APPENDIX E 

PRINCIPAL AND TEACHER ADMINISTRATIVE DATA REQUEST LETTER
An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

P.O. Box 2393

Princeton, NJ 08543-2393

Telephone (609) 799-3535

Fax (609) 799-0005

www.mathematica-mpr.com

[DATE]

Dear [DISTRICT CONTACT]:

We would like to thank your district for participating in the National Evaluation of the 

Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) conducted by Mathematica Policy Research for the U.S. Department 

of Education. This study will produce valuable information on the impact of performance-based 

incentive programs on student achievement and educator mobility and retention. We greatly 

appreciate your assistance with this important study. 

As part of the study, we are collecting information from district records about the participating 

principals and teachers in the study schools. We will be making the same data request in fall 2012,

2013, 2014, and 2015. These data will be used to document the hiring, movement between schools, 

and attrition of principals and teachers participating in the study. We also want to obtain 

information on principals and teachers measured effectiveness and actual payouts to staff in 

recognition of their accomplishments. Finally, we are requesting any demographic or background 

characteristics available in your district files. Please note that cooperation with these activities is a 

condition of your grant (Office of Elementary and Secondary Education: Overview Information; 

Teacher Incentive Fund: Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, 

75 FR 28740-28749 (May 21, 2010)).

The attached table indicates the specific items that we are requesting for the current school 

year. Also attached are instructions for returning the data to us. You can choose among three ways 

of returning the data: (1) posting the files to our secure website; (2) emailing the passwordprotected files to us; or (3) sending the hard copy lists to us via Federal Express. 

Thank you very much for your assistance. A member of our study team will contact you in the 

next week to determine if you have any questions. You can reach me at (202) 484-4820 or 

mgrider@mathematica-mpr.com.

Sincerely,

Mary Grider

Senior Systems Analyst

PRINCIPAL/TEACHER DATA REQUEST 
Notice of Confidentiality

Responses to this data collection will be used only for statistical purposes. The reports prepared for this 

study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with a specific district or 

Item # Data Item

Background and Demographic Information for Educators (Teachers and Principals)

1 Last and first name 

2 Sex

3 District ID number

4 Date of birth (mm/dd/yy)

5 Ethnicity (Hispanic or Latino origin)

6 Race

7 Highest degree held

8 Certification status

9 Score on licensure or certification test (include name of test and date administered)

Year-Specific Information (2010–2011)

10 School ID

11 School name

12 Date started at school (mm/dd/yy)

13 Date of Departure (if applicable) (mm/dd/yy)

14 Part-time/Full-time status

15 Itinerant indicator (splits time between multiple buildings) 

16 Transfer during the year indicator

17 Number of years teaching experience (including current year)

18 Employment Category—principal or teacher

19 Grade taught (if teacher)

20 Self-contained of subject-area teacher (if teacher)

21 Subject taught (if applicable)

22 Number of days absent during the year

23 Eligible for performance pay (yes/no)

24 Maximum amount for which eligible

25 Actual amount of performance pay received

Information on Performance Measures (2010–2011)

26 First criterion used (type of measure and name)

27 Date first criterion administered or collected

28 Score on first criterion (include information on type of score, possible range, 

passing score, etc.)

29 Second criterion used (type of measure and name)

30 Date second criterion administered or collected

31 Score on second criterion (same details as in #22)

32 Third criterion used (type of measure and name)

33 Date third criterion administered or collected

34 Score on third criterion (same details as in #22)
individual. We will not provide information that identifies you or your district to anyone outside the study 

team, except as required by law. Additionally, no one at your school or in your district will see your 

responses. Participation or cooperation with this activity is a condition of your grant (EDGAR: part 75.591, 

Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e–3 and 3474).

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 xxxx-xxxx. The time required to complete this 

information collection is estimated to average 8 hours per year, 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, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20208.