## Supporting Justification for OMB Clearance of an **Implementation**

**Study of the Ramp**  **- Up to Readiness Program Under the Regional** 

**Educational Laboratory Program** 

**Section B November**  **2013 Submitted to**  **Chris Boccanfuso, Ph.D. Contracting Officer’s Representative**  **Institute of Education Sciences U.S. Department of Education**  **Submitted b y**  **Dean Gerdeman, Ph.D. ,**  **Director**

1120 East Diehl Road, Suite 200 Naperville , IL 60563 - 1486 866 - 730 - 6735 www.rel midwest .org This publication was prepared for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) under contract ED- IES - 12 - C - 0004 by Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest, administered by American Institutes for Research. The content of the publication doe s not necessarily reflect the views or policies of IES or the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government. The publication is in the public domain. Authorizat ion to reproduce in whole or in part for educational purposes is granted. 2365

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### Contents **Page**

B. Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods ................................ ......................... 1 Introduction ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 1 1. Respondent Universe and Sampling Methods ................................ ................................ ....... 3 2. Procedures for the Collection of Information ................................ ................................ ........ 5 3. Methods to Maximize Response Rate s and Deal With Nonresponse ................................ .. 10 4. Tests of Procedures and Methods to Be Undertaken ................................ ........................... 12 5. Individuals Consulted on Statistical Aspects of the Design and Key Staff ......................... 12 6. Reference ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................. 13 Attachment A - 1. Extant Data Request ................................ ................................ ........................... 1 4 Attachment A - 2 . Student Survey Questionnaire ................................ ................................ ............ 1 7 Attachment A - 3 . Consent Documents ................................ ................................ ........................... 25 Attachment A - 4 . February Focus Group Protocol ................................ ................................ ......... 29 Attachment A - 5 . Extant Document Collection Request ................................ ................................ 37 Attachment A - 6 . Instructional L og for Ramp - Up Workshop ................................ ........................ 38 Attachment A - 7 . May Focus Group Protocol ................................ ................................ ................ 43 Attachment A - 8 . Staff Survey Questionnaire ................................ ................................ ................ 52



### Table Table 1. Size of Universe of Public High Schools in Minnesota and Necessary Sample Size ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................... 4REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 1 

### B. Collection of Infor **mation Employing Statistical Methods**

**Introduction** The U.S. Department of Education (ED) requests clearance for data collection under the Office of Management and Budget ( OMB ) clearance agreement (OMB number [IES to complete]) for activities related to the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program. ED, in consultation with American Institutes for Research (AIR), intends to study the implementation of the Ramp Up to Readiness Program (“Ramp - Up”) in Mi nnesota public schools. Ramp - Up, developed b y the College Readiness Consortium at the University of Minnesota, is a schoolwide guidance program that aims to increase students’ likelihood of college enrollment and completion by promoting multiple dimensions of college readiness (academic, admissions, financial, career, and personal/social). It is an intensive and comprehensive approach to college preparation (compared with many

other college - access programs) through which all students within a school meet re peatedly

with an advisor in groups over multiple y ears and receive detailed instruction and assistance related to dimensions of college readiness. OMB approval is being requested for a multimode data collection and anal ys is of a group of schools, students, and staff members in Minnesota public schools to provide evidence on the fidelity with which Ramp - Up schools implement the program , and on the contrast between Ramp - Up’s core components and the college - related programs, activities, services, and resources in schools without Ramp - Up. Education stakeholders in the Midwest (i.e., members of REL Midwest’s College and Career Success Research Alliance) believe Ramp - Up shows promise as a means to increas e students’ college readiness because there is empirical (n onexperimental) support for each of the Ramp - Up dimensions. However, the program as a whole has not y et been evaluated. In contrast to the traditional approach to college counseling, Ramp - Up involves all teachers within a school presenting program content to all students in weekly group advisories and periodic workshops. Although this model has the potential to provide more detailed help to more students than the traditional approach to college counseling, the Ramp - Up model relies heavily on the participati on of teachers. Given the time commitment involved in preparing for and leading the advisories and workshops, teachers may be reluctant to adhere to the program and schedule. A well - executed implementation study will document how well the teachers adhere t o the professional development schedule and to the curriculum and structure of the advisories and workshops. The stud y also can document the way s in which the Ramp - Up approach differs from the approaches schools without Ramp - Up take to improv e students’ co llege - readiness . This study

will assess the quality

of implementation in schools adopting Ramp - Up . This study is designed to address six research questions (RQs): RQ1. What are the characteristics of the student populations, geographical settings, and his torical performance for the schools implementing Ramp - Up to Readiness? RQ2 . Among students enrolled in schools implementing Ramp - Up, how do students’ academic achievement, college enrollment actions, and college enrollment differ for students eligible ver sus not eligible to receive free or reduced price lunch and for students enrolled in rural versus nonrural high schools)?REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

—2 RQ3. To what extent do (a) schools implement the core components of Ramp - Up (i.e., structural supports, curriculum and tools, and prof essional development) as intended by the program developer, and (b) students in Ramp - Up schools receive the program exposure that the College Readiness Consortium believes is necessary to produce impacts? RQ4. How does Ramp - Up differ from college - related supports (i.e., programs, services, activities, and resources) in other schools? RQ5. What do school staff members (e.g., teachers, counselors, administrators) who are involved in implementing the Ramp - Up program perceive as the strengths and weaknesses o f its curriculum, tools, and professional development? According to school staff, which aspects of Ramp - Up were more difficult to implement and why? RQ6. To what extent are measures of personal readiness on ACT’s Engage survey (i.e., the Commitment to Coll ege and Goal Striving scales) valid? That is, to what extent do the Engage scales show evidence of concurrent and predictive validity within a high school sample? Findings from this study

will inform practitioners and policy makers about what implementatio n of Ramp - Up entails, the factors that may facilitate or hinder successful implementation of a schoolwide guidance program, and the variet y of supports that schools provide to improve students’ college readiness. More important, the study findings will sho w whether high schools are able to implement Ramp - Up at a level that the program developers consider adequate. The College Readiness Consortium will use the results for program improvement, and evidence on the implementation of a schoolwide college - readine ss intervention will allow educators to make more informed decisions on which college - readiness programs to adopt, the degree to which schools implement the programs, and the key components of these programs. This study also can provide information on the challenges of implementing schoolwide interventions more generally (even those unrelated to college readiness). This implementation study will require the following data collections during 2013

– 14 : 1  Existing student - and school - level data gathered through requests for extant data from participating schools, school districts, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (MOHE), and the State Longitudinal Educati onal Data S ys tem (SL EDS) (see Attachment A - 1 for the school/district data request)  An assessment of students’ personal college readiness (i.e., ACT’s Engage ® assessment for Grades 10

– 12) administered in s pring 2014  A student survey

to collect information about students’ experiences with school college readiness supports , which will be administered in spring 2013

– 14 (see Attachment A - 2 )

1 Collecting administrative data from MDE, MOHE, and SLEDS does not require OMB clearance because providing data to researchers is part of staff’s regular practice at these organizations. This data collection was listed here only to provide context for the data collections that require OMB clearance.REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 3  February and May

focus groups with key

school staff involved in delivering college readiness supports (i.e., college - related programs, services, activities , and resources) in their schools (see Attachments A - 4 and A - 7 for instrument s )  Extant school documents related to high schools’ college - readiness supports collected in February and June (see Attachment A - 5 )  Extant docume nts from the program developers, including schools’ participation in professional development and use of resources, to be collected in February of 2014 and May /June of 2014.  Instructional logs on which teachers implementing Ramp - Up in 2013

– 14 record the activities conducted during advisory sessions and five workshops provided to students (see Attachment A - 6 for instrument)  A survey

of school staff involved with implementing Ramp - Up in 2013

– 14 (see Attachment A - 8 for instrument) ED believes that the data c ollections for which clearance is being requested represent the bare minimum necessary

to assess the fidelity

of program implementation. 

### 1. **Respondent Universe and Sampling Methods Universe of High Schools and School Eligibility Requirements**  To be eligible to participate in the study , schools must meet the following eligibility criteria:  They must be public schools (free to the public)  They must be located in Minnesota  They must serve students in Grades 10 – 12 2  They must not already

be implementing Ramp - Up Public data available through the Common Core of Data’s website ( http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/bat) indicate there were approximately 621 schools within this eligible pool at the end of the 2012 school y ear ( T able 1) . The College Readiness Consortium intends to roll out Ramp - Up to at least another 22 high schools over the next two academic y ears, with half of the high schools implementing Ramp - Up during the 2013

– 14 school y ear (earl y - implementing schools) , and the remai ning schools delaying implementation by one y ear (later - implementing schools) . 3 The proposed study

takes advantage of the program rollout among these schools. With these 22

3 The College Readiness Consortium is a part of the University of Minnesota, and as part of the public university’s outreach mission has provided Ramp - Up free of charge to middle and high schools in Minnesota. In early 2013, the College Readiness Consortium solicited applications from Minnesota schools to implement Ramp - Up free of charge, and 22 schools applied. This solicitation was not related to the proposed study. To better understand the contrast between R am

p - Up and the college readiness supports offered in high schools without Ramp - Up, the program developers chose to begin implementing Ramp - Up in 2013

– 14 in half of the schools, with the remaining schools to begin implementing Ramp - Up the following school y ear (2014

– 15).REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

—4 schools, E D ’s contractor can examine the contexts of schools implementing Ramp - Up, the degree to which schools implement the program during their first y ear, the program dosage that students actually

receive (compared with the dosage intended), the contrast between Ramp - Up and college - readiness programming in the later - implementing schoo ls, and the relationship between program dosage and students’ scores on measures of personal college readiness. High schools considering participation in the study also will have to indicate their willingness to provide logistical support for the study te am’s data collection activities.

**Table 1**  **. Size of Universe of Public High Schools in Minnesota**

**and Sample Size for This Study**  **School Type Number of**  **Schools in Minnesota**  Public high schools in Minnesota (population universe) 655 High schools presentl y implementing Ramp - Up 34 High schools eligible for this study 621 High schools that agreed to participate in the implementation study 4 22 Source : Common Core of Data , 2010 – 11. **Universe of Students W** **ithin Participating Schools** The evaluation team intends to collect administrative data on all students in Grades 10

– 12 within the sampled schools. For the administrative data, no sampling of students will take place, and no subgroups will be excluded. A s tudent survey

and a personal college readiness assessment will be administered to a randoml y selected subgroup of students (a simple random sample) in the spring of the school y ear. T o reduce burden and to adhere to the project budget , a random sample of 30 students will be selected from each grade (10

– 12) in study schools to participate in the personal readiness assessment. The survey

will be administered in conjunction with the personal readiness assessment for th e se students . Inaddition, because many college enrollment activities take place during senior year, an y G rade 12 students not randomly selected to take the personal readiness assessment will be asked to complete the survey .

4 The only formal test for relationships in this the study involves looking at relationships between ACT ENGAGE scale scores and students’ exposure to Ramp - Up (i.e., RQ 6). 4 Pow er analyses indicate that 22 schools is sufficient to detect an effect size of less than 0.10 at 80 percent power, assuming 90 students per school, 22 schools, and an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.15.REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 5 

### 2. **Procedures for the Collection of Information** All schools that met the eligibility criteria and th at volunteered for the study (22 schools) will be included in the study . These schools do not reflect all schools in Minnesota (e.g., they include more rural schools and schools with lower percentages of minority students), and , therefore, the generalizabi lity

of the results is limited. Because of resource constraints, the study team has placed higher importance on understanding implementation in the schools that indicate their interest and readiness to adopt Ramp - Up than in understanding how all schools in the universe might implement the program . The typ es of data to be collected are: 1. De - identified student records. 2. Documents pertaining to schools’ college readiness activities 3. Responses from focus groups with school staff involved in college readiness ac tivities. 4. Teacher responses to online instructional logs to be completed after each Ramp - Up workshop (for Ramp - Up group onl y). 5. Teachers’ responses to an online teacher survey . 6. Students’ responses to an online survey . 7. Students’ responses to a series of college readiness measures administered online. The processes for collecting the data are further described in the following sections. **Preliminary Activities** Before collecting data, project staff will conduct two activities: 1. Communicate data needs to schools. Project staff will share a schedule of data collection activities with principals of participating schools (or with schools’ point of contact). The project team will then conduct a phone conference with the point of contact to discuss data collec tion plans and confirm the presence of necessary student records. 2. Obtain the necessary

parental and school staff consent. The processes for obtaining consent from these two groups are as follows: a. **Pa rental consent:**  The project team will provide schools with the necessary “ opt out” informational letters (passive consent documents; see Attachment A - 3 ) and postage - paid envelopes so that schools can mail the informational opt - out documents to students’ parents or guardians. These letters will give parents all of the information found on a consent form, and allow parents to “opt out”

— not allow the school to share the student’s de - identified data with the study team and not allow any collection of data from their child for study purposes. Schools will collectREL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 6 and k eep the letters that are returned, and in mid - March, they will provide the study team with the state - issued unique identifier (referred to as the “Minnesota Automated Reporting Student S ys tem”

—or MARSS

— number) for students in Grades 10

– 12 whose parents or guardians did not withhold their consent for their child to participate in the study . Providing these MARSS numbers will allow REL staff to determine response rates for student data collections. b. **School staff consent:** “A ctive consent” forms will be distribu ted to faculty. These letters (see Attachment A - 3) inform them of the study ’s purpose, the data collection activities in which they

will participate, the risks and benefits of participation, their freedom to withdraw from the study without repercussions, a

nd contact information for the Institutional Review Board and the principal investigator. Faculty members have the choice of indicating “Yes, I agree to participate” or “No, I do not wish to participate .” The school principal will provide two reminders to school staff to return these consent forms. After all faculty have returned their consent forms, REL staff will create a unique identification number for each consenting faculty member and develop a separate crosswalk data file containing teachers’ names a nd their ID numbers. This file will be encry pted , and onl y shared with REL staff who are (1) e mailing staff to request that they complete a data collection instrument , or (2) processing the data provided by school staff

. **De -**  **identified Student Records** The schedule of data collection activities to be shared with participating schools (described under Preliminary

Activities; Attachment A - 1 ) will list the data elements needed for the study . In February and June of 2014, RELMidwest will submit the formal data request s to schools . Schools will receive the list of data elements, the MARSS numbers of students whose parents/guardians did not withhold consent, and instructions for secure transfer of the data to RELMidwest’s servers. Schools will be asked to provid e the data associated with each MARSS number (i.e., student) and to structure the data b y MARSS number. RELMidwest’s anal ys ts will review the provided data for completeness. The anal ys ts will follow up with schools to confirm that missing data are unavai lable. **Collection of Documents on College Readiness Activities** In February

and May , RELstaff will send participating schools a request for scanned copies of all documents that reflect the college readiness - related activities that were performed with stude nts within the school during the 2013

– 14 school y ear. Schools will be given a two - week deadline for these documents. The following are examples of relevant documents:  Calendar of college - readiness activities  Agenda from college and c areer events  Summary

o f i n - class presentations on college b y a guidance counselor (an outline of topics covered)REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 7  Agenda or handouts from an event for parents on financing college  Visits by

college representatives  Field trips to local colleges or a college fair  Summary

of topics discussed in assemblies about college If a school fail s to submit documents within two weeks, REL staff will call the point of contact about the request to follow up. **Focus Groups W**  **ith School Faculty** The schedule of data collection activities shared with schools will list the ty pes of individuals needed for the winter and spring focus groups. The focus group members should include the staff members who are most involved with the school’s college readin ess activities , as judged b y the school principal . For early implementing Ramp - Up schools, these individuals will include the Ramp - Up coordinator in the school, two to three teachers who led weekl y advisories and bi monthly college readiness workshops, one or more counselors, and the school principal. In l ater implementing Ramp - Up schools , focus group participants will likely include two to three teachers, guidance counselors, and the school’s principal. The school principal (or point of contact) will be responsible for gathering the focus group members. RELMidwest staff will find possible dates for the focus groups that do not conflict with important dates in the schools’ calendars. The same focus group members who participate in the winter focus group a lso will be asked to participate in the spring focus group. If a staff member who participates in the fall is not available in the spring, someone in a similar role will be asked to join. Focus group members will receive a $25 gift card from Amazon.com for participation in each focus group. The protocols for the February and May focus groups are presented in Attachments A - 4 and A - 7 , respectivel y. The discussion from each focus group will be audio - recorded , and these recordings will later be transcribed. Onl y the school’s unique identification number will appear on the transcriptions. The electronic recording files will be stored in a password - secured folder to which only the project director has access. The recordings will be stored onl y so that focus group members’ responses that are difficult to hear or transcribe can be clarified by the focus group facilitators. Once the report is published , the recordings will be erased, leaving onl y the printed transcripts to consult for more information. **Teacher s**  **’ Inst**  **ructional Logs** The consent forms that school staff members in the earl y implementing Ramp - Up schools fill out make explicit that teachers will be asked to complete instructional logs following the remaining Ramp - Up workshops. Teachers in Ramp - Up schools wh o provide their consent will be e - mailed a link to the instructional log immediatel y following their scheduled workshops and a deadline for completing the logs. RELstaff will send teachers two reminders to complete each log.REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 8 The first page of each instru ctional log will repeat much of the study consent information to which teachers have already signified agreement, except that the page will list the expected time commitment for the log (see Attachment A - 6). The relevant OMB clearance information also will appear on the introductory page. At the bottom of this introductory page, teachers will have two options: “Iwant to continue” or “I do not want to complete this log .” Those choosing to continue will move on to pages with the log items and response option s. Those who choose not to complete the log will receive a “Thank You” page that exits them from the online data collection instrument. Once each log is completed, facult y’s members’ identifying information will be stripped from the data and replaced with their unique identification number. Teachers completing all instructional logs will receive a $25 gift card to Amazon.com. **Online Teacher Surveys** The process for administering the online teacher survey will be the same as that used for the instructional l ogs. In early May (prior to the last two weeks of school), consenting teachers in the earl y implementing Ramp - Up schools will be e - mailed a hy perlink to the online teacher survey and a deadline for completing the survey . Teachers will receive two reminders to complete the survey . When teachers follow the hy perlink to the survey , they will receive the same initial page ( containing consent information ) as with the instructional logs, except that the time estimate will be specific to the online survey . As befo re, on the bottom of the introductory screen, teachers will have two options: “Iwant to continue” or “I do not want to complete this survey” (see Attachment A - 8). Those wanting to continue will move on to pages with the survey items and response options. Those who do not wish to complete the survey will receive a “Thank You” page that exits them from the online data collection instrument. Once the survey s are completed, facult y members’ identifying information will be stripped from the data and replaced wi th a unique identification number. The crosswalk file linking faculty members’ names with their unique identifier will be stored in a separate password - protected file. Teachers completing the survey will receive a $25 gift card to Amazon.com. **Online Stude**  **nt Surveys and College Readiness (ENGAGE)**  **Measures** RELproject staff will be responsible for randomly selecting 30 students per grade in Grades 10

– 12 at each school to complete the ENGAGE measures. These students will be drawn from the pool of eligible students (i.e., all students for whom parents did not withhold consent). For these 90 students, they

will also complete the online survey at the end of the ENGAGE instrument. Those Grade 12 students who were not selected for the ENGAGE assessment will comple te the same online student survey , but hosted by REL Midwest rather than ACT. Students’ MARSS numbers will be received by REL Midwest through the sharing of students’ administrative records. Prior to beginning the administration of ACT’s ENGAGE and the stu dent survey , REL Midwest will first request that schools identify MARSS numbers for an y students that may have left the school since February .REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 9 The randoml y selected samples will be drawn from the remaining pools of eligible students in Grades 10 and 11 using the SPSS “select cases” function and students’ MARSS numbers. The randomly selected MARSS numbers for students in Grades 10

– 12 , along with the MARSS numbers of all eligible students in Grade 12 , will be e - mailed to each school’s point of contact, alo ng with instructions for students to follow to log into the combined ENGAGE/online survey . The project team will send a second batch of MARSS numbers

—those for the remaining 12th grade students

— and those students will answer just the student survey . In add ition to providing MARSS numbers to schools, RELMidwest will highlight the only parameters for the completion of online instruments : that students complete the ENGAGE/survey during school hours on a school computer during a two - week window in late May or earl y June (or other mutually arranged weeks if these dates conflict with other school activities ). The online ENGAGE instrument and student survey will be hosted by

ACT. ACT allows those using the ENGAGE to add a specified number of supplemental items, and these items will consist of the student survey items . Students selected to complete the combined instruments will complete them on a computer in a school computer lab. Students will be given a sheet of paper with (1) the student’s name, (2) the student ’s MARSS number, (3) the URL/website address for the combined ENGAGE/student survey instrument, and (4) d irections for log - in. Schools will be responsible for printing students’ names on the sheets containing students’ MARSS numbers, hy perlinks, and direct ions. T he remaining details regarding administration of the student survey will be left to the discretion of the participating schools. For instance, schools may want the online data collection instruments to be completed by groups of students at assigned times or by individual students during a particular class. When the selected students sit down at the computer, they will enter the URL for the combined ENGAGE/student survey. The initial screen will provide the students with the information found on the consent documents, including the estimated amount of time necessary to complete the ENGAGE/student survey. At the bottom of the initial screen, students can either choose a button saying “I want to continue with the survey” (indicating the student’s assent ) or “I do not want to complete the survey” (see Attachment A - 2). Students assenting to complete the online data collection will then encounter a screen requesting their identification number. Students will enter their MARSS number into the available field . Next, the students will complete the ENGAGE assessment , followed b y the student survey items. At the bottom of each screen of questions, students will have three options to choose from: an arrow pointing to the left saying “Go back ,” a button in the midd le saying “Quit”, and an arrow pointing to the right saying “Continue .” Once students have completed the ENGAGE/student survey , they

will see a screen saying that they have completed the data collection activity and a button that say s “End .” Clicking the “End” button takes the user away from the website. Within a week of the deadline for the student survey s, ACT will upload to RELMidwest’s secure FTP site (file transfer protocol) the data file containing all of the students’ responses to the ENGAGE items and the survey items, by MARSS number. They

will also provide REL Midwest with a codebook indicating which data fields go with which ENGAGE/survey items.REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 10 Student survey

data obtained from ACT will be appended to the file of student survey data that were collected through RELMidwest’s online survey . **Data Request F**  **rom Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) 5**  The RELMidwest team will work with personal contacts within MDE to identify the best person in the department with whom to discuss the availability of student - level data, such as students’ state standardized test scores and leave records. To obtain these data, REL Midwest will develop a m emorandum of understanding (MOU) with MDE that specifies the purpose of the data request (i.e., this Ramp - Up study), the data elements being requested, and the de - identified nature of the data (i.e., data listed by MARSS number). Once this MOU is in place, MDE staff will assemble the data files for students in the 22 schools (excluding those whose parents /guardians withheld consent). They can then upload the data file(s) to RELMidwest’s secure FTP site. **Data Request F**  **rom Minnesota Office of Higher Education (MOHE)** The RELMidwest team also has connections to representatives of the Minnesota Office of High er Education (MOHE) . In August, the project team will discuss data needs with the se contact s . The MOHE contact s will be able to indicate the availability and condition of the data, and if the necessary

data are available, to share the appropriate process f or making data requests. Of most interest for this project are the college enrollment data collected by MOHE for Minnesota colleges and college enrollment data from the National Student Clearinghouse . MOHE is the current home for the college enrollment data, but there are efforts underway to integrate the data with the State L ongitudinal Data Sy stem (SLEDS)

— a data sy stem to which both MDE and MOHE have access. To obtain these data, REL Midwest will develop an MOU with MOHE that specifies the purpose of the data request (i.e., this Ramp - Up study), the data elements being requested, and the de identified nature of the data (i.e., data listed by schools’ ID number). Once this MOU is in place, MOHE staff will assemble the data files for the 22 participating schools. They

can then upload the data file(s) to RELMidwest’s secure FTP site. 

### 3. **Methods to Maximize Response Rates and Deal W** **ith Nonresponse** The ED is committed to obtaining complete data for this study . To ensure the acquisition of administrative data is as complete as possible, emphasis will be placed on tracking the data components from MDE, MOHE, SL EDS, schools, and districts. Evaluation staff wil l resolve issues of missing or delayed data files b y maintaining e - mail and telephone contact with the 5 The two sections regarding data requests to state government agencies are included in this OMB packet ju st so that the packet aligns with the project’s proposal. Because these requests are only for extant data, these activities do not require OMB clearance.REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 11 appropriate parties. All data files received for the study will be reviewed for completeness. When data files contain too many missing values, project st aff will connect with research staff at schools or state - level educational organizations to obtain a better understanding of the sources of missing data elements. Although high response rates are expected for the study (because schools volunteer for this s tudy to receive Ramp - Up cost - free , and instruments are being developed with extreme sensitivity to respondent burden) , nonresponse follow - up will be performed to ensure adequate response rates. E D ’s contractor for RELMidwest has extensive experience admin istering similar studies for the National Center for Education Statistics , and a response rate of at least 85 percent for the school staff instruments is expected . Subcontractors will be hired to perform nonresponse follow - up with staff via phone and e - mai l in the event that responses for instructional logs and the online survey are lagging. In addition, instructional logs and survey s will be available online , and each respondent will receive a link via e - mail to complete them . Focus groups will be administ ered face - to - face, making these components readily accessible for eas y completion. The student survey and readiness assessment will be administered during the school day , with the in - school logistics left up to school leaders, and it is expected that th e se response rates also will be at least 85 percent. S tudent nonresponse could occur if a student is absent on the day of the student survey and readiness assessment , if he or she leaves the school during the study y ear, or if a child’s parents do not give consent for the student to participat e . B ecause personall y identifiable information will not be provided to researchers , it is expected that parents will not have significant concerns that will result in withdraw al of their children from the study . Severa l additional steps will be taken to maximize response rates. Sampled respondents or their parents will receive advance communications explaining the study. 6 The staff consent form will provide sampled school staff with full knowledge of the data collection activities involving them and the financial compensation for the data collection burden. The consent form also will provide assurance that the data will remain confidential. Staff members will receive their cop ies of the consent form, and the form will li st contact information to receive additional information about the study

or to resolve an y questions. The parental information letter and consent form will provide parents with full knowledge of the data collection activities involving students and the ass urance that data will remain confidential. School leaders will send e - mails to school staff to encourage them to complete the survey s. The email will also indicate that staff will receive a $25 gift card for completion. The schools also track students’ completion of ENGAGE/survey s and follow up with students who have not completed the online instruments in the allotted time. If a response rate lower than 85 percent is achieved, researchers will conduct a bias anal ys is to compare the characteristics of respondents with those of nonrespondents . L ittle information about staff characteristics will be available to compare staff members who responded to the survey with those who did not. In stead, r esearchers will assess the extent to which schools with high response rates differ from schools with low response rates by testing (using a t - test) for statistical differences in school - level characteristics such as high school graduation rates . For
6 School faculty in both Ramp - Up and later - im plementing schools will be aware of the study taking plac e in their school s . The low

level of data collection burden, incentives, and support from administrators will help ensure a good response rate.REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 12 students, a bias anal ys is will be conducted if a response rate lower than 85 percent is achieved to compare characteristics from administrative data of students who respond ed to the survey with those who did not. Univariate statistical anal ys is ( t - tests) will compare respondents on indivi dual characteristics (e.g., the test scores of students who did and did not respond, and a multivariate statistical analy sis (logistic regression anal ys is) will consider whether a combination of student characteristics predicts nonresponse . Reports will cl earl y note any differences found between respondents and nonrespondents. 

### 4. **Tests of Procedures and Methods to Be Undertaken** Administrative data for the study will come from school, district, or state administrative records , and there will be no need to t est procedures or instruments. The personal college readiness measure will be the ACT Engage assessment, which has been demonstrated to be psychometricall y sound, albeit using college student samples (ACT, 2013). The implementation study involves data col lection using several instruments. The focus group protocols, instructional logs, and online student and staff questionnaires have been shared with contractors ’ colleagues who were former educators with content expertise. These “critical colleagues” looked for three things during their review: (1) whether the questions asked are clear, understandable , free of research jargon, and answerable; (2) whether the questions actuall y assess the intended construc ts (e.g., degree to which schools are implementing Ramp - Up as intended or implementing a Ramp - Up - like intervention); and (3) whether the number and t ype of questions is suitable for the time allotted (not redundant and focused enough to solicit clear answe rs). In addition, some of the student and staff survey questions are based on questions used in prior student survey s conducted by the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement or the Consortium on Chicago School Research . Finall y, cognitive interviews will be conducted with five or fewer respondents for each instrument to understand how ty pical respondents understand the questions. 

### 5. **Individuals Consulted on Statistical Aspects of the Design and Key Staff** The following individuals were cons ulted on the statistical, data collection, and anal yt ic aspects of the Ramp - Up evaluation study :  Michael Cohen, s ampling s tatistician, American Institutes for Research (202 - 403 - 6453)  Jennifer Stephan, r esearcher, American Institutes for Research (312 - 283 - 2 409)  Ay rin Molefe, s enior r esearcher, American Institutes for Research (630 - 649 - 6516)  Jim L indsay , s enior r esearcher, American Institutes for Research (630 - 649 - 6591)  Pia Peltola, principal researcher, American Institutes for Research (202 - 577 - 4613)  Elizabe th Tipton, a ssistant p rofessor of a pplied s tatistics at Teachers College, Columbia University ( 212 - 678 - 3844 )  Larry Hedges, p rofessor, Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University ( 847 - 491 - 3395)REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 13 Content experts contributing to the project include:  Jennifer Stephan, r esearcher, American Institutes for Research (312 - 283 - 2409)  Sara Goldrick - Rab, a ssociate p rofessor of educational policy studies at University

of Wisconsin (608 - 262 - 1760)  Barbara Schneider, p rofessor of sociology and education , M ichigan State University ( 517 - 432 - 0188) Electronic file transfers will be conducted b y  Shaheen Khan, s enior d atabase s pecialist, American Institutes for Research (630 - 649 - 6585) Focus groups to be performed by  Pamela Bonsu, research er , American Institutes for Research (312 - 588 - 7337)  Elisabeth Davis, researcher, American Institutes for Research (312 - 288 - 7640)  Jennifer Stephan, r esearcher, American Institutes for Research (312 - 283 - 2409) Online data collection and anal ys is to be overseen by  Jim L indsay , s enio r r esearcher, American Institutes for Research (630 - 649 - 6591)  Kristina Wu, s enior d atabase s pecialist, American Institutes for Research (630 - 649 - 6538) 

### 6. Reference ACT. (2013). ACT Engage : Research . Iowa City , IA: Author. Retrieved from http://www.act.org/engage/10 - 12_research.html1120 East Diehl Road, Suite 200 | Naperville, IL 60563 - 1486 | P: 866 .730.6735 F: 630 . 649 . 6700 www.relmidwest.org

OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX) REL Midwest Supporting Statement B : Implementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 14 

### Attachment A**- 1**  **. Extant Data Request**  Feb ruary xx, 2014 Dear [SCHOOL/DISTRICT STAFF MEMBER]: Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest at American Institutes for Research (AIR) is the evaluator of the Ramp - Up to Readiness program at [SCHOOL]. REL Midwest is one of 10 regional educational labo ratories funded by the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education and tasked with providing technical assistance and research support to topic - focused groups of education - related stakeholders with the ultimate aim of learning what works for improving student academic outcomes In [MONTH/YEAR], our research team received approval from [SCHOOL/DISTRICT] to conduct this study. REL Midwest is beginning the data collection process. As a first step, we are sharing with you a list of stud ent - and school - level data that we will need to collect for the study. The data that you share with our project team, in combination with data from the Minnesota Department of Education, will allow us to understand schools’ experience with implementing Ra mp - Up. A data request for this project is on the second page of this letter. It provides a general description of the data elements needed for this part of the project. You will see that the data request is organized according to these levels of data (i.e. , student data and school data). We are requesting student - level data only for students enrolled in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade in fall 2013. We have found that an initial phone discussion about the data elements being requested can help prevent misunderstan dings about data availability and quality. That said, we would like to find a 30 - minute window of time next week, [DATES], when we can discuss the data request. Please let me know of your availability (or the availability of someone else who is familiar wi th the data), and we will arrange a phone conference. We appreciate your support for this study. Please let me know when you are available next week. In the meantime, if there are other questions you have, feel free to contact me at the phone number below my name. Best regards,
Jim Lindsay, Ph.D. Principal Investigator, REL Midwest 630 - 649 - 6591OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwest Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 15 

### REL Midwest Study of Ramp **- Up to Readiness: Administrative Data Request**  **Student -**  **Level Variables Grade Level of**  **Student in Fall 2013**  **– 14**  **Student -**  **L evel**  **V ariables**  **10th 11th**  **12th** Student MARSS ID in f

all 2013

– 14    Grade level in f

all 2013

– 14    Student leave code (e.g., to indicate transfer, dropout)    Cumulative unweighted and weighted GPA in s pring 2013    EXPL ORE score and date of administration    PLAN score and date of administration   Indicator of whether student took the ACT or SAT in 2012

– 13   ACT composite scores with dates of administration   SAT critical reading and mathematics scores with dates of administration   Number of E - level courses enrolled in 2012

– 13 and fall 2013

– 14    Number of D - level courses enrolled in 2012

– 13 and fall 2013

– 14    Number of A - level courses enrolled in 2012

– 13 and fall 2013

– 14    Number of C - level courses enrolled in 2012

– 13 and fall 2013

– 14    Number of transcripts requested in fall 2013

– 14  **School -**  **Level Variables**  School ID Number of 10th, 11th, and 12th graders (separately) in 2012

– 13 Percentage s of 10th, 11th, and 12th graders (separately) who took an E - level course in 2012

– 13 Percentage s of 10th, 11th, and 12th graders (separately) who took a D - level course in 2012

– 13 Percentage s of 10th, 11th, and 12th graders (separately) who took an A - level course in 2012

– 13 Percentage s of 10th, 11th, and 12th graders (separately) who took a C - level course in 2012

– 13 School average PLAN composite score in 2012

– 13OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwest Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 16 Percentage s of 11th and 12th graders (separatel y) who took the ACT during 2012

– 13 Percentage s of 11th and 12th graders (separatel y) who took the SAT during 2012

– 13 School average ACT composite score in 2012

– 13 School average SAT critical reading and mathematics score s in 2012

– 13 Percentage of 12th graders who submitted a college application in 2012

– 13OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwest Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 17 

### Attachment A **- 2.**  **Student Survey Questionnaire Purpose**  . We want to learn about your experiences at school with planning and preparing for life after high school. The questions on this survey ask about preparing for college and a career. The information you provide will help schools provide better information and assistance to students so that they

can prepare for the future. This study is being conducted through the Regional Educational Laboratory

(REL ) Midwest. **Your answers will be kept conf idential**  . All data collected will be kept confidential. We will not provide information that identifies you or your school to anyone outside the study team, except as required b y l aw. Your answers will be combined with the answers of other students to desc ribe what students think about the way s schools prepare them for life after high school. **Risks** . There are no known risks related to participating in this survey . **Your answers are voluntary** . You have the right to stop participating in this survey at any time without consequences. We hope you will answer all the questions, but if there is a question you do not wish to answer, simply skip it. Also, there are **no right or wrong answers** to these questions

—

we really just want to learn abo ut your experiences at your school. **Procedure** . This survey

will take about 10 to 15 minutes. **Contact Information.** If you have questions or concerns about this study , please contact Jim Lindsay at jlindsay @air.org or 630 - 649 - 6591. If you have concerns or qu estions about your rights as a participant , contact the chair of AIR’s Institutional Review Board (which is responsible for the protection of study participants) using the following contact information: E - Mail: IRBChair@air.org Phone: 1 - 800 - 634 - 0797 (toll free) Mail: IRB Chair

c/o AIR 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW Washington, DC 20007 **If you want to take the survey** , **please continue** . If you prefer not to participate, please check the “do not” box below and inform your survey administrator. Thank yo u for your help!  I want to continue with the survey  I **do not** want to complete the survey
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 contro l number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is XXXX.XXXX, OMB expiration date is XXXX, XX, 2014. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 60 minutes per respondent, 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.OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwest Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 18 **Background Information** 1. What grade are you currently in? • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th **Postsecondary Plans** The following set of questions asks about your plans after high school. When this survey say s “college,” it means an y kind of college, including two - ye ar colleges, four - year colleges, universities, community

colleges, and career or technical colleges (such as a culinary school or a cosmetology

school).. 2. At this time, what is your plan for next y ear? (Check all that appl y)

• Attend a four - ye ar college or un iversit y • Attend a community

college • Attend a career or technical college • Get a job • Enter the military • Take a ye ar off • Other • I don’t know. 3. So far this school y ear, how often have you talked to a counselor, teacher, or other adult at school about planning for college? • Never • One or two times • More than two times but less than once a week • Once a week • More than once a week 4. This school y ear, have you developed a written plan for achieving your educational or career goals after high school ? • Yes • NoOMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwest Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 19 • I’m not sure . 5. Is your plan stored electronically (for example , in the Minnesota Career Information Sy stem [MCI S] or Naviance)? • Yes • No • I’m not sure. • I have not developed a written postsecondary plan with a counselor, teacher, or other adult at my

school. 6. At the last re gistration time, did school staff help you in choosing classes that you need to reach your goals for after high school?* • Yes • No 7. So far this school y ear, how many times have you discussed your progress towards attaining the goals on your plan with a counsel or, teacher, or other adult in your school? • Never • Once • Twice • Three times • More than three times • I’m not sure. • I have not developed a written postsecondary plan with a counselor, teacher, or other adult at my

school. To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statements? 8. At my school, all students are expected to go to some ty pe of college.* • S trongl y d isagree • Disagree • Agree • S trongl y a greeOMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwest Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

—20 9. I know the skills that Ineed to work on if I am going to graduate from high school ready for success in college.* 7
• S trongl y d isagree • Disagree • Agree • S trongl y a gree • I don’t plan to attend college. **Students’ Academic Readiness** The following set of questions asks about your academic preparation for college. 10. This school y ear, has an adult at your school en couraged you to take an honors course or a course for college credit, such as an Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Post s econdary Enrollment Options (PSEO), or College in the Schools course?* • Yes • No 11. So far this school y ear, how often has an adult at your high school discussed with you yo ur likelihood to succeed academically in college - level classes?** • Never • Once • Twice • Three to five times • More than five times **Students’ Admissions Readiness** The followin g set of questions asks about developing college plans. To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statement? 12. I know which t ype of college (for example a four - ye ar college, a community college, a career or technical college) would help me reach my goals after high school. • S trongl y d isagree

7 An * indicates that this question is based on a question included on a survey from the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota. ** indicates that this question is based on a question included on the Consortium on Chicago School Research 2009 12 th - grade student survey ( http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/downloads/23532009_my_voice_senior_student_codebook.pdf ). Som e questions have been reworded slightly to accommodate this study.OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwest Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

—21 • Disagree • Agree • S trongl y a gree • I don’t plan to attend college. 13. This school y ear, how often has an adult at your high school discussed with you the steps that you need to take to apply to the t yp e of college that you want to attend?* • Never • One or two times • Three to five times • More than five times • I don’t plan to attend college. 14. This school y ear, how often has an adult at your high school discussed with you your likelihood of being accepted at different ty pes of colleges?** • Never • One or two times • Three to five times • More than five times • I don’t plan to attend college. **Students’ Career Readiness** The following set of questions asks about developing career plans. To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statements? 15. I know the kinds of careers that would best fit my strengths and skills.* • S trongl y d isagree • Disagree • Agree • S trongl y a gree 16. I know the level of education required for the career I am most interested in.* • S trongl y d isagree • Disag ree • Agree • S trongl y a gree 17. This school y ear, how helpful has your high school been to you in assess ing your career interests and abilities? **OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwest Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

—22 • Not at all helpful • Somewhat helpful • Helpful • Very helpful 18. How helpful has your high school been to you in develop ing a career plan? ** • Not at all helpful • Somewhat helpful • Helpful • Very helpful • I do not have a career plan. **Students’ Financial Readiness** The following set of questions asks about paying for college. 19. T his school y ear , how often has an adult at your schoo l talked to you about how to pay for tuition or other college expenses?** • Never • Once • Twice • Three to five times • More than five times 20. Do you have a plan for paying for college?* • Yes • No • I don’t plan to attend college. **Students’ College Actions** The following set of questions asks about some college - related actions you may have taken or plan to take. 21. Have you ever taken the ACT or SAT test? • Yes • No, but Iplan to take the ACT or SAT. • No, I do not plan to take the ACT or SAT. 22. Have you submitted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) so far this school y ear?OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwest Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

—23 • Yes • No, but Iplan to submit the FAFSA by the end of the summer. • No, I do not plan to submit the FAFSA. • I don’t know. 23. So far this school y ear, how much have your teachers, counselo rs, or other school staff helped you fill out the FAFSA? ** • Not at all • A little • Some • A lot 24. How man y college applications, if an y, have you submitted so far this school year? • None • One • Two or three • Four or five • More than five 25. So far this school y ear, how much have your teachers, counselors, or other school staff helped you with a college application essay or personal statement?** • Not at all • A little • Some • A lot • I do not plan to graduate from high school this school y ear. 26. So far this school y ear, how much have your teachers, counselors, or other school staff helped you find scholarships to apply for? ** • Not at all • A little • Some • A lot • I do not plan to graduate from high school this school y ear. **Wrap -**  **Up** These last questions ask for some general information.OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwest Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

—24 27. T his school y ear, who has helped you most to prepare for college? (Check only one). • Counselors • Teachers • Dean • Other adults in my

school • Parents/guardians • Other famil y members • Other adults aside from my school or family • Friends • No one 28. Do you have at least one parent or guardian who has completed a college degree? * • Yes • No • I’m not sure. **Thank you for participating in this survey!**OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwest Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

—25 

### Attachment A **- 3**  **. Consent Documents**  **Parent Information Letter and Opt Out Form** [high school letterhead] February XX, 2014 Dear Parent or Guardian: [ **Insert high school** ] is committed to helping our students graduate college and career ready. As part of our commitment, we are working with the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL ) Midwest to study

a schoolwide guidance program ca lled Ramp - Up to Readiness ( “ Ramp - Up ” ) . Scholars at the College Readiness Consortium at the Universit y of Minnesota developed Ramp Up based on existing research. The purpose of this letter is to let you know that we plan to release some information about th e students in [ **high school** ] to RELMidwest and that your son or daughter may be asked to complete a survey

and college - readiness assessment. **T he information provided to REL**  **Midwest will not**  **include student names or any other personally identifiable informa tion**  **about you or your child. In other words, the data will be anonymous**  **to the researchers.** Parents and students should understand the following:  This anony

mous information will help the research team better understand the challenges that schools have in carryingout Ramp - Up and the experiences students have when participating in Ramp - Up activities .  The anon ym ous information will include students’ grades, test scores, course enrollments, college enrollment acti vities , and the student identification number used b y the Minnesota Department of Education . The researchers will be able to use your son or daughter’s identification number to obtain other information from state databases, such as test scores, but they

will be unable to link that number with yo ur child’s identity .  As part of the stud y, your son or daughter may be asked to do the following: 1. Take a survey this spring that asks about his or her experiences at school with planning and preparing for life after high school. 2. Take an online college - rea diness assessment (ACT’s Engage assessment ) in the spring. This assessment will measure students’ motivation and skills, social engagement, or self

- regulation. No student has to answer questions on the survey or assessment that he or she does not want to answer.  All information about your child will be anony mous. The information collected will only be used for this research project , and the researchers will average the data for all students and all participating schools . The y will report these averages in government reports andOMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwe st Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

—26 research articles, but readers will be unable link those findings with individual students, teachers, or school s .  Risks: This study

presents minimal risk to your child. That is, students do not experie nce any risks beyond what they

experience every

day at school.  Benefits: Study

participation helps build knowledge about how to better support students to be college or career ready . Participation in the study is voluntary . S tudent s do not have to partici pate if they do not want to, and they will experience no repercussions at school if they decide not to participate. Our school’s participation in this research study helps educators learn more about how schools can help students become college and career r ead y . **If you do not wish us to release anonymous information for your child or have your child complete the surveys and assessments, p**  **lease fill in the form below and have your son or**  **daughter return this letter to [return location] by [deadline].** If you have questions about th is research project or about your child ’s rights as a participant, please contact Jim Lindsay of REL Midwest at 630 - 649 - 6591 . Sincerel y, [ **insert district signatory** By signing this form , yo u are indicating that you do not wish your c hild to participate in the study or for us to share your child’s information with the RELMidwest research team . I do NOT want m y child, __________________________________________, Full Student Name (Student ID # _____________________) to participate in the Ramp - Up evaluation being conducted b y REL Midwest. Your name: ______________________________________________________ Your signature: ___________________________________________________20 East Diehl Road, Suite 200 | Naperville, IL 60563 - 1486 | P: 866 .730.6735 F: 630 . 649 . 6700 www.relmidwest.org

OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX) REL Midwest Supporting Statement B : Implementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

—27 

### Staff Consent Form **Purpose** Our school has partnered with the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest to study

the implementation of a schoolwide guidance program called Ramp - Up to Readiness (“Ramp - Up”) developed b y the College Readiness Consortium at the University of Minnesota. REL Midwest, operated b y Am eri can Institutes for Research, is sponsored b y the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education. The evaluation will examine how school staff i mplement Ramp - Up and how the intervention compares with college - readiness supports in other high schools. The study has been submitted to IES for research approval. An application also will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for review. REL Midwest invit es yo u and other school staff to participate in the study, which will b egin this spring. The study

involves the following data collection activities, which y ou may be asked to participate in :  Two focus groups, one in February and one in May  Short instructional logs following each of five Ramp - Up college workshops  An online s urvey in the spring 2014 **Voluntary Participation** Participation in the data collection activities is voluntary. You also can withdraw from the study at an y time. Individuals who decline to participate or later withdraw from the study will face no personal or professional repercussions. **Risks** There are few anticipated or known risks in participating in this study. Data collected and maintained by , or under the auspices of, IES under a pledge of confidentiality shall be treated in a manner that will en sure that individually identifiable data will be used only for statistical purposes and will be accessible only to authorized persons. **Benefits** Your participation in the evaluation will contribute to an understanding of a schoolwide college readiness program th at seeks to improve the college readiness outcomes of all students. You will also receive a $25 gift card from Amazon.com for participating in the data collection activities.OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwe st Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

—28 **Confidentiality** Responses to this data collection will be used only for statistic al purposes. The reports prepared for this study

will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with any specific individual. The researchers will not provide information that identifies you or your school to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law. **More Information** If you would like more information about this study, you may contact Jim Lindsay of REL Midwest at 630 - 649 - 6591. **Informed Consent** By signing this form , yo u are indicating that you have read and understood the information provided to you about your participation. Yes, I want to participate in this study . Yes, I give permission to be audiorecorded during a focus group. No, I do not wish to participate in this study . Print Name:

_______________________________________________________________ Signature:

________________________________________________ Date:

__________________ School Name:

__________________________________________________________ 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 va lid OMB control number for this information collection is XXXX.XXXX, OMB expiration date is XXXX, XX, 2014. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 15 minutes per respondent, 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.OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwest Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

—29 

### A **ttachment A -**  **4. February Focus Group Protocol Introduction and Welcome (5 min.)**  Hello, my name is **[fill in name]** . Thank you for coming today . I am from **the Midwest Regional Educational Laboratory** and helping me today is **[fill in name of assistant].**  REL Midwest is conducting this focus group as part of our study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness intervention, a study in which your school is participating. Today, we want to better understand the programs, services, activities, and resources that **[fill in nam e of**  **high school]** provides to students to prepare them for college. Although students may pursue a variet y of pathways after high school, the questions for today focus on the ty

pes of supports that high schools offer to help students pursue college; by “co llege,” we mean a two - ye ar college, four - ye ar college or university , community college, or career technical college. This information will become part of a study report describing the college - readiness supports provided by high schools. To begin, I have t o go over some logistics with you. We’ve estimated that this focus group will take 90 minutes. During these 90 minutes, we will discuss a number of topics related to preparing students for college. Please respond to the questions based on the experiences you have had here at **[fill in name of high school]** . We will have a 10 - minute break at **[XXXX time, 50**  **- minute mark]**  . My role will be to ask questions and moderate the discussion. **[Fill in name of assistant]** will be taking notes. **Consent** As stated in the study consent form that you have previously signed, all data being collected will be kept confidential b y R ELMidwest and American Institutes for Research. You have the right to discontinue your participation in this data collection process at an y time without consequences. **Confidentiality** Let me just highlight one issue that is discussed in the consent form. It is impossible to write down every

thing that you say

today , so we will be recording the focus group conversation so that we can go back and listen to the discussion to make sure we did not miss any thing. Any

thing that is discussed will remain confidential. The audiorecordings will be transcribed and then erased. We will not identify

any focus group participants in the transcriptions. Are there an y question s before we begin? **Introductions** Before beginning with the questions and turning on the audiorecorder, let’s go around the room and introduce ourselves. Please say your name and your role here at **[fill in name of high school]**  . Now, let’s begin with the que stions. I ’ll turn on the audiorecorder and start asking questions.OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwe st Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 30 **Background Information** Today , we’d like to hear about any programs, services, activities, and resources that **[fill in name of high school]**  offers to help students prepare for college. **Questions About College -**  **Access or College -**  **Readiness Programs (5 minutes)** 1. What formal college - access or - readiness programs, if any , does **[fill in name of high school]**  offer to students to help them prepare for college? By formal programs, Imean programs developed b y local, regional, or national organizations that are often (but not alway s) target ed at a select group of students. These could include programs such as Upward Bound, College Possible, or AVID. [Probe for each program identified: a. What kinds of students are eligible to participate (i.e., grade - level, level of academic achievement, demographic characteristics)? b. How many students who are eligible to participate actually do participate (i.e., all, most, half, some, hardly any)?] 2. Are there an y college - access or - readiness programs offered to everyone in the school? **Questions About College -**  **Acc ess Services, Activities, and Resources**  Now, let’s talk about an y school services, activities, and resources offered outside of the programs that we just discussed to help prepare students for college. **A. Questions About Academic Readiness (15 minutes)**  First, let’s talk about an y services, activities, and resources that **[fill in name of high school]** offers to help students prepare to succeed in first - ye ar, nonremedial, college classes. 3. Do students have the opportunity to take college - level courses? [Prob e: a. Dual- credit, AP, IB, or College in the Schools classes? b. What kinds of students are eligible to participate (i.e., which grade levels, those with a specific level of academic achievement)? ] 4. Do students have the opportunity to take honors courses? [Probe: **Notes to focus group moderator:** The purposes of this focus group are to (1) understand what college - readiness supports are available in the high school; and (2) understand the frequency , intensity , and accessibility of the identified college - readiness supports.OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 31 a. In what subjects are honors courses offered? b. What kinds of students are eligible to participate (i.e., which grade levels, those with a specific level of academic achievement)?] 5. How are students encouraged to take college - level or honors courses? 6. D oes **[fill in name of high school]** provide feedback to students about whether they are on track academically

for college? [Probe if yes: a. Wh o receives feedback (e.g., all seniors, freshmen who have failed a class)? b. In what format do students receive feedba ck (e.g., discussions with a teacher or counselor, written information sent home)? c. How often do students receive feedback (e.g., annually in a meeting with a counselor, after key milestones such as taking the PLAN)?] 7. Does **[fill in name of high school]** off er workshops or classes for students to develop study or note - taking skills? [Probe if yes: a. Wh en do these workshops or classes take place (month, time of the day, multiple times over the school year)? b. Wh o is invited (e.g., juniors, seniors, parents)? c. How many of the invitees actually attend (i.e., all, most, half, some, hardly any)?] [Probe if no: Do teachers discuss study or note - taking skills in their classes? ] 8. How man y students who graduate from **[fill in name of high school]** are prepared academical ly

to succeed in nonremedial college classes (i.e., all, most, half, some, hardly any) ? [Probe: a. For students who are prepared, what do you attribute students’ preparedness to? b. Which students are not prepared?] **B. Questions About Admissions Readiness (15 minut**  **es)** Next, let’s talk about the kinds of services, activities, or resources that **[fill in name of high school]**  offers to help students identify and complete the admissions requirements for a college that matches their goals, interests, and abilities. 9. How do students at **[fill in name of high school]** learn about the variet y of colleges that exist, differences in their admissions requirements, and differences in their application processes?OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 32 [Probe: a. College fairs (e.g., at the school or school- organized field tr ips to fairs outside of the school)? Who participates (e.g., sophomores, juniors)? How many students participate (i.e., all, most, half, some, hardly any)? b. College representatives visiting the high school? Who participates (e.g., sophomores, juniors, high - achieving students)? How many students participate (i.e., all, most, half, some, hardly any)? c. Student visits to college campuses (clarify if those are sponsored by the school)? If visits are school sponsored, who participates (e.g., sophomores, juniors, high achieving students, low - SES students)? How many students participate (i.e., all, most, half, some, hardly any)?] 10. Do students at **[fill in name of high school]** complete an individualized postsecondary plan that specifies the coursework and acti vities necessary to meet admissions requirements at a college matching their goals, interests, and abilities? [Probe if yes: a. Wh en do students first create the plan (e.g., freshman year)? b. How often is it updated (e.g., annually)? c. Who is involved in creating the plan (e.g., counselor, teachers, parents)? d. How many students have such a plan (i.e., all, most, half, some, hardly any)?] 11. What kinds of help, if any, does **[fill in name of high school]** provide students for finding a college that matches their goals, i nterests, and abilities? [Probe: Individual meetings with a counselor, general information presented in a large group, workshops for selecting colleges to consider? ] 12. Do students receive an y s chool help with completing steps in the application process, such as taking college admissions exams, writing college essay s, or completing college applications? [Probe: a. Do seniors receive assistance with college applications individually or in small groups? How many seniors take advantage of such assistance (i.e., all, most, half, some, hardly any)? Are students required to complete a certain number of college applications? b. Does someone (e.g., a counselor or teacher) review college applications? What is reviewed (e.g., college essays, checked for completion)? How many s eniors take advantage of such assistance (i.e., all, most, half, some, hardly any)? c. Are students required to write a college essay (e.g., in their English class)? d. Does **[fill in name of high school]** offer classes or workshops to prepare students for college entrance exams such as the ACT? W ho is eligible to attend? How many eligible students attend (i.e., all, most, half, some, hardly any)?]OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 33 13. Does **[fill in name of high school]** take an y steps to monitor students’ completion of key enrollment steps, such as taking college admissions exams or completing college applications? [If yes, probe: a. Wh ich enrollment steps are monitored? b. Does the school contact students if they have not completed key enrollment steps, such as completing a college application, by the end of senior year?] 14. Do students at **[fill in name of high school]** use college software, such as Naviance or the Minnesota Career Information Sy stem (MCI S), to organize their college planning and application process? [If yes, probe: a. Wh en do students learn about this software (e.g., freshman year, junior year)? b. How many students actively (more than just having a login) use the so ftware (i.e., all, most, half, some, hardly any)?] 15. To what extent do students here at **[fill in name of high school]** who are planning to attend college take the necessary steps to enroll? **C. Questions About Career Readiness (5 minutes)**  Now, let’s talk about th e kinds of services, activities, or resources that **[fill in name of high school]**  offers to help students understand what types of jobs might be a good match for their interests and abilities. 16. Do students at **[fill in name of high school]** receive an y information about careers, such as their educational and skill requirements and earnings payoffs? [If yes, probe: How do they receive this information (e.g., written materials provided, website recommendations provided, in workshops or an advisory)?] 17. Does **[fill in name of high school]**  offer an y kinds of career exploration activities (e.g., job shadowing, help in finding internships, speakers who discuss careers, help writing a resume, career interest inventory, ACT’s World - of - Wo rk map) ? [Probe for each key activi ty named, where key reflects the emphasis placed on it by focus group members: a. If unclear, clarify the format of the activity (e.g., one - on - one assistance, hands - on workshop, informational session, written information)? b. Wh en does this activity occur (month, time of the day, multiple times over the school year)? c. Who is invited to participate (e.g., juniors, seniors, parents)? d. How many of the invitees participate (i.e., all, most, half, some, hardly any)? ]OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 34 18. To what extent do students here at **[fill in nam e of high school]**  understand the requirements of different careers and which will match their personal goals and abilities? **D. Questions About Financial Readiness (10 minutes)**  Now, let’s talk about the kinds of services, activities, or resources that **[fill in name of high**  **school]** offers to help students prepare to pay for college. 19. Does **[fill in name of high school]** offer a “financial aid night” or similar information session to students and families? [If yes, probe: a. Wh en is that offered (month, time of the day, multiple times over the school year)? b. Who is invited (e.g., juniors, seniors)? c. How many of the invited students and families attend (i.e., all, most, half, some, hardly any)? d. What are the main topics covered?] 20. Do counselors or other school staff ever meet individually with students and/or their families to discuss different strategies for paying for college (e.g., savings, loans, scholarships, financial aid)? [If yes, probe: a. Who meets with students (e.g., counselor, school staff, volunteer parent or local college student, peer counselor, representatives from an educational agency)? b. Wh en do these meetings take place (month, time of the day, multiple times over the school year, in the summer after high school graduation)? c. How many seniors and/or their fa milies meet individually with a counselor (or other knowledgeable individual) to talk about paying for college? d. Do counselors help seniors and/or their families to obtain a FAFSA PIN or complete the FAFSA form?] 21. Does **[fill in name of high school]** offer an y workshops or classes related to paying for college, such as workshops about completing the FAFSA application, searching for scholarships, or completing scholarship applications? [Probe for each workshop: a. What topics are covered? b. Wh en do these meetings ta ke place (month, time of the day, multiple times over the school year, in the summer after high school graduation)? c. Who is invited (e.g., juniors, seniors, parents)?OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 35 d. How many of the invited students and/or parents attend (i.e., all, most, half, some, hardly any)? **22.** Are there other resources that **[fill in name of high school]** offers students for figuring out how to pay

for college (e.g., a list of recommended websites to search for scholarship information)? 23. Does **[fill in name of high school]** take an y step s to monitor students’ completion of the FAFSA or scholarship applications? [Probe if yes: Does the school contact students if they have not completed the FAFSA or scholarship applications by the end of senior year?] **E. Questions About Personal/Social Readine**  **ss (5 minutes)** Next, let’s discuss the kinds of services, activities, or resources that **[fill in name of high school]** offers to help students set educational goals, make progress towards those goals, and create relationships with peers and adults to support achieving those goals. 24. To what extent do students graduating from **[fill in name of high school]** have the personal and social skills necessary for succeeding in college? Such skills could include, for example, goal setting, monitoring progress towards go als, persisting in the face of obstacles, help - seeking behavior, or time management)? 25. Are there an y services, activities, or resources that **[fill in name of high school]** offers to help students develop personal and social skills to succeed at college? [Probe: a. What are these services, activities, and resources? b. What skills do they address? c. For any key activities described: i. Wh en do these activities take place (month, time of the day, multiple times over the school year, in the summer after high school graduation)? ii. Who is invited (e.g., juniors, seniors, parents)? iii. How many invited students participate (i.e., all, most, half, some, hardly any)? **F. Questions About College**  **- Going Culture (10 minutes)**  Now, let’s talk about the goals and expectations of school staff, parents, and students attending this school. 26. To what extent do teachers, counselors, and administrators share a common goal to prepare all students for college?* 8 8 An * indicates that this question is base d on a question included on a survey from the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota.OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 36 27. To what extent are teachers here expected to provide assistance to students in plannin g for college? 28. Do school staff communicate with parents/guardians about their children’s readiness for college? [Probe if yes: a. What is the format of these communications (e.g., one - way versus two - way conversation)? b. How often does this communication occur? c. Which families are reached with this communication?] 29. To what extent do students see themselves succeeding at college? 30. To what extent do students understand what it takes (academicall y, financially , and personall y) to succeed in college? 31. To what extent do students take the appropriate actions to make their postsecondary plans a reality? 32. Who at [ **name of high school** ] is responsible for delivering college - related programs, services, activities, and resources to students? **G. Questions About Barriers to Implementi**  **ng a Schoolwide College Readiness Program (10 minutes)**  Finally , let’s talk about implementing a schoolwide college readiness program. 33. What educational initiatives, if an y, has [ **name of high school** ] been involved in implementing this y ear? [Clarify: a. Is this initiative school- wide? W hat is the format of these communications (e.g., one - way versus two - way conversation)? b. [If this is an early implementing school] Are staff able to successfully implement more than one initiative at a time? c. [If this is a late i mplementing school] Do you foresee any barriers to implementing a schoolwide college - readiness initiative next year? ] **Thank you again for participating in today’s focus group!**1120 East Diehl Road, Suite 200 | Naperville, IL 60563 - 1486 | P : 866 .730.6735 F: 630 . 649 . 6700 www.relmidwest.org

OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX) REL Midwest Supporting Statement B : Implementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 37 

### Attachment A**- 5. Extant Document Collection Request**  Month XX, 20XX Dear **[SCHOOL STAFF MEMBER]** : REL Midwest at American Institutes for Research (AIR) is studying the Ramp - Up to Readiness program at [ **SCHOOL** ]. In [ **MONTH/YEAR** ], our research team received approval from your school to conduct this study. As part of our study, we ar e collecting existing, publicly available documents related to college - readiness programs and initiatives in your school. We are interested in the programs, services, activities, and resources that [ **SCHOOL** ] offers to help students prepare for college. The types of documents that we would like to receive are the following:  Calendars of events related to college readiness (e.g., college fairs, visits from college representatives, financial aid night for families)  Agendas from professional development activiti es related to college readiness  Written descriptions of college readiness programs offered in your school (e.g., Upward Bound)  Written descriptions of activities or services related to college offered in your school  A description of how [ **SCHOOL** ] calculates a student’s cumulative GPA  Master schedule showing the availability of advanced courses (e.g., honors, advanced placement, dual - enrollment courses) In the recently conducted focus groups, we heard about several college - readiness supports that we would like to request more information about. They are: [ **LIST RELEVANT PROGRAMS, SERVICES, ACTIVITIES, AND RESOURCES** ] Please do not create any original documents to fulfill this request. Documents can be e - mailed to me at [ **e**   ** mail address** ]. To meet our analysis a nd reporting deadlines, we will need to receive the complete collection of documents no later than **[DATE]** . We have found that an initial phone discussion about the requested documents can help prevent misunderstandings. That said, we would like to find a 3 0 - minute window of time next week, [ **DATES** ], when we can discuss this document request. Please let me know of your availability (or the availability of someone else who is familiar with the data), and we will arrange a phone conference. We appreciate your s upport for this study. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at the phone number below. Best regards, Jim Lindsay, Ph.D. Principal Investigator, REL Midwest 630 - 649 - 6591OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 38 

### Attachment A **- 6. Instructional Log for Ramp**  **- Up Work** **shop Purpose**  . We would like your feedback on the workshop you taught today and some information about the advisories that you have taught so far this y ear. Your opinions are useful for improving the quality

of the Ramp - Up program. **Confidentiality** . RELMidwest will keep all collected data confidential. Per the policies and procedures required b y the E ducation Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183, 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 individual. We will not provide information that identifies you to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law. Any willful disclosure of such information for nonstatistical purposes, without the informed consent of the respon dent, is a class E felony . **Risks** . There are no known risks related to participating in this survey . **Voluntary P**  **articipation** . You have the right to discontinue your participation in this survey at any time without consequences. We hope you will answer all the questions , but i f there is a question you do not wish to answer, simply skip it. **Procedure** . Completion of each log entry will take no longer than 10 minutes . If you complete all five logs, you will receive a $25 gift card for your participation . **Contact Information.** If you have questions or concerns about this study , plea s e contact Jim Lindsay at jlindsay @air.org or 630 - 649 - 6591 . If you have concerns or questions about y our rights as a participant , contact the c hair of AIR’s Institutional Review Board (which is responsible for the protection of study participants) using the following contact information: E - M ail: IRBChair@air.org Phone: 1 - 800 - 634 - 0797 (toll free) Mail: IRB Chair

c/o AIR 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW Washington, DC 20007

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, OMB expiration date is XXXX, XX, 2014. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 15 minutes per respondent, 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 2020 2. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual su bmission of this form, write directly to: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20208.OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 39 **Background Information** 1. What is your current position at this school? C **heck all that apply**  . • Teacher • Counselor • Dean • Principal • Assistant p rincipal • Other school staff 2. What is the name of your school ? [text box ] **Today’s Ramp -**  **Up Workshop** The following questions ask about the Ramp - Up workshop that you taught today . 3. Did you teach or assist in teaching a Ramp - Up workshop today ? • Yes [continue to q4 ] • No [ skip to q19 ] 4. What topic ( s ) did you cover in today ’s workshop? [text box] 5. How man y students actually attended the workshop? [ drop down box] 6. What percentage of your students attended the workshop ? [ drop down box ] 7. In what grade s are the students who attended the workshop that you taught today? **C heck all that apply**  **.** • 9th grade • 10th grade • 11th grade • 12th grade 8. How long did today ’s workshop last? • Less than 30 minutes • 30

–45 minutes • 46

– 6 0 minutes • More than 60 minutes 9. Select the college - readiness pillars that were discussed during today ’s workshop? **Check all that apply**  . • Academic Readiness • Admissions ReadinessOMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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—40 • Career Readiness • Financial Readiness • Personal/Social Readiness 10. Did you adapt the in structional materials to suit the needs of your workshop? • Yes [continue to q1 1 ] • No [skip to q1 2 ] 11. Please describe how you adapted the instructional materials to suit the needs of your workshop. [text box] 12. What percentage of students who attended today ’s workshop was activel y engaged in the workshop’s activities ? • Less than 25% • 25

– 50% • 51

– 75% • More than 75% • I do not know. 13. I had enough time to prepare lesson content prior to teaching today ’s workshop. • Strongl y Disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y Agree 14. I had en ough information about the college selection and enrollment process to teach today ’s workshop . • Strongl y Disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y Agree 15. I ha d enough information about the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in college to teach today ’s workshop . • Strongl y d i sagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 16. What worked well in today ’s workshop? [text box] 17. What could be improved about today ’s workshop? [text box]OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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—41 18. If you have an y additional comments about today’s workshop, please enter them here: [text box] **Weekly Ramp -**  **Up Advisories** The following questions ask about the weekly Ramp - Up advisories taught so far this y ear. 19. Have you taught at least one Ramp - Up advisory this school y ear? • Yes [continue to q20 ] • No [ end survey] 20. Are you assigned to teach a ninth - grade Ramp - Up advisory? • Yes [continue to q21 ] • No [skip to q 22] 21. Which lessons have you taught so far this y ear to ninth graders ? **Check all that apply.** [insert names of each lesson taught to ninth graders] 22. Are you assigned to teach a 10 th - grade Ramp - Up advisory? • Yes [continue to q23 ] • No [skip to q 24] 23. Which lessons have you taught so far this y ear to 10 th graders ? **Check all that apply.** [insert names of each lesson taught to 10 th graders] 24. Are you assigned to teach an 11 th - grade Ramp - Up advisory? • Yes [continue to q25 ] • No [skip to q 26] 25. Which lessons have you taught so far this y ear to 11 th graders ? **Check all that apply.** [insert names of each lesson taught to 11 th graders] 26. Are you assigned to teach a 12 th - grade Ramp - Up advisory? • Yes [continue to q27 ] • No [skip to q 28] 27. Which lessons have you taught so far this y ear to 12 th graders ? **Check all that apply.** [insert names of each lesson taught to 12 th graders] 28. On average, what percentage of students scheduled to attend your weekl y advisory has attend ed every

session so far ? • L ess than 25% • 25

– 50% • 51

– 75% • More than 75% • I do not know.OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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—42 29. On average, how long have the weekly advisory sessions you’ve taught so far this y ear lasted? • Less than 20 minutes • 2 0

–29 minutes • 30 minutes • I do not know. 30. So far this y ear, how often have you adapt ed the instructional materials to suit the needs of your advisory? • Never • Rarel y • Sometimes • Often • Alway s 31. On average, what percentage of students in your advisory activel y engages in the advisory ’s activities ? • Less than 25% • 25

– 50% • 51

– 75% • More than 75% • I do not know. 32. If you have an y additional comments about the Ramp - Up advisories , please enter them here: [text box] **Thank you for completing this log!**OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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—43 

### Attachment A **- 7. May Focus Group Protocol**  **Introduction and Welcome (5 min.)** Hello, my name is **[fill in name]** . Thank you for coming in today . I am from **the Midwest Regional Educational Laboratory** and helping me today is **[fill in name of assistant].**  REL Midwest is conducting this focus group as part of our study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness intervention, a study in w hich your school is participating. Today , we want to better understand the programs, services, activities, and resources provided to students in **[fill in name of high school]** to prepare them for college. We also want to understand your experiences this y ear in implementing the Ramp - Up to Readiness program. This information will become part of a study report describing the effects of the Ramp - Up to Readiness program. Please note that when we say “ college, ” we mean a two - year college, four - ye ar college or uni versity , communit y college, or career or technical college. To begin, I have to go over some logistics with you. We’ve estimated that this focus group will take 90 minutes. During these 90 minutes, Iwill ask questions about the Ramp - Up program and other c ollege - readiness supports offered in your school. We hope that you will feel free to attempt to answer the questions as best yo u can based on the experiences you have had here at **[fill in name of high school]** . Some of these questions will ask you to estimate the percentage of students who participate in a particular activity . Please just do your best to provide an estimate. We will have a 10 - minute break at **[XXXX time, 50 -**  **minute mark]** . My role and the role of **[fill in name of assistant]** will be to ask quest ions, moderate the discussion, and record major themes and feelings expressed by focus group participants. **Consent** As stated in the study

consent form that you have previously signed, all data being collected will be kept confidential b y R ELM idwest and Am erican Institutes for Research (the third - part y evaluator). You have the right to discontinue your participation in this data collection process at any time without consequences. **Confidentiality** Let me just highlight one issue that is discussed in the cons ent forms. It is impossible to write down every

thing that you say today , so we will be recording the focus group conversation so that we can go back and listen to the discussion to make sure that we did not miss any thing. Any

thing that is discussed will re main confidential. The audiorecordings will be transcribed and then erased. We will not identify an y focus group participants in the transcriptions. Are there an y questions before I begin? **Introductions** Before beginning with the questions and turning on th e audiorecorder, let’s go around the room and introduce ourselves. Please say your name and your role here at **[fill in name of high school]**  . Now, we are beginning with the questions. I ’ll turn on the audiorecorder and start asking questions.OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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—44 **Background Information** The Ramp - Up to Readiness program is offered to high schools throughout Minnesota. The developers note that there is no single way to implement the program because of variat ions in local context, but there are elements of Ramp - Up that are to be implemented in all settings. Today , we’d like to gather a better understanding of how the program has been implemented at **[fill in name of high school]** . First, I’ll ask questions about whether and when you completed key implementation activities. This will be followed by questions on the Ramp - Up curriculum, tools, professional development, your school culture, the challenges and success of implementation, and to what extent you think Ramp - Up is changing the college readiness of students’ in your school. Thank you for joining us today . **Notes to focus group moderator**  : The purposes of this focus group are to understand (1) the extent to which treatment schools faithfully adopt the program model, and what enables them or prevents them from doing so; and (2) the degree to which the intervention model differs from the services and activities underl yi ng the business - as - usual comparison condition. If participants are reluctant to estimate percentages when asked, probe for more than 25 percent or less than 25 percent, more than 50 percent or less than 50 percent, or more than 75 percent or less than 75 percent.OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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—45 **Fidelity of Implementation Questions for Early Implementing**  **Ramp -**  **Up Schools A.**  **Ramp -**  **Up Annual Plan Activities** In the fall, your school filled out the Ramp - Up to Readiness Annual Plan indicating when your school was planning to complete key actions. I would like to discuss some of these actions. **[Note to moderator: have a copy of the Annual Plan to refer to]** 1. Have there been any

changes over the school y ear in who serves on the Ramp - Up leadership team or who serves as the Ramp - Up coordinator? [Probe if yes: Why did a change occur?] 2. How often did the Ramp - Up leadership team meet this school y ear to guide and monitor Ramp - Up implementation in your school? [Probe if no: What challenges did you face in meeting quarterly?] 3. Do all students at [ **name of high school** ] use a technology platform (e.g., Naviance or MCI S) as part of the Ramp - Up program? [Probe if yes: a. Which platform? b. Did students use this platform prior to implementing Ramp - Up? c. To what extent is the technology platform integrated with Ramp - Up advisories or workshops? Probe if no: d. What challenges have you faced in adopting a technology platform? ] 4. Have you conducted an y internal evaluation of yo ur school’s implementation of Ramp Up or progress on improving college - readiness indicators (e.g., taking advanced courses, completing college enrollment activities)? [Probe if yes: a. Have you discussed your findings w ith staff at the College Readiness Consortium? b. Did you make any changes to instructional practices based on your review of the data? Probe if no: c. What challenges have you faced in conducting internal evaluations of the Ramp - Up program?] **B. Ramp**  **- Up Curriculum**  Now, I would like to talk about the Ramp - Up advisories and workshops. 5. Thinking about the Ramp - Up weekly advisories... a. What percentage of students do you estimate received all 28 lessons?OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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—46 [Probe if less than 100 percent: Which students did not receive all 28 lessons and why?] b. How long did the lessons last? [Probe if less than 30 minutes: Why did the lessons last less than the planned 30 minutes? ] c. How much time were advisors provided to prepare and learn about the lesson content prior to teaching it? d. Was the am ount of time provided to advisors to prepare and learn the lesson content adequate? [Probe if not: How much time would have been adequate?] 6. Thinking about the Ramp - Up workshops... a. How man y workshops were held over the course of the year? [Probe: Did the number of workshops differ by gra de - level (i.e., did Grade 10 students receive fewer than Grade 12 students)? Probe if less than five: What challenges did you face in delivering all five workshops? Probe if more than five: Most Ramp - Up schools schedule fiv e workshops. Why did your school decide to have additional ones?] b. What were the topics of these workshops? [Probe: Were they differentiated by grade?] c. When were the workshops offered? d. On average, how long did these workshops last? e. Who taught the workshops (i.e., the same staff teaching th e Ramp - Up advisories or different staff)? f. What percentage of students do you estimate attended all the workshops? [Probe if less than 100 percent: Which students did not attend and why? ] **C. Ramp**  **- Up Tools**  Next, Iwould like to talk about the tools used in the Ramp - Up program, specificall y the Readiness Rubric or Postsecondary Plan. 7. Thinking specificall y about the Postsecondary Plan... **[Note to moderator: Show an example of the Postsecondary Plan to remind participants what it is]**  a. What percentage of all students completed a Postsecondary Plan this school y ear? [Probe if less than 100 percent: Which students did not complete a Postsecondary Plan and why?]OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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—47 b. What percentage of students discussed the Postsecondary Plan with a teacher/advisor or counselor as part of the course registration process? [Probe if less than 100 percent: Which students did not review their Postsecondary Plan with a teacher/advisor or counselor? Why? Were there times other than course registration when the Posts econdary Plan was reviewed with students? ] c. Can you pr ovide an example of how you discussed the Postsecondary Plan with a student? d. How do school staff engage with parents using the Postsecondary Plan? [Probe: How often do school staff talk with parents abou t their student’s Postsecondary Plan? What percentage of parents talks to school staff about their student’s Postsecondary Plan? ] e. Is the student’s Postsecondary Plan stored electronically for your review and review by students or par ents? [Probe if not: W

h y?] 8. Thinking specificall y about the Readiness Rubric... **[Note to moderator: Show an example of the Readiness Rubric to remind participants what it is]**  a. What percentage of students completed the Readiness Rubric three times this year? [Probe if less than 100 percent: What percentage o f students completed the Readiness Rubric at least twice? What percentage of students completed it at least once? Which students did not complete the Readiness Rubric three times this year? Why not? ] b. How often did school staff review the rubric with students this school y ear? c. Can you provide an example of how you discussed the Readiness Rubric with a student? d. How do school staff engage with parents using the Readiness Rubric? [Probe: How often do school staff talk with parents a bout their student’s Readiness Rubric? What percentage of parents talks to school staff about their student’s Readiness Rubric?] e. Is the student’s Readiness Rubric stored electronically for your review and review by students or parents? 9. Did school staff exp erience barriers in talking to parents about their child’s Readiness Rubric or Postsecondary

Plan (e.g., language barriers)? [Probe if yes: How did your school address those?] **D. Professional Development**  10. At the beginning of the school y ear, were four hours sp ent introducing staff to the Ramp - Up program?OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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—48 a. Can you describe the content covered that day? b. Which teachers had the opportunity to attend this four - hour training? c. How did staff respond to the introduction of the Ramp - Up to Readiness program? [Probe if some staff were not receptive: What were the concerns of staff about Ramp Up?] 11. How often does the Ramp - Up leadership team or coordinator provide professional development related to Ramp - Up? a. How long do these professional development sessions last? b. Which teache rs have the opportunity to attend pro fessional development? c. How engaged are school staff during these meetings (e.g., the extent to which they participate in discussions)? d. How challenging has it been to provide regularl y s cheduled professional development on Ramp - Up to teachers? 12. Have you had or are you planning a one - hour feedback session where school staff can provide feedback to the leadership team on program implementation? **E. Overall Experiences With Implementation**  13. How have the goals or beliefs of school s taff changed during the school ye ar, if at all, with the introduction of Ramp - Up? 14. Has the introduction of Ramp - Up changed the way that school staff interact with parents? 15. What aspects of Ramp - Up worked well as you implemented the program? [Probe: Why did they work well? ] 16. What aspects of the program did not work well? [Probe: Why did they not work well?] **F. Ramp**  **- Up to Readiness: Contrast Between Implementing and Non**  **- Implementing**  **Schools** In February , we talked about the college - readiness programs, services, activities, and resources that [ **name of high school** ] provides to prepare students to enroll and succeed in college. I have a list of the supports that you named, and now I would like to ask some specific questions about each of these activities. If the sch ool no longer offers a support that I read, please let me know. [ **Instructions to moderator: complete the following matrix by asking questions 1 7**  **– 2**  **2 for**  **each support listed. Probe as necessary to be able to complete the matrix** ]OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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—49 **Matrix of College -**  **Readine ss Supports** 

**College -**  **Readiness Support Participation**  **Rate F** **r e** **q u** **e n** **c y** **I n** **t e** **n s** **i t** **y Corresponding** 

**Readiness Dimension 1** **0 t** **h 1** **1 t** **h 1** **2 t** **h A** **c a** **d e** **m i** **c A** **d m** **i s** **s i** **o n** **s C** **a r** **e e** **r F** **i n** **a n** **c i** **a l** **P e** **r s** **o n** **a l** **/ S** **o c** **i a** **l**
Program 1 Program 2 Program 3 Program 4 Program 5 Service 1 Service 2 Service 3 Service 4 Service 5 Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3 Activity 4 Activity 5 Resource 1 Resource 2 Resource 3 Resource 4 Resource 5 17. Which grade does [ **name of support** ] target? [moderator to check each grade targeted] 18. What percentage of Grade 10, Grade 11, and Grade 12 students participate in or receive [ **name of support** ]? 19. How often has [ **name of support** ] been offered this school y ear? 20. How long does [ **name of support** ] last? 21. Which of the following does [ **name of support** ] primarily address: students’ academic preparation, the college admissions process, career planning, how to pay for college, or on goal setting or achieve ment? 22. Are there an y other college - readiness programs, services, activities, or resources that [name of high school] offers but that we haven’t talked about? I want to wrap up with a few more general questions.OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 50 **G. Professional Development**  23. So far this school ye ar, has the school provided staff an y professional development related to preparing students for college? a. Can you describe what was provided? b. How long did each professional development session last? c. Who received this professional development? [Probe: Wh at percentage of teachers ?] d. What did you find helpful or unhelpful about these materials or this professional development? **H. College Culture**  Next, Iwould like to talk about the expectations and practices of school staff for preparing students for college. 24. Thinking about the goals and beliefs of school staff... a. To what extent do school personnel here share a common goal to prepare all students for college?* 9 b. To what extent do school personnel believe that college counseling is the job of school counselors, not teachers?* 25. Thinking about the practices in your school... a. How are students encouraged to take advanced coursework (e.g., honors, dual - credit, AP, IB, or College in the Schools classes)? b. To what extent is the curriculum at this school focused on helping students get ready for college?* c. Does your school collect data to assess students’ college readiness? [Probe if yes: How do you use this information? 26. Thinking about parents... a. To what extent do parents of students in this school expect their children to go to college?* **I. Barriers to Implementing a Schoolwide College Readiness Program**  Finally , let’s talk about implementing a schoolwide college readiness program. 27. What educational initiatives, if an y, has [ **name of high school** ] been involved in implementing this ye ar?
9 An * indicates that this question is based on a question included on a survey from the Center for Applied Resear ch and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota.OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 51 [ Clarify : a. Is this initiative school- wide? Wh at is the format of these communications (e.g., one - way versus two - way conversation)? b. [If this is an early implementing school] Are staff able to successfully implement more than one initiative at a time? c. [If this is a late implementing school] Do you foresee any barriers to implementing a schoolwide college - readiness initiative next year ? **Thank you again for participating in today’s focus group**  **!**OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 52 

### Attachment A **- 8. Staff Survey Questionnaire**  **Purpose** . The Midwest Regional Educational Laboratory at American Institutes for Research (RELMidwest) is conducting this survey as part of its evaluation of Ramp - Up to Readiness. We want to learn about your experiences with Ramp - Up overall and also as they relate to the program’s curriculum, tools, and professional development. The information you provide will be used to improve Ramp - Up and other college - readiness programs. **Confidentiality** . RELMidwest will keep all collected data confidential. Per the policies and proc edures required b y the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part E, Section 183, 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 individual. We will not provide information that identifies you or your district to anyone outside the study team, except as required by law. Any willful disclosure of such information for nonstatistical purposes, without the informed consent of the respondent, is a class E felon y. **Risks** . There are no known risks related to participating in this survey . **Voluntary P**  **articipation** . You have the right to discontinue your participation in this survey at any time without consequences. We hope you will answer all the questions , but i f there is a question you do not wish to answer, simply skip it. **Procedure** . This survey

will take about 20 to 30 minutes , and you will receive a $25 gift card for yo ur part icipation . **Contact Information.** If you have questions or concerns about this study , plea s e contact Jim Lindsay at jlindsay @air.org or 630 - 649 - 6591 . If you have concerns or questions about y our rights as a participant , contact the c hair of AIR’s Institutio nal Review Board (which is responsible for the protection of study participants) using the following contact information: E - M ail: IRBChair@air.org Phone: 1 - 800 - 634 - 0797 (toll free) Mail: IRB Chair

c/o AIR 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW Washington, DC 20007 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, OMB expiration date is XXXX, XX, 2014. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 15 minutes per respondent, 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 2020 2. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of yo ur 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.OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 53 **Background Information** 1. What is your current position at this school? C **heck all that apply**  . • Teacher • Counselor • Dean • Principal • Assistant principal • Other school staff 2. What is your role in delivering the Ramp - Up to Readiness program **? Check all that apply**  . • I do not play

any role in delivering the Ramp - Up to Readiness program [end survey and display

“Thank you for participating in this survey”] • Ramp - Up coordinator • Member of the Ramp - Up leadership team • Ramp - Up advisor (a teacher who facilitates Ramp - Up advisories) • Other. Please indicate yo ur role: [text box] [I f Q2=Ramp - Up advisor, ask Q3; else, skip to Q4] 3. What is the grade - level of students in your Ramp - Up advisory? • Grade 9 • Grade 10 • Grade 11 • Grade 12 4. What is the name of your school? [text box] **Ramp -**  **Up Goals, Components, and Roles** The following set of questions asks about your understandin g of the goals of the Ramp - Up to Readiness program (“Ramp - Up”) and your role in it. Please indicate to what extent you disagree or agree with the following statements: 5. I understand the goals of Ramp - Up. • Strongl y d isagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y a greeOMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 54 6. I understand Ramp - Up’s five pillars of readiness (academic, admissions, career, financial, and personal - social readiness). • Strongl y d isagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y a gree 7. I understand my role in delivering Ramp - Up. • Strongl y d isagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y a gree 8. Do you know who the Ramp - Up Coordinator at your school is? • Yes • No • I’m not sure. [I f Q2=Ramp - Up advisor, ask Q9; else, skip to 10] 9. My school and district gives me enough time to implement the Ramp - Up program. • Strongl y d isagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y a gree [I f Q2=Ramp - Up coordinator or Member of the Ramp - Up leadership team, ask 10; else, skip to 11] 10. My school and district gives me enough time to coordinate the Ramp - Up program. • Strongl y Disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y Agree **Expectations and Beliefs** The following set of questions asks about y our expectations and beliefs related to college preparation. In

this survey, “college” refers to all postsecondary educational opportunities, including two - ye ar colleges, four- ye ar colleges or universities, commu nity colleges, and career or technical colleges. Please indicate to what extent y ou disagree or agree with the following statements:OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 55 11. I believe that our school should prepare all students to go on to college.* 10
• Strongl y d isagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y a gr ee 12. School personnel share a common goal to prepare all students for college.* • Strongl y d isagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y a gree 13. All teachers should be able to advise students on college options.* • Strongl y d isagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y a gree 14. College counseling is the job of school counselors, not teachers.* • Strongl y d isagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y a gree **College Knowledge** The following set of questions asks about your knowledge of college and career readiness. Please rate your own level of knowledge in the following areas: 15. The range of postsecondary options available to students* • None • Limited • Basic • Moderate

10 An * indicates that this question is based on a question included on a survey from the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota.OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 56 • Proficient • Advanced 16. The level of academic skill (for example, reading, writing, mathematics) necessary for college work* • None • Limited • Basic • Moderate • Proficient • Advanced 17. Tests that students need for admission to college* • None • Limited • Basic • Moderate • Proficient • Advanced 18. The college application process* • None • Limited • Basic • Moderate • Proficient • Advanced 19. Financing a college education* • None • Limited • Basic • Moderate • Proficient • Advanced 20. The ty

pes of personal and social skills that students need to succeed in collegeOMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 57 • None • Limited • Basic • Moderate • Proficient • Advanced **Ramp -**  **Up Curriculum** The following set of questions asks about your perceptions of the Ramp - Up curriculum taught in advisories and workshops. 21. How familiar are you with the Ramp - Up curriculum? • Not at all familiar [skip to q33] • Slightly

familiar [continue to q22] • Moderatel y familiar [continue to q22] • Very familiar [continue to q22] Please indicate the extent to which you disagree or agree with the following statements: 22. The Ramp - Up curriculum helps students develop postsecondary plans. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 23. The Ramp - Up curriculum enables students to make inf ormed decisions about preparing for college. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 24. The Ramp - Up curriculum enables students to make informed decisions about preparing for a career. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • AgreeOMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 58 • Strongl y agree 25. The Ramp - Up curric ulum helps students develop the belief that they can turn their postsecondary

plans into reality . • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 26. The Ramp - Up curriculum helps students understand whether they are on or off track to reach college readiness b y the end of high school. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 27. The Ramp - Up curriculum provides students with clear information about what steps must be taken to enroll in college. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 28. The Ramp - Up curriculum provides students with clear information about when key steps in the enrollment process must occur. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 29. The Ramp - Up curriculum covers appropriate topics on preparing for college. • Strongl y disagree • Disa gree • Agree • Strongl y agree 30. The Ramp - Up curriculum spends the appropriate amount of time on each topic. • Strongl y disagreeOMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 59 • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 31. The Ramp - Up curriculum consists of a coherent sequence of concepts and ideas. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 32. The Ramp - Up curriculum is engaging to students. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 33. Have you taught at least one Ramp - Up advisory this school y ear? • Yes [continue to q34] • No [skip to q41] 34. How man y of the Ramp - Up lessons did you teach this school y ear in your advisory? • Fewer than five lessons [continue to q35] • 5

– 10 lessons [continue to q35] • 11

– 15 lessons [continue to q35] • 16

–20 lessons [continue to q35] • 21

–25 lessons [continue to q35] • All 28 lessons [skip to q36] • I don’t remember. [skip to q36] 35. Why did you teach fewer than 28 lessons? [text box] 36. Did you receive an Advisor Guide at the beginning of the school year that describes the lesson plan and activities for each weekl y advisory? • Yes • No 37. How often did you receive information from the Ramp - Up coordinator about a lesson prior to teaching it?OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 60 • Never • Rarel y • Sometimes • Often • Alway s • I am not sure who the Ramp - Up coordinator in my school is. 38. Did you teach the Ramp - Up lessons as they were designed or did you modify them? • I taught them without any modifications. • I modified some of the lessons. • I modified most of the lessons. • I modified all of the lessons. 39. How often did you provide the Ramp - Up instructional materials and resources to students at the time assigned for the advisory? • Never • Rarel y • Sometimes • Often • Alway s 40. Did you have enough time to prepare lesson content prior to teaching it? • Never • Rarel y • Sometimes • Often • Alway s **Ramp -**  **Up Tools** The Ramp - Up program includes two tools to assist students with their plans after high school. These are the Postsecondary Plan and the Readiness Rubric. The following questions ask about the Postsecondary Plan. 41. How familiar are you with the Postsecondary Plan? • Not at all familiar [skip to q46] • Slightly

familiar [conti nue to q42]OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 61 • Moderatel y familiar [continue to q42] • Very familiar [continue to q42] Thinking about the Postsecondary Plan and how students, parents, and school staff use it, please indicate the extent to which you disagree or agree with the following statem ents. 42. The Postsecondary

Plan helps students to develop a plan for their life after high school. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 43. I use the Postsecondary Plan when helping students develop plans for their life after high school. • Strongl y disa gree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 44. How man y students in your Ramp - Up advisory completed the Postsecondary Plan at least once this year? • None • A few students • Most students • All students • I do not teach a Ramp - Up advisory . 45. For how man y students in your Ramp - Up advisory have you discussed a student’s Postsecondary

Plan with his or her parents? • None • A few students • Most students • All students • I do not teach a Ramp - Up advisory . The following questions ask about the Readiness Rubric. 46. How familiar are you with the Read iness Rubric? • Not at all familiar [skip to q51]OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 62 • Slightly

familiar [continue to q47] • Moderatel y familiar [continue to q47] • Very familiar [continue to q47] Thinking about the Readiness Rubric and how students, parents, and school staff use it, please indicate the extent to which you disagree or agree with the following statements. 47. The Readiness Rubric helps students to monitor their progress towards their postsecondary

goals. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 48. I use the Readiness Rubric to monitor students’ progress toward their postsecondary goals. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 49. How man y students in your Ramp - Up advisory completed the Readiness Rubric at least twice this y ear? • None • A few students • Most students • All students • I do not teach a Ramp - Up advisory . 50. For how man y students in your Ramp - Up advisory have you discussed a student’s Readiness Rubric with his or her parents? • None • A few students • Most students • All students • I do not teach a Ramp - Up advisory .OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 63 **Ramp -**  **Up Activity: Personal Readiness Evaluation for Postsecondary**  [I f Q2=Ramp - Up advisor and Q3=Grade 10 ask Q51

– Q55; else, skip to Q56] The following questions ask about the Personal Readiness Evaluation for Postsecondary (PREP) survey . 51. How familiar are you with the PREP survey? • Not at all familiar [skip to q56] • Slightly

familiar [continue to q52] • Moderatel y familiar [continue to q52] • Very familiar [continue to q52] Thinking about the PREP survey and how students, parents, and school staff use it, please indicate the extent to which you disagree or agree with the following statements. 52. The PREP survey

helps students to understand their personal readiness for college. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 53. I use the PREP to understand students’ personal readiness for college. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 54. How man y students in your Ramp - Up advisory completed the PREP survey at least once this y ear? • None • A few students • Most students • All students • I do not teach a Ramp - Up advisory . 55. For how man y students in your Ramp - Up advisory have you discussed a student’s PREP survey results with his or her parents? • None • A few studentsOMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 64 • Most students • All students • I do not teach a Ramp - Up advisory . **Professional Development** The following set of qu estions asks about professional development related to Ramp - Up. 56. Are you a Ramp - Up coordinator or member of the Ramp - Up leadership team? • Yes [continue to q57] • No [skip to q62] • Uncertain [skip to q62] 57. Have you received an y training b y the University of Minne sota’s College Readiness Consortium? • Yes [continue to q58] • No [skip to q62] • Uncertain [skip to q62] Please indicate the extent to which you disagree or agree with the following statements: 58. The training I received provided useful information to me about how to gain staff support for implementing a schoolwide college - readiness program. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 59. The training I received provided useful information to me ab out my role and responsibilities in delivering Ramp - Up. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 60. Staff at the College Readiness Consortium have responded effectivel y to questions I have asked about the Ramp - Up program. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • A greeOMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 65 • Strongl y agree • I have not asked the College Readiness Consortium any questions about Ramp Up. 61. Were the travel costs of your training at the University of Minnesota paid by

your school or district? • Yes • No 62. Have you received an y training about Ramp - Up at your school? • Yes [continue to q63] • No [skip to q72] • Uncertain [skip to q72] 63. How man y times this school year did you attend training on Ramp - Up? • Not at all • One time • A couple of times • Every month • More than once a month • Other [text box to specify ] Please ind icate the extent to which you disagree or agree with the following statements: 64. The training I received helped me to understand why m y school has adopted a college readiness program. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 65. The training I received he lped me understand the Ramp - Up curriculum. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 66. The training I received helped me understand the Ramp - Up tools (specifically , the Postsecondary

Plan and the Readiness Rubric).OMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 66 • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 67. The training I received provided useful information to me about my role and responsibilities in delivering Ramp - Up. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 68. I have enough information about the college selection and enrollment process to teach the Ramp - Up curriculum. • Strongl y disagree [continue to q69] • Disagree [continue to q69] • Agree [skip to q70] • Strongl y agree [skip to q70] • I do not teach the Ramp - Up curriculum. 69. What additional information would be useful? [text box] 70. I have enough i nformation about the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in college to teach the Ramp - Up curriculum. • Strongl y disagree [continue to q71] • Disagree [continue to q71] • Agree [skip to q72] • Strongl y agree [skip to q72] • I do not teach the Ramp - Up curriculum. 71. What additional information would be useful? [text box] **Perceptions of Program Effectiveness** The following set of questions asks about your perceptions of Ramp - Up’s effects. Please indicate the extent to which you disagree or agree with the following state ments. 72. The Ramp - Up program increases students’ ability to set educational goals. • Strongl y disagreeOMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

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— 67 • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 73. The Ramp - Up program increases students’ ability to make and monitor progress toward educational goals. • Strongl y disagree • Disagr ee • Agree • Strongl y agree 74. The Ramp - Up program increases students’ ability to create relationships to support their educational goals. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 75. The Ramp - Up program increases students’ ability to meet admissions requirements at a range of colleges. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 76. The Ramp - Up program increases students’ likelihood of succeeding academically at college. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 77. The Ramp - Up program increases stu dents’ ability to find a career that matches their goals and abilities. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agreeOMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwe st Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 68 78. The Ramp - Up program increases students’ understanding of way s to pay for college (for example, through savings, loans, financial aid). • S trongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree 79. The Ramp - Up program has increased m y ability to help students prepare and plan for college. • Strongl y d isagree • Disagree • Agree • S trongl y agree 80. I have more productive conversations with students about how to prepare for life after high school because of Ramp - Up. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree • I have not had conversations with students about how to prepare for life after high school. 81. I have more productive conversations with families about how to prepare their children for life after high school because of Ramp - Up. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agree • I have not had conversations with families about how to prepare their children for life after high school. 82. I have more productive conve rsations with colleagues about how to prepare students for life after high school because of Ramp - Up. • Strongl y disagree • Disagree • Agree • Strongl y agreeOMB Control Number XXXX - XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwe st Supporting Statement B : Im plementation Study of the Ramp - Up to Readiness Program

— 69 • I have not had conversations with colleagues about how to prepare students for life after high school. 83. Whi ch students, if any , can benefit from Ramp - Up? **Check all that apply.** • Students performing in the lower third of their class academically • Students performing in the middle third of their class academically • Students performing in the upper third of their class academically • Students who would be the first in their families to attend college • Students whose parents attended college • All ty pes of students • No students • Uncertain **Final Thoughts** Finally , thinking about the Ramp - Up program overall... 84. What are the str engths of Ramp - Up? [text box] 85. What are the weaknesses of Ramp - Up? [text box] 86. What factors, if an y, have made implementing Ramp - Up challenging at yo ur school? [text box] 87. What factors, if an y, have facilitated the implementation of Ramp - Up at your school? [t ex t box] **Thank you for participating in this survey!**