APPENDIX E

DATA COLLECTION FORM FOR DISTRICT-LEVEL 

KINDERGARTEN ASSESSMENT DATA
An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

MEMORANDUM P.O. Box 2393

Princeton, NJ 08543-2393

Telephone (609) 799-3535

Fax (609) 799-0005

www.mathematica-mpr.com

TO: [Name]

FROM: [Name] DATE: XX/XX/XXXX

SUBJECT: District Data Request for the Race to the Top--Early 

Learning Challenge Descriptive Study of Tiered Quality 

Rating and Improvement Systems in Nine Round 1 States

Thank you for participating in the Race to the Top--Early Learning Challenge Descriptive 

Study of Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement Systems in Nine Round 1 States, a study that 

Mathematica Policy Research is conducting for the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The 

goal of the study is to examine the structure and characteristics of TQRIS and whether and how 

the TQRIS ratings are related to child outcomes. This memo outlines our request to [District] for 

the data collection for this important study.

We are requesting only the data that we cannot obtain directly from the state. This 

includes the following:

Demographic information (for example, gender and race/ethnicity)

Year-specific background information (for example, English-language-learner status)

Test scores on kindergarten entry assessments (KEA)

Other information (for example, attendance and previous school history)

We are requesting this information for all kindergarten students for school year 2014–2015 

and all previous years during which the TQRIS and KEA being used were identical to those used 

in 2014–2015. Specifically, we are requesting data for [years]. Table 1 lists the demographic, 

background, test score, and other data elements that we would like to collect. We realize that 

some data elements might not be available. If a data element is not available, please let us know 

and we will work with you to determine if another, similar data element may be used instead. 

When you provide data, please include a data dictionary or codebook that explains what the 

variables and values mean.
MEMO TO: [Name]

FROM: [Name]

DATE: XX/XX/XXXX

PAGE: 2

Table 1. Student Record Data Itemsa

Variable Description Notesb

Student Background and Demographic Information

Student ID ID numbers should be consistent across all school years for 

which data are being requested. We prefer that the ID 

number not be personally identifiable information, such as a 

social security number.

Gender Student’s gender.

Year of birth, or 

suitably rounded age 

variable 

Student’s year of birth.

Race Race of student.

Ethnicity Hispanic or Latino indicator.

Year-Specific Student Background Information

District NCES ID or 

district code

Number that uniquely identifies district in which student was 

enrolled at the beginning of each school year; the ID number 

for a particular district should be consistent across all school 

years for which data are being requested. We prefer NCES 

ID, but will accept other district codes.

District Name Name of district in which student was enrolled in each year.

School NCES ID or 

school code

Number that uniquely identifies school (or preschool) in 

which student was enrolled in each year. ID numbers should 

be consistent across all school years for which data are 

being requested. We prefer NCES ID, but will accept other 

school codes.

School name Name of school (or preschool) in which student was enrolled 

in each year.

Grade level Grade level of the student.

Free and reducedprice lunch statusEligibility for free or reduced-price lunch.

English-languagelearner statusEnglish-language-learner, limited-English-proficient, or 

bilingual status, with level if available.

Special education 

status

Special education status, such as having an Individual 

Education Plan.

Disability type Disability type and/or severity code, if applicable.

504 plan Whether student had a 504 plan.

Maternal education Highest level of education that student’s mother completed.
MEMO TO: [Name]

FROM: [Name]

DATE: XX/XX/XXXX

PAGE: 3

Variable Description Notesb

Student Test Scores

Overall scale score 

from [insert name of 

state kindergarten 

entry assessment] or 

[insert name of state 

alternative 

kindergarten entry 

assessment]

Overall scale score from state or district kindergarten entry 

assessment. Scale score is preferred, but normal curve 

equivalents, percentile ranks, and number correct are 

acceptable (in descending order of preference). (Note: If a 

student retook the test, please provide the most recent 

score in each year.)

Kindergarten entry 

assessment 

language and 

literacy scale score

Scale score from language and literacy section of state or 

district kindergarten entry assessment. Scale score is 

preferred, but normal curve equivalents, percentile ranks, 

and number correct are acceptable (in descending order of 

preference).

Kindergarten entry 

assessment 

cognition and 

general knowledge 

(including early 

mathematics and 

early scientific 

development) scale 

score

Scale score from general knowledge (including early 

mathematics and early scientific development) section of 

state or district kindergarten entry assessment. Scale score 

is preferred, but normal curve equivalents, percentile ranks, 

and number correct are acceptable (in descending order of 

preference).

Kindergarten entry 

assessment 

approaches to 

learning scale score

Scale score from approaches to learning section of state or 

district kindergarten entry assessment. Scale score is 

preferred, but normal curve equivalents, percentile ranks, 

and number correct are acceptable (in descending order of 

preference).

Kindergarten entry 

assessment physical 

well-being and motor 

skills development 

(including adaptive 

skills) scale score

Scale score from physical well-being and motor skills 

development (including adaptive skills) section of state or 

district kindergarten entry assessment. Scale score is 

preferred, but normal curve equivalents, percentile ranks, 

and number correct are acceptable (in descending order of 

preference).

Kindergarten entry 

assessment social 

and emotional 

development scale 

score

Scale score from social and emotional development section 

of state or district kindergarten entry assessment. Scale 

score is preferred, but normal curve equivalents, percentile 

ranks, and number correct are acceptable (in descending 

order of preference).

Kindergarten entry 

assessment name

Name of kindergarten entry assessment as shown in state 

database.

Kindergarten entry 

assessment date

Date student took kindergarten entry assessment.
MEMO TO: [Name]

FROM: [Name]

DATE: XX/XX/XXXX

PAGE: 4

Variable Description Notesb

Kindergarten entry 

assessment form 

type

Kindergarten entry assessment form information, such as 

“Stanford 9 Form S” or an off-grade test indicator, if 

available.

Kindergarten entry 

assessment 

alternate 

assessment 

indicator

Indicator for whether kindergarten entry assessment score is 

from an alternate assessment.

Exemption code Exemption codes for students receiving exemption for 

kindergarten entry assessment test, if applicable.

Other Student Data

District NCES ID (or 

district code) of 

previous district/s 

attended

Number that uniquely identifies district in which student was 

enrolled in year/s before kindergarten. District ID numbers 

should be consistent across all school years for which data 

are being requested. We prefer NCES ID, but will accept 

other district codes.

District name of 

previous district/s 

attended

Name of district/s in which student was enrolled in year/s 

before kindergarten.

School NCES ID (or 

school code) of 

previous school/s 

attended

Number that uniquely identifies school (or preschool) in 

which student was enrolled in year/s before kindergarten. 

School ID numbers should be consistent across all school 

years for which data are being requested. We prefer NCES 

ID, but will accept other school codes.

Name of previous 

school/s or centerbased ECE 

program/s attended

Name of school (or center-based ECE program) in which 

student was enrolled in year/s before kindergarten.

Number of years 

attended for each 

previous school or 

center-based ECE 

program

The total number of years the student attended the previous 

school/s or center-based ECE program/s on record.

aData are requested for all kindergarten students in each year, including those not tested.

bMathematica will fill in the notes column after an initial telephone call to discuss the data request.
MEMO TO: [Name]

FROM: [Name]

DATE: XX/XX/XXXX

PAGE: 5

Justification for Requested Data

We greatly appreciate your assistance with this data request. The study team and ED 

carefully considered this request to ensure it asks for the least amount of data necessary to 

conduct a high quality study. Below, we briefly describe why the requested data elements are 

required to conduct the study.

Student kindergarten entry assessment scores. These are key outcome variables for the 

analysis. The study will examine whether these scores are related to TQRIS ratings.

Student ID, school NCES ID and name, district NCES ID and name. These variables are 

needed to uniquely identify students across schools and over time. School names are needed to 

check the consistency of the school NCES ID variable and investigate possible anomalies in the 

data, such as those caused by school closures and consolidations. District IDs are needed to 

distinguish between schools that have the same or similar names, but are located in different 

districts.

NCES ID and/or name of previous school or center-based ECE program, NCES ID 

and name of previous district, number of years attended previous school or program. To 

relate TQRIS ratings of preschools to child outcomes, we need to know which center-based ECE 

programs each child attended in the year/s prior to kindergarten. We will use the number of years 

attended to control for time spent in a particular center-based ECE program when examining the 

relationship between TQRIS ratings and child outcomes, and to examine whether this 

relationship differs for children who spent more time in their previous program.

Student background and demographic information. These variables are needed to 

control for student characteristics when examining the relationship between TQRIS ratings and 

child outcomes, and to examine whether this relationship differs for particular subgroups of 

interest, such as students from low-income families, minority students, English-language 

learners, and special education students.

Data Confidentiality

Mathematica Policy Research follows the confidentiality and data protection requirements 

of the Institute of Education Sciences (Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, 

Section 183). Responses to this data collection will be used 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 permitted by law.
MEMO TO: [Name]

FROM: [Name]

DATE: XX/XX/XXXX

PAGE: 6

File Format

Data can be provided 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 data, including definitions 

of variables/fields, any codes used, and contact information for someone who can answer 

questions about the data. See Attachment A for instructions on transferring the data securely to 

Mathematica.

Thank you very much for your assistance with this data request. Please don’t hesitate to 

contact me with any questions or concerns at (xxx) xxx-xxxx or name@mathematica-mpr.com.

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 xxxx-xxxx. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to 

average eight hours per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data sources, gather the 

data needed, and complete and review the information collection. The obligation to respond to this collection is 

voluntary. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, 

application or survey, please contact directly: Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, 555 

New Jersey Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20208.
MEMO TO: [Name]

FROM: [Name]

DATE: XX/XX/XXXX

PAGE: 7

ATTACHMENT A

SECURE DATA TRANSFER GUIDE

This attachment describes procedures for securely transferring administrative data to 

Mathematica Policy Research for the Race to the Top--Early Learning Challenge Descriptive 

Study of Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement Systems in Nine Round 1 States. Step 1 

describes how to obtain your user name and password for our secure website. Step 2 describes 

procedures for delivering data to Mathematica. If you have any questions, please contact 

XXXX at XXX-XXX-XXXX or XXX@mathematica-mpr.com.

Step 1. Obtaining Your User Name and Password

We have created a unique user name and password to protect the security of your data; no 

other states or districts will have access to the data you provide.

User name: XXX

Password: Call XXXX at XXX-XXX-XXXX or XXXX at XXX-XXX-XXXX to obtain your 

password. (Telephone is more secure than email for providing your password.)

Step 2. Sending Data to Mathematica

When you are ready to transmit data, you may choose one of the two delivery options listed 

below. The options are listed in order of preference based on security, with Option 1 being more 

secure and Option 2 less secure. To best ensure the security of your data, please choose Option 

1 if possible. Detailed instructions for each option are included below.

Option 1: Upload Your Data File(s) to Our Secure File Transfer Website

To upload your file(s) to our secure website, go to: https://XXXX.mathematica-mpr.com

You will be prompted to enter your user name and password. When prompted, please enter 

the following (case-sensitive) login information:

User name: XXX

Password: (provided by telephone; see Step 1)
MEMO TO: [Name]

FROM: [Name]

DATE: XX/XX/XXXX

PAGE: 8

After you log in, to upload files, click on the “Browse” button as seen in the picture below.

Locate your file where it is saved on your computer (for example, “My Documents” or 

“Desktop”) in the Windows dialog box. Click the “Open” button in the dialog box to complete 

this action, as pictured below.

When the dialog box closes, click the “Upload” button to upload your file, as pictured 

below. When this step is complete, you have successfully uploaded your file. Repeat this step if 

you have multiple files to upload.

Option 2: Federal Express

If you are unable to use the option above, you may ship your data to us at the address below 

via Federal Express. Please contact XXXX at XXX-XXX-XXXX or XXXX@mathematicampr.com for a prepaid Federal Express label. Please ship data to:

XXXX

Mathematica Policy Research

600 Alexander Park, Suite 100

Princeton, NJ 08540

Note: To protect the security of your data, Mathematica requires the use of encryption 

software for all disks, CDs, and DVD-ROMs shipped via Federal Express. Shipping 

unencrypted materials places your data at risk. Please do not include the encryption password 

in your shipment; encryption passwords should be communicated by telephone to the contact 

listed above.