School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS)

2016 and 2018

OMB #1850-0761 v.7

Supporting Statement Part B

National Center for Education Statistics

Institute of Education Sciences

U.S. Department of Education

March 13, 2015
Contents

SECTION B. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................ 1

B1. RESPONDENT UNIVERSE AND SAMPLE DESIGN AND ESTIMATION ............................................. 1

B2. PROCEDURES FOR COLLECTION OF INFORMATION..................................................................... 6

B3. METHODS TO MAXIMIZE RESPONSE RATES ............................................................................... 8

B4. TESTS OF PROCEDURES.............................................................................................................. 9

B6. INDIVIDUALS RESPONSIBLE FOR STUDY DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE ....................................... 9

List of tables

Table Page

Table 1 Expected respondent universe for the proposed SSOCS 2011–12 public school sample, by 

school level and urbanicity, based on the 2009–10 CCD .................................................... 1

Table 2 Expected respondent universe for the proposed SSOCS 2011–12 public school sample, by 

school level and enrollment size, based on the 2009–10 CCD............................................ 1

Table 3 Unweighted and weighted unit response rates, by selected school characteristics: School 

year 2009–10........................................................................................................................ 4

Table 4 Unweighted and weighted unit response rates, by selected school characteristics: School 

year 2007–08........................................................................................................................ 5
1

Section B. Methodology

The School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) questionnaire and many of the procedures were used in 

the 2006, 2008, and 2010 SSOCS data collections and are therefore well defined. The information below

reflects plans for SSOCS:2016 and SSOCS:2018.

B1. Respondent Universe and Sample Design and Estimation

The sampling frame for SSOCS:2016 is the same as the 2015–16 National Teacher and Principal Survey

(NTPS) sampling frame, with additional out-of-scope schools excluded. The NTPS sampling frame was

constructed from the Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe file of the 2013–14 Common Core of 

Data (CCD), which is an NCES annual collection of fiscal and nonfiscal data for all public schools, public 

school districts, and state education agencies in the United States.

To create the NTPS sampling frame, certain types of schools were excluded from the CCD public school 

universe file, including schools in the U.S. outlying areas1and Puerto Rico, overseas Department of 

Defense schools, newly closed schools, home schools, and schools with a high grade of kindergarten or 

lower (regular public schools, charter schools, and schools that have partial or total magnet programs with 

students in any of grades prekindergarten through 12 are included in the frame). The SSOCS sampling 

frame starts with the NTPS frame, but excludes schools run by the Bureau of Indian Education, schools 

specializing in special education or alternative education, vocational schools, and ungraded schools.

The size of the SSOCS population is estimated to be about 85,000 schools. Tables 1 and 2 show the 

distribution of the public school sampling universe for the 2011–12 SSOCS, which was not fielded; this

universe was based on the 2009–10 CCD. The 2015–16 SSOCS sampling universe, which is based on the 

2013–14 CCD, is expected to have a similar distribution. Tables 1 and 2 will be updated in August 2015 

with data from the 2013–14 CCD.

Table 1. Expected respondent universe for the proposed SSOCS 2011–12 public school sample, by 

school level and urbanicity, based on the 2009–10 CCD

Urbanicity Primary Middle High Combined Total

City 14,484 3,797 3,244 894 22,419

Suburb 15,349 4,919 3,332 529 24,129

Town 6,078 2,874 2,140 518 11,610

Rural 14,198 4,375 4,285 4,213 27,071

Total 50,109 15,965 13,001 6,154 85,229

Table 2. Expected respondent universe for the proposed SSOCS 2011–12 public school sample, by 

school level and enrollment size, based on the 2009–10 CCD

Enrollment Size Primary Middle High Combined Total

Less than 300 11,553 2,999 2,477 3,041 20,070

300–499 18,603 3,737 1,962 1,544 25,846

500–999 19,007 7,396 3,108 1,258 30,769

1,000+ 946 1,833 5,454 311 8,544

Total 50,109 15,965 13,001 6,154 85,229

Sample Selection and Response Rates

A stratified sample design will be used to select approximately 3,230 public schools for SSOCS:2016. For 

sample allocation purposes, strata will be defined by instructional level, type of locale, and enrollment 

size. Both minority enrollment and region will be used as sorting variables in the sample selection process 

 

1 The U.S. outlying areas are America Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
2

to induce implicit stratification. SSOCS:2010 yielded an unweighted response rate of approximately 77 

percent. When the responding schools were weighted to account for their original sampling probabilities, 

the response rate increased to approximately 81 percent. SSOCS:2008 yielded an unweighted response 

rate of approximately 75 percent and a weighted response rate of approximately 77 percent. Based on the 

average weighted response rate of the two prior administrations of SSOCS, a response rate of 

approximately 79 percent is anticipated for SSOCS:2016 and is reflected in the sample size.

Sample Design for SSOCS:2010

A stratified sampling design was used to select schools for SSOCS:2010.

2

For sample allocation and 

sample selection, strata were defined by instructional level, type of locale, and enrollment size. Within 

each of four instructional level categories, the sample was allocated to each of 16 subgroups formed by

the cross-classification of locale (four levels) and enrollment size (four levels) in proportion to an 

aggregate measure of size derived for each subgroup. The aggregate measure of size for a specific locale

by size cell within an instructional level is equal to the sum of the square root of school enrollment.

The initial goal of SSOCS:2010 was to collect data from at least 2,550 schools, taking nonresponse into 

account. One possible method of allocating schools to the different sampling strata would have been to 

allocate them proportionally to the U.S. public school population. However, while the majority of U.S. 

public schools are primary schools, the majority of school violence is reported in middle and high 

schools. Proportional allocation would, therefore, have yielded an inefficient sample design because the 

sample composition would have included more primary schools (where crime is an infrequent event) than 

middle or high schools (where crime is a relatively more frequent event). As a result, a larger proportion 

of the target sample of 2,550 schools was allocated to middle and high schools. Based on the aggregate 

measure of size, the desired sample of 2,550 schools was allocated to the four instructional levels as 

follows: 640 primary schools, 895 middle schools, 915 schools high schools, and 100 combined schools. 

Within instructional level, the overall sample of schools was then allocated to each stratum in proportion 

to the measure of size. Schools in SSOCS:2000, SSOCS:2004, SSOCS:2006, and SSOCS:2008 were 

allocated to instructional levels in a similar manner.

After the allocation for each stratum was determined, percent minority and region were used as implicit 

stratification variables by sorting the school lists in each stratum by these variables before sample 

selection. The formula used to calculate measure of size is given as:

MOS(h) = 

i=1

Nh

Ehi

where Ehi = the enrollment of the i

th school in stratum h and Nh = the total number of schools in stratum h.

The measure of size for the instructional level, MOS(l), is found by summing across the 16 measure-ofsize values, MOS(h), that comprise the instructional level. The ratio of the stratum’s measure of size to the 

overall measure of size for the instructional level determines the number of cases to be allocated to that 

stratum. This is found by dividing the stratum measure of size, MOS(h), by the total measure of size for 

the instructional level, MOS(l). The result provides the proportion of the sample that should be allocated 

to this stratum.

 

2 Note that SSOCS data were last collected during the 2009–10 school year (that is, in SSOCS:2010).
3

Sample Design for SSOCS:2016 and SSOCS:2018

The same general sampling design used for SSOCS:2010 will be adopted for the selection of schools in 

SSOCS:2016 and SSOCS:2018 with regard to stratification variables, the number of strata, the method of 

sample allocation, and the sorting of variables before selection.

The two main objectives of the SSOCS:2016 and SSOCS:2018 sampling design are identical to those of

SSOCS:2010: (1) to obtain overall cross-sectional and subgroup estimates of important indicators of 

school crime and safety, and (2) to maintain precise estimates of change in various characteristics relating 

to crime between the 2003–04, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2015–16, and later SSOCS administrations.

3

Adopting the same general design increases the precision of the estimate of change. For sample allocation 

and sample selection purposes, strata were defined in prior administrations of SSOCS by crossing 

instructional level, type of locale, and enrollment size. In addition, minority status and region were used 

as implicit stratification variables by sorting schools by these variables within each stratum before sample 

selection. The three explicit and two implicit stratification variables have been shown to be related to 

school crime and thus create meaningful strata for this survey.

A study was conducted to determine what value might be gained from selecting the SSOCS:2016 sample 

in tandem with the 2015–16 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS). This research suggested that 

SSOCS:2016 should continue to be sampled independently from NTPS. This is consistent with the way

SSOCS:2008 was sampled with regard to the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS; the predecessor to 

NTPS) sample. The chief advantage of the independent sampling approach is that an unbiased sample can 

be selected in a very simple and straightforward manner that aligns with the sample selection of previous 

SSOCS administrations.

SSOCS:2016 will take advantage of the lessons learned from the 2010 and 2008 data collections. 

Response rates achieved for various strata and substrata in SSOCS:2010 and SSOCS:2008 have been

examined in order to determine the proper size of the initial sample selection for 2016. Table 3 contains 

SSOCS:2010 response rates by type of school level, enrollment size, urbanicity, percent White 

enrollment, and region. Table 4 contains the response rates for SSOCS:2008. When using 2010 and 2008

response rates to estimate 2016 response rates, the is to ensure a sufficient number of completed cases for 

analysis.

The base-weighted response rate was 81 percent in SSOCS:2010 and 77 percent in SSOCS:2008. The 

sample design for SSOCS:2016 was built on the expectation of a response rate similar to the average 

response rate of the two prior administrations of SSOCS (79 percent) to ensure that a sufficient number of 

completed interviews would be obtained.

Calculation of Weights

Weights will be attached to each surveyed school so that the weighted data will represent population 

levels. The final weight for completed cases will be composed of a sampling base weight and an 

adjustment for nonresponse. As with SSOCS:2010, nonresponse weighting adjustment cells for the 

SSOCS:2016 data will be determined using a categorical search algorithm called Chi-Square Automatic 

Interaction Detection (CHAID). CHAID begins by identifying the school-level characteristics of interest 

that are the best predictors of response. It divides the dataset into groups so that the unit response rate 

within cells is as constant as possible and the unit response rate between cells is as different as possible. 

 

3 Again, note that SSOCS data were last collected during the 2009–10 school year.
4

The characteristics of interest as predictors of response must be available for both respondents and 

nonrespondents in order to conduct a CHAID analysis, and, in the case of SSOCS, will be available 

through the CCD sampling frame. Weighting adjustment cells for 2018 SSOCS data will be determined 

based on bias analysis results from 2016 SSOCS data in order to create the adjustment for nonresponse. 

The final, adjusted weight will be raked so that the sum of the weights matches the number of schools 

derived from the latest CCD public school universe file.

Table 3. Unweighted and weighted unit response rates, by selected school characteristics:

School year 2009–10

School characteristic

Initial

sample

Completed

survey1

Nonrespondents2 Ineligible3

Unweighted

response

rate (percent)4

Weighted

response

rate (percent)5

Total 3,476 2,648 779 49 77.3 80.8

Level6

Primary 863 684 168 11 80.3 81.4

Middle 1,208 909 280 19 76.5 78.0

High school 1,273 948 314 11 75.1 78.1

Combined 132 107 17 8 86.3 87.6

Enrollmentsize

Less than 300 372 304 48 20 86.4 85.8

300–499 673 526 136 11 79.5 81.4

500–999 1,310 1,009 287 14 77.9 79.4

1,000 or more 1,121 809 308 4 72.4 73.0

Urbanicity

City 1,031 703 303 25 69.9 73.0

Suburb 1,185 881 290 14 75.2 76.7

Town 455 391 59 5 86.9 87.2

Rural 805 673 127 5 84.1 88.1

Percent White enrollment

More than 95 percent 373 336 36 1 90.3 88.4

More than 80 to 95 percent 868 715 145 8 83.1 86.3

More than 50 to 80 percent 914 703 198 13 78.0 81.9

50 percent or less 1,321 894 400 27 69.1 72.9

Region

Northeast 595 444 149 2 74.9 78.3

Midwest 822 646 163 13 79.9 81.3

South 1,282 965 296 21 76.5 82.1

West 777 593 171 13 77.6 79.9

1

In SSOCS:2010, a minimum of 60 percent of the 231 subitems eligible for recontact (i.e., all subitems in the questionnaire except those associated with the

introductory items) were required to be answered for the survey to be considered complete. Of the 231 subitems eligible for recontact, this includes a minimum of

80 percent of the 89 critical subitems (72 out of 89 total), 60 percent of item 16 subitems (18 out of 30 total), 93 percent of item 23 subitems in columns 2, 3, and

4 (14 out of 15 total), and 60 percent of item 23 subitems in columns 1 and 5 (6 out of 10 total).

2Nonrespondentsinclude 80 schools whose districts denied permission to NCES and those eligible schools that either did not respond or responded but

did not answer the minimum number of items required for the survey to be considered complete.

3

Ineligible schoolsinclude those that had closed, merged with another school at a new location, changed from a regular public school to an alternative

school, or are not a school ("not a school" generally refers to a school record for an organization that does not provide any classroom instruction (e.g.,

an office overseeing a certain type of program or offering tutoring services only)).

4The unweighted response rate is calculated as the following ratio: completed cases / (total sample - known ineligibles).

5The weighted response rate is calculated by applying the base sampling rates to the following ratio: completed cases / (total sample - known

ineligibles).

6

Primary schools are defined as schools in which the lowest grade is not higher than grade 3 and the highest grade is not higher than grade 8. Middle

schools are defined as schools in which the lowest grade is not lower than grade 4 and the highest grade is not higher than grade 9. High schools are

defined as schools in which the lowest grade is not lower than grade 9 and the highest grade is not higher than grade 12. Combined schools include all

other combinations of grades, including K–12 schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2009–10 School Survey on Crime and Safety(SSOCS:2010).
5

Table 4. Unweighted and weighted unit response rates, by selected school 

characteristics: School year 2007–08

Unweighted Weighted

Initial Completed Nonresponse response

School characteristic sample survey1

respondents2Ineligible3rate (percent)4rate (percent)5

Total 3,484 2,560 872 52 75 77.16

Level

Primary 833 618 200 15 76 76.96

Middle 1,214 897 297 20 75 76.96

High school 1,295 936 347 12 73 76.22

Combined 142 109 28 5 80 80.82

Enrollment size 

Less than 300 371 285 60 26 83 83.33

300–499 630 486 131 13 79 76.74

500–999 1,318 992 315 11 76 76.22

1,000 or more 1,165 797 366 2 69 68.60

Urbanicity 

City 1,046 679 335 32 67 69.44

Suburb 1,151 814 329 8 71 73.10

Town 469 390 70 9 85 84.61

Rural 818 677 138 3 83 83.85

Percent minority 

enrollment

Less than 5 percent 427 353 70 4 83 84.32

5 to less than 20

percent 892 707 181 4 80 80.77

20 to less than 50

percent 895 656 231 8 74 76.66

50 percent or more 1,270 844 390 36 68 71.38

Region

Northeast 597 399 189 9 68 69.51

Midwest 832 648 168 16 79 80.78

South 1,274 950 304 20 76 79.71

West 781 563 211 7 73 74.60

1

In SSOCS:2008, A minimum of 60 percent of the 241 subitems eligible for recontact (i.e., all subitems in the questionnaire except for the 

seven introductory items) were required to have been answered for a survey to be considered complete, including a minimum of 80 percent 

of the 103 critical subitems.

2Nonrespondents include those eligible schools that did not answer the minimum number of items required for a survey to be considered 

complete.

3

Ineligible schools include those that had closed, merged with another school at a new location, or changed from a regular public school to 

an alternative school.

4The unweighted response rate is calculated as the following ratio: completed cases / (total sample - known ineligibles).

5The weighted response rate is calculated by applying the base sampling rates to the following ratio: completed cases / (total sample -

known ineligibles).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2007–08 School Survey on Crime and Safety 

(SSOCS:2008).

Methods for Variance Estimation

Standard errors of the estimates will be estimated using jackknife repeated replication (JRR). Replicate 

codes that indicate the computing strata and the half-sample to which each sample unit belongs will be 

provided, as will the weights for all replicates that were formed in order to calculate variances.
6

B2. Procedures for Collection of Information

The data collection methods used in SSOCS:2016 and SSOCS:2018 will be based on those used in 

SSOCS:2010, including utilizing a mail survey with intensive phone and e-mail follow-up. The methods 

are described in more detail in the following sections.

Steps in the Data Collection Process

The following is a description of the main tasks in the data collection process for SSOCS. These tasks 

include drawing the sample; identifying special-permission districts; mailings of letters to school 

principals, district superintendents, and Chief State School Officers (CSSOs); mailings of full package to 

principals; phone follow-up to nonresponding schools; and refusal conversion efforts. All communication 

materials to potential respondents are designed for refusal aversion (see Appendix A for letters to 

superintendents and principals, as well as postcards to schools in special-permission districts and 

reminder e-mails and voicemails to respondents).

Drawing the Sample

The sample of schools will be drawn in September preceding data collection in order to identify the 

special-permission school districts early in the survey cycle. This will ensure that these districts have the 

necessary information to present to their approval board in the fall of 2015 and 2017.

Identifying Special-Permission Districts and the Need for Research Applications

NCES has a list of special-permission districts that require research applications. These districts will be 

contacted by the Census Bureau to obtain any materials necessary for their approval of SSOCS. The 

special contact districts are those known to require completion of a research application before they will 

allow schools under their jurisdiction to participate in a study. Based on an initial assessment of previous 

SSOCS data collections, it is estimated that 181 special contact districts will be in the sample.

Approximately 68 percent of the special districts contacted in the 2009–2010 SSOCS responded to a 

request for external research. These responses were either: approval (55.2 percent), or refusal (12.7

percent). Several districts were identified that have refused multiple rounds of SSOCS for special 

outreach. We plan to engage senior NCES staff and others with personal contacts at these districts in our 

efforts to gain approval for this cycle of SSOCS.

The special district contact operations for the 2015–16 SSOCS will be based on those used in the 2011–

2012 NTPS data collection. Districts are identified as ‘special districts’ prior to data collection because 

they were flagged as such during previous cycles of SSOCS or other NCES studies, or identified during 

updating district information based on what is found in online sources. The application process for each 

individual district is obtained either through direct contact via phone or e-mail or through the district 

website. Most districts require that the following documents be provided in the research request packet:

 Study proposal with a timeline of the study

 Study Abstract and/or Executive Summary

 IRB approval (SSOCS is exempt from seeking IRB approval)

 Consent form

 Project Director’s resume

 Copy of any communications that would be sent to participants

 Copy of questionnaires

Some districts require a processing fee (approximately $50-$200) before the research proposal can be 

evaluated.
7

Advance Notification to Principals

Principals will be notified of the survey through an advance letter and email sent a week or two before the 

questionnaire, following OMB clearance. The letter will include information about the study, the date of 

the first mailing, and a toll-free number that principals can call if they have questions. The toll-free 

number will be answered by Census program staff in Suitland, Maryland, who have been explicitly

trained for this study and on how to respond to calls from schools. Staffing levels will ensure that at least 

one staff person is available at all times during the promised hours of operation. Copies of the advance 

letter to principals and principals in special-permission districts are included in Appendix A.

Mailing the Study Notification to District Superintendents and Chief State School Officers

In order to achieve the highest possible response rate, we will send the study notification mailing to 

superintendents and CSSOs at the same time as the advance notification to principals. The purpose of this 

mailing is to provide districts with information about the survey and to inform them about the 

questionnaires being mailed to sampled schools in their district. It is not designed to ask for permission;

rather, it is designed as a vehicle to help enhance participation. All materials sent to the CSSOs will be 

personalized using contact information from the CSSO website. Copies of the letters to the 

superintendents/CSSOs are included in Appendix A.

Mailing the Questionnaire to Principals

We will begin mailing questionnaires to school principals in late February 2016 (February 2018 for the 

2018 collection). The mailing will include a postage-paid return envelope. The cover letter will be 

personalized to the school principal and will include the toll-free number at the Census Bureau, along 

with the hours of operation and the return address. The principal will be asked to complete the 

questionnaire—or to have it completed by the person at the school who is the most knowledgeable about 

school crime and safety—by the end of March 2016 (March 2018 for the 2018 collection). A copy of the 

cover letter to principals and a copy of the postcard for special-permission districts are included in 

Appendix A.

Protocol for Follow-up Calls

Approximately 2 weeks after the estimated delivery of the questionnaire to school principals, Census will 

initiate phone calls to confirm that they have received the mailing and to ask if they have any questions. 

Approximately 1 week after the first follow-up call, the first reminder e-mail will be sent to all 

respondents from the NCES Project Director. A second reminder e-mail will be sent to nonrespondents

from the NCES Project Director. E-mails will be personalized and sent to individual respondents. If 

requested, another questionnaire will be sent to the school (and then call within 2 days to confirm receipt).

Second Mailing of Questionnaire

A second mailing of questionnaires to nonrespondents will be done in late March or early April.

Data Retrieval of Critical Items

In terms of the collection of “critical items,” interview labor can be divided between follow-up with 

nonrespondents (with the remaining weeks seeking “critical item” completes as an alternative to the full 

survey) and follow-up with respondents who have skipped items deemed to be critical (retrieval of 

missing data). For nonrespondents, after May 11, 2016 (May 11, 2018 for the 2018 collection), we will 

offer “critical item” completes by fax or phone. The “critical items” identified by NCES for SSOCS:2016
8

and SSOCS:2018 will be the same critical items as were defined for SSOCS:2010,4 which include the 

incidence data as well as school attributes.

Refusal Conversion for Schools That Will Not Participate

At any time during data collection, if a school expresses strong concerns about confidentiality, these 

concerns will be directed to the Census Project Director (and possibly to NCES) for formal assurance. All 

mailed refusal conversion materials will include the project’s toll-free number as well as the Project 

Director’s direct number.

The refusal conversion letters would be viewed as a second conversion attempt, after the interviewers 

have attempted conversion. Information learned during the refusal conversion interviews would be used to 

inform the content of the refusal conversion letters, if it is decided that these letters have the potential to 

increase response rates.

The 2016 and 2018 SSOCS refusal conversion will begin about one month after the start of data 

collection and continue throughout the rest of the field period. This lag between the start of the data 

collection and the beginning of refusal conversion will allow time for the development and design of the 

refusal conversion training and protocol that will be based on lessons learned during the first month of 

data collection. Throughout the field period, we will ensure a “cooling off period” of at minimum 14 

calendar days before a refusing school is called.

B3. Methods to Maximize Response Rates

NCES is committed to obtaining a high response rate in SSOCS:2016 and SSOCS:2018. A key to 

achieving a high response rate is to track the response status of each sampled school, with telephone 

follow-ups of those schools that do not respond promptly. To help track response status, survey responses 

will be monitored through an automated receipt control system.

Several other steps will also be taken to maximize the response rate. For example, the package containing 

the questionnaire will include a specially designed brochure describing the purpose of the study, as well 

as highlights from SSOCS:2010. Further, a pen with the SSOCS logo and website address will be 

included in the package to help remind the respondent to complete the questionnaire. The mailed 

questionnaire will be accompanied by a postage-paid return reply envelope and will provide a toll-free 

800 number that people may call to resolve questions about the survey. It also will provide a means for 

seeking help by e-mail. If a questionnaire is returned by the U.S. Postal Service, the Census Bureau will 

seek to verify the correct address and remail the questionnaire. Questionnaires will be remailed by Federal 

Express to ensure their prompt receipt and to give the survey greater importance in the eyes of the 

potential respondents.

All questionnaires that are received will be reviewed for consistency and completeness. If a questionnaire 

has too few items completed to be counted as a response (or if it has missing or conflicting data for key

items), telephone interviewers will seek to obtain more complete responses. Interviewers who have

received training in telephone interview techniques and specific training in SSOCS will conduct all of the 

telephone interviews. After data retrieval is completed, a questionnaire must have at least 60 percent of all 

items and at least 80 percent of all critical items completed to be considered valid for inclusion in the 

dataset. Responses of “don’t know” (which only apply to item 17) will not be considered as valid 

responses when counting the number of items completed.

 

4 The critical items for SSOCS:2016 are 11, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 28, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 43, 44, and 45 (see Appendix B).
9

Endorsements

To further increase the perceived legitimacy of the survey and thus improve the response rate, the Census 

Bureau will seek endorsements on behalf of NCES from organizations. Each of the endorsing agencies 

below supported SSOCS:2010 and their endorsement will be sought for SSOCS:2016 and SSOCS:2018:

 American Association of School Administrators

 American Federation of Teachers

 American School Counselors Association

 Association of American Educators

 Center for the Prevention of School Violence

 Council of Chief State School Officers

 National Association of Elementary School Principals

 National Association of School Resource Officers

 National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Officers

 National Association of Secondary School Principals

 National Association of State Boards of Education

 National Education Association

 National Middle School Association

 National PTA

 National School Boards Association

 National School Safety Center

 Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory

 Police Executive Research Forum

 School Safety Advocacy Council

 School Violence Resource Center

B4. Tests of Procedures

Project staff completed several pretest activities during the initial development of SSOCS and prior to 

several additional iterations of the survey. As part of the development of the 2015–16 SSOCS, AIR 

conducted cognitive testing with 17 administrators in the winter of 2014–15 (OMB# 1850-0803). The

cognitive testing concentrated on new items, items that had undergone substantial revisions, and items 

that have proven to be problematic (e.g., because of low response rates). Based on the results of the 

cognitive testing, NCES is confident in the validity of the finalized items on the questionnaire.

B6. Individuals Responsible for Study Design and Performance

Several key staff are responsible for the study design and performance. They are:

 Rachel Sutcliffe, Project Director, National Center for Education Statistics, (202) 502-7684

 Jana Kemp, American Institutes for Research, (202) 403-6566

 Samantha Neiman, American Institutes for Research, (312) 588-7345

 Sally Ruddy, American Institutes for Research, (651) 698-2581

 Carolyn Pickering, Education Surveys Branch Survey Director, Associate Director for

Demographic Programs, Census Bureau, (301) 763-3873

 Randall Parmer, Demographic Surveys Methods Division, Census Bureau, (301) 763-3567