decreased a little

• It has not changed Teacher absences have remained about the same

• Teacher absences have increased a little

• Teacher absences have It has increased a lot

• Don’t know

ABS3b. Compared to the last school year (2020-21), how have teacher absences at your school changed during the 2021-22 school year? Include planned and unplanned absences.

• Teacher absences have decreased a lot

• Teacher absences have decreased a little

• Teacher absences have remained about the same

• Teacher absences have increased a little

• Teacher absences have increased a lot

• Don’t Know

ABS3c. Please briefly describe why you have seen an increase in teacher absences at your school. {Display if ABS3b = “…increased a little” OR “…increased a lot”}

ABS3d. Please briefly describe why you have seen a decrease in teacher absences at your school, including any policies, practices, or strategies your school has implemented to decrease teacher absences. {Display if ABS3b = “…decreased a little” OR “…decreased a lot”}

ABS4a. Compared to a typical year before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, how easy or difficult is has it been for your school to get substitute teachers during the 2021-22 school year in the event of teacher absences?

• Very Much easiery

• Somewhat easier

• Neither difficult nor easy About the same

• Somewhat more difficult

• Very Much more difficult

• Don’t know

• Not applicable

ABS4b. Compared to the last school year (2020-21), how easy or difficult has it been for your school to get substitute teachers during the 2021-22 school year?

• Much easier

• Somewhat easier

• About the same

• Somewhat more difficult

• Much more difficult

ABS6. During the 2021-22 school year, to what extent have unplanned or unscheduled teacher absences negatively impacted day-to-day school operations?

• No impact

• A small impact

• A moderate impact

• A large impact

ABS5a. During the 2021-22 school year, how has your school covered classes when there are teacher absences and you cannot find a substitute teacher? Select all that apply.

• Administrators cover classes

• Non-teaching staff (e.g., media specialists, paraprofessionals, etc.) cover classes

• Other teachers cover classes during their prep periods

• Separate sections or classes are combined into one room

• Other, please specify: ________________

• Not Applicable – my school has always been able to find substitute teachers

ABS5b. During the 2021-22 school year, how frequently has your school needed to use the alternative class coverage strategies you indicated above? {Display if ABS5a ≠ N/A}

• Very Rarely

• Rarely

• Occasionally

• Very Frequently

• Always

Classroom Management Student Behavior

CM1SB1. During the 2021-22 school year, have any ofWhich of the following have negatively impacted teachers’ classroom management at your school? Select all that apply.

	No negative impact	A small negative impact	A moderate negative impact	A large negative impact	Don’t Know	Not applicable
Student behavioral issues
Student socioemotional issues
COVID-19 mitigation strategies (e.g., modifications to classroom layout, social distancing, mask-wearing)
Accommodating students in remote learning
Lack of support staff (e.g., teacher’s aides)

• Student behavioral issues

• Student socioemotional issues

• Modifications to the layout of classrooms designed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19

• Accommodating students in remote learning

• Lack of support staff (e.g., teacher’s aides)

• Other, please specify: _____________

• None of the above

• Don’t know

CM2SB2. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement:

“The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the behavioral development of students at my school.”

• Strongly agree

• Agree

• Neither agree nor disagree

• Disagree

• Strongly disagree

CM3SB3. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement:

“The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the socioemotional development of students at my school.”

• Strongly agree

• Agree

• Neither agree nor disagree

• Disagree

• Strongly disagree

CM4SB4a. Compared to a typical school year before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, To the best of your knowledge, have any of the following student behaviors among students changed at your school increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2021-22 school year? Select all that apply.

	Decreased a lot	Decreased a little	Remained about the same	Increased a little	Increased a lot	Don’t Know	This behavior is not applicable at my school
Physical attacks or fights between students
Threats of physical attacks or fights between students
Hate crimes
Bullying
Distribution, possession, or use of illegal drugs
Distribution, possession, or use of alcohol
Distribution, possession, or use of tobacco products (cigarettes, vapes, e-cigarettes)
Vandalism
Classroom disruptions from student misconduct
Rowdiness outside of the classroom (e.g., hallways, lunchroom)
Students cutting class
Student tardiness
Use of cell phones, computers and other electronic devices when not permitted

• Physical attacks or fights

• Threats of physical attacks or fights

• Distribution, possession, or use of illegal drugs or alcohol

• Vandalism

• Hate crimes

• Bullying

• Classroom disruptions from student misconduct

• Rowdiness outside of the classroom (e.g., hallways, lunchroom)

• Students cutting class

• Student tardiness

• Electronic usage when not permitted

• Other, please specify:

• None of the above

• Don’t know

SB4b. You indicated the prevalence of the following student behaviors have increased at your school this year. Do you believe the COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering effects have influenced the increase in these behaviors? Select those behaviors you believe have increased because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Select all that apply.

• {Answers populate based on “increased a little” or “increased a lot” selections to SB4a}

SB4c. You indicated the prevalence of the following student behaviors have decreased at your school this year. Do you believe the COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering effects have influenced the decrease in these behaviors? Select those behaviors you believe have decreased because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Select all that apply.

• {Answers populate based on “decreased a little” or “decreased a lot” selections to SB4a}

CM5SB5a. Compared to a typical school year before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, have any of the following disruptive student behaviors directed at teachers or staff changed during the 2021-22 school yearTo the best of your knowledge, has there been an increase in your school’s staff experiencing any of the following since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic? Select all that apply.

	Decreased a lot	Decreased a little	Remained about the same	Increased a little	Increased a lot	Don’t Know	This behavior is not applicable at my school
Student threats to injure a teacher or staff member
Student physical attacks of a teacher or staff member
Student verbal abuse of teachers or staff members
Student acts of disrespect towards teachers or staff members other than verbal abuse

• Student threats to injure a teacher or staff member

• Student physical attacks of a teacher or staff member

• Student verbal abuse of teachers or staff members

• Student acts of disrespect towards teachers or staff members other than verbal abuse

• Other, please specify:

• None of the above

• Don’t know

SB5b. You indicated the prevalence of the following student behaviors directed at teachers or staff have increased at your school this year. Do you believe the COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering effects have influenced the increase in these behaviors? Select those behaviors you believe have increased because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• {Answers populate based on “increased a little” or “increased a lot” selections to SB5a}

SB5c. You indicated the prevalence of the following student behaviors directed at teachers or staff have decreased at your school this year. Do you believe the COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering effects have influenced the decrease in these behaviors? Select those behaviors you believe have decreased because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

{Answers populate based on “decreased a little” or “decreased a lot” selections to SB5a}

CM6SB6. Due to increased behavioral issues, Does your school need more of any of the following to better support and training to deal with student behavior and development discipline in the classroom? Select all that apply. {If CM4 ≠None of the above or Don’t Know}

• More training on classroom management strategies

• More training on supporting students’ socioemotional development

• More teachers and/or staff need to be hired

• More support for student and/or staff mental health

• Other, please specify _________________

• None of the above

• Yes

• No

• Don’t Know

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