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 by

Dean Gerdeman, Ph.D., Director

1120 East Diehl Road, Suite 200

Naperville, IL 60563-1486

866-730-6735

www.relmidwest.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 does 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. Authorization to reproduce in whole or in part for 

educational purposes is granted.

2365_06/13
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 Rates 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...........................................................................................14

Attachment A-2. Student Survey Questionnaire............................................................................17

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 Log 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...................................................................................................................................................4
REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—1

B. Collection of Information 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 RampUp to Readiness Program (“Ramp-Up”) in Minnesota public schools. Ramp-Up, developed by 

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 

repeatedly with an advisor in groups over multiple years and receive detailed instruction and 

assistance related to dimensions of college readiness. OMB approval is being requested for a 

multimode data collection and analysis 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 increase students’ 

college readiness because there is empirical (nonexperimental) support for each of the Ramp-Up 

dimensions. However, the program as a whole has not yet 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 

participation 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 to the 

professional development schedule and to the curriculum and structure of the advisories and 

workshops. The study also can document the ways in which the Ramp-Up approach differs from 

the approaches schools without Ramp-Up take to improve students’ college-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 

historical 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 versus 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 professional 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 of 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 College 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 policymakers about what implementation 

of Ramp-Up entails, the factors that may facilitate or hinder successful implementation of a 

schoolwide guidance program, and the variety of supports that schools provide to improve 

students’ college readiness. More important, the study findings will show 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-readiness 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 

Educational Data System (SLEDS) (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 spring 2014

 A student survey to collect information about students’ experiences with school collegereadiness 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 collegereadiness supports (i.e., college-related programs, services, activities, and resources) in 

their schools (see Attachments A-4 and A-7 for instruments)

 Extant school documents related to high schools’ college-readiness supports collected in 

February and June (see Attachment A-5) 

 Extant documents 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 collections 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 10–122

 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 year (Table 1). The College Readiness Consortium intends to roll out Ramp-Up to at least 

another 22 high schools over the next two academic years, with half of the high schools 

implementing Ramp-Up during the 2013–14 school year (early-implementing schools), and the 

remaining schools delaying implementation by one year (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 Ramp-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 year (2014–15). 
REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—4

schools, ED’s contractor can examine the contexts of schools implementing Ramp-Up, the 

degree to which schools implement the program during their first year, 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 schools, 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 team’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 presently implementing Ramp-Up 34

High schools eligible for this study 621

High schools that agreed to participate in the 

implementation study4 22

Source: Common Core of Data, 2010–11.

Universe of Students Within 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 student survey and a personal college readiness assessment will be administered to a randomly 

selected subgroup of students (a simple random sample) in the spring of the school year. To 

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 these students. In addition, because many college enrollment activities take place 

during senior year, any Grade 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).4Power 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 that 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 

generalizability 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 types 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 activities.

4. Teacher responses to online instructional logs to be completed after each Ramp-Up 

workshop (for Ramp-Up group only).

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 

collection 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. Parental 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 collect 
REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—6

and keep 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 System”—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: “Active consent” forms will be distributed 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, and 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 and their ID 

numbers. This file will be encrypted, and only shared with REL staff who are (1) emailing 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, REL Midwest will submit the formal data requests 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 

REL Midwest’s servers. Schools will be asked to provide the data associated with each MARSS 

number (i.e., student) and to structure the data by MARSS number. 

REL Midwest’s analysts will review the provided data for completeness. The analysts will 

follow up with schools to confirm that missing data are unavailable.

Collection of Documents on College Readiness Activities

In February and May, REL staff will send participating schools a request for scanned copies of 

all documents that reflect the college readiness-related activities that were performed with 

students within the school during the 2013–14 school year. 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 career events

 Summary of in-class presentations on college by 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 fails to submit documents within two weeks, REL staff will call the point of contact

about the request to follow up.

Focus Groups With School Faculty

The schedule of data collection activities shared with schools will list the types 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 readiness activities, as judged by 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 weekly advisories and bimonthly college readiness workshops, one or more counselors, and the school principal. In laterimplementing 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. REL Midwest 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 also 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,

respectively. The discussion from each focus group will be audio-recorded, and these recordings 

will later be transcribed. Only 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 only 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 only the printed 

transcripts to consult for more information. 

Teachers’ Instructional Logs

The consent forms that school staff members in the early 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 who provide their consent will be e-mailed 

a link to the instructional log immediately following their scheduled workshops and a deadline 

for completing the logs. REL staff 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 instructional 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: “I want 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 options. 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, faculty’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 logs. In early May (prior to the last two weeks of school), consenting teachers in the 

early implementing Ramp-Up schools will be e-mailed a hyperlink 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 hyperlink 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 before, on the bottom of the introductory screen, teachers 

will have two options: “I want 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 surveys are completed, faculty members’ identifying information will be stripped from 

the data and replaced with 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 Student Surveys and College Readiness (ENGAGE) Measures 

REL project 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 complete 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 student survey, REL

Midwest will first request that schools identify MARSS numbers for any students that may have 

left the school since February. 
REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Evaluation of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—9

The randomly 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, 

along 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 addition to providing 

MARSS numbers to schools, REL Midwest 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 early 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) directions for log-in. Schools will be responsible for printing students’ 

names on the sheets containing students’ MARSS numbers, hyperlinks, and directions.

The 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 by 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 middle 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 says “End.” Clicking the “End” button takes the user away from the website.

Within a week of the deadline for the student surveys, ACT will upload to REL Midwest’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 REL Midwest’s online survey. 

Data Request From Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)5

The REL Midwest 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 memorandum 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 REL Midwest’s secure FTP site.

Data Request From Minnesota Office of Higher Education (MOHE)

The REL Midwest team also has connections to representatives of the Minnesota Office of 

Higher Education (MOHE). In August, the project team will discuss data needs with these

contacts. The MOHE contacts will be able to indicate the availability and condition of the data, 

and if the necessary data are available, to share the appropriate process for 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 Longitudinal Data System (SLEDS)—a data system 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 deidentified 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 REL Midwest’s secure FTP site.

3. Methods to Maximize Response Rates and Deal With 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, SLEDS, schools, and districts. Evaluation staff will resolve 

issues of missing or delayed data files by 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 just 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 staff 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 study

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. 

ED’s contractor for REL Midwest has extensive experience administering 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-mail in the event that responses for instructional logs and the online 

survey are lagging. In addition, instructional logs and surveys will be available online, and each 

respondent will receive a link via e-mail to complete them. Focus groups will be administered 

face-to-face, making these components readily accessible for easy 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 these response rates also will be at least 

85 percent. Student 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 year, or if a 

child’s parents do not give consent for the student to participate. Because personally identifiable 

information will not be provided to researchers, it is expected that parents will not have 

significant concerns that will result in withdrawal of their children from the study.

Several 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 copies

of the consent form, and the form will list contact information to receive additional information 

about the study or to resolve any questions. The parental information letter and consent form will 

provide parents with full knowledge of the data collection activities involving students and the 

assurance that data will remain confidential. School leaders will send e-mails to school staff to 

encourage them to complete the surveys. The email will also indicate that staff will receive a $25 

gift card for completion. The schools also track students’ completion of ENGAGE/surveys 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 analysis to 

compare the characteristics of respondents with those of nonrespondents. Little information 

about staff characteristics will be available to compare staff members who responded to the 

survey with those who did not. Instead, researchers 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-implementing schools will be aware of the study taking place in their 

schools. 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 analysis will be conducted if a response rate lower than 85 percent is achieved to 

compare characteristics from administrative data of students who responded to the survey with 

those who did not. Univariate statistical analysis (t-tests) will compare respondents on individual 

characteristics (e.g., the test scores of students who did and did not respond, and a multivariate 

statistical analysis (logistic regression analysis) will consider whether a combination of student 

characteristics predicts nonresponse.

Reports will clearly 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 test procedures or instruments. The personal college readiness 

measure will be the ACT Engage assessment, which has been demonstrated to be 

psychometrically sound, albeit using college student samples (ACT, 2013). 

The implementation study involves data collection 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 actually 

assess the intended constructs (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 type of 

questions is suitable for the time allotted (not redundant and focused enough to solicit clear 

answers). In addition, some of the student and staff survey questions are based on questions used 

in prior student surveys conducted by the Center for Applied Research and Educational 

Improvement or the Consortium on Chicago School Research. Finally, cognitive interviews will 

be conducted with five or fewer respondents for each instrument to understand how typical 

respondents understand the questions.

5. Individuals Consulted on Statistical Aspects of the Design and Key Staff

The following individuals were consulted on the statistical, data collection, and analytic aspects 

of the Ramp-Up evaluation study:

 Michael Cohen, sampling statistician, American Institutes for Research (202-403-6453)

 Jennifer Stephan, researcher, American Institutes for Research (312-283-2409)

 Ayrin Molefe, senior researcher, American Institutes for Research (630-649-6516)

 Jim Lindsay, senior researcher, American Institutes for Research (630-649-6591)

 Pia Peltola, principal researcher, American Institutes for Research (202-577-4613)

 Elizabeth Tipton, assistant professor of applied statistics at Teachers College, Columbia 

University (212-678-3844)

 Larry Hedges, professor, 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, researcher, American Institutes for Research (312-283-2409)

 Sara Goldrick-Rab, associate professor of educational policy studies at University of 

Wisconsin (608-262-1760)

 Barbara Schneider, professor of sociology and education, Michigan State University

(517-432-0188)

Electronic file transfers will be conducted by

 Shaheen Khan, senior database specialist, American Institutes for Research (630-649-

6585)

Focus groups to be performed by

 Pamela Bonsu, researcher, American Institutes for Research (312-588-7337)

 Elisabeth Davis, researcher, American Institutes for Research (312- 288-7640)

 Jennifer Stephan, researcher, American Institutes for Research (312-283-2409)

Online data collection and analysis to be overseen by

 Jim Lindsay, senior researcher, American Institutes for Research (630-649-6591)

 Kristina Wu, senior database specialist, 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.html
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—14

Attachment A-1. Extant Data Request

February 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 laboratories 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 student- 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 Ramp-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 

misunderstandings 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 with 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

630-649-6591
OMB Control Number XXXX-XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation 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-Level Variables 10th 11th 12th 

Student MARSS ID in fall 2013–14   

Grade level in fall 2013–14   

Student leave code (e.g., to indicate transfer, dropout)   

Cumulative unweighted and weighted GPA in spring 2013   

EXPLORE 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

Percentages of 10th, 11th, and 12th graders (separately) who took an E-level course in 

2012–13

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

13

Percentages of 10th, 11th, and 12th graders (separately) who took an A-level course in 

2012–13

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

13

School average PLAN composite score in 2012–13
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REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation Study of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—16

Percentages of 11th and 12th graders (separately) who took the ACT during 2012–13

Percentages of 11th and 12th graders (separately) who took the SAT during 2012–13

School average ACT composite score in 2012–13

School average SAT critical reading and mathematics scores in 2012–13

Percentage of 12th graders who submitted a college application in 2012–13
OMB Control Number XXXX-XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation 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 confidential. 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 by law. Your answers will be combined with the answers of other students to 

describe what students think about the ways 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 about 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 questions 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 you 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 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 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: Implementation 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 says 

“college,” it means any kind of college, including two-year 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 year? (Check all that apply)

• Attend a four-year college or university 

• Attend a community college

• Attend a career or technical college

• Get a job

• Enter the military

• Take a year off

• Other

• I don’t know.

3. So far this school year, 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 year, have you developed a written plan for achieving your educational or 

career goals after high school?

• Yes 

• No
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REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation 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 

System [MCIS] 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 registration 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 year, how many times have you discussed your progress towards 

attaining the goals on your plan with a counselor, 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 type of college.* 

• Strongly disagree 

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree 
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REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation Study of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—20

9. I know the skills that I need to work on if I am going to graduate from high school ready

for success in college.* 7

• Strongly disagree 

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree 

• 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 year, has an adult at your school encouraged you to take an honors course 

or a course for college credit, such as an Advanced Placement (AP), International 

Baccalaureate (IB), Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO), or College in the 

Schools course?*

• Yes

• No

11. So far this school year, how often has an adult at your high school discussed with you 

your likelihood to succeed academically in college-level classes?**

• Never

• Once

• Twice

• Three to five times

• More than five times

Students’ Admissions Readiness

The following set of questions asks about developing college plans. 

To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statement?

12. I know which type of college (for example a four-year college, a community college, a 

career or technical college) would help me reach my goals after high school.

• Strongly disagree 

 

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 12th-grade student survey 

(http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/downloads/23532009_my_voice_senior_student_codebook.pdf). Some 

questions have been reworded slightly to accommodate this study. 
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REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation Study of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—21

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree 

• I don’t plan to attend college.

13. This school year, how often has an adult at your high school discussed with you the 

steps that you need to take to apply to the type 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 year, how often has an adult at your high school discussed with you your 

likelihood of being accepted at different types 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.*

• Strongly disagree 

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree 

16. I know the level of education required for the career I am most interested in.*

• Strongly disagree 

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree 

17. This school year, how helpful has your high school been to you in assessing your career 

interests and abilities? **
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REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation 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 developing 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. This school year, how often has an adult at your school 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 I plan 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 year? 
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REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation Study of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—23

• Yes

• No, but I plan 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 year, how much have your teachers, counselors, or other school staff 

helped you fill out the FAFSA? **

• Not at all

• A little

• Some

• A lot

24. How many college applications, if any, have you submitted so far this school year?

• None

• One

• Two or three

• Four or five

• More than five

25. So far this school year, 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 year.

26. So far this school year, 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 year.

Wrap-Up

These last questions ask for some general information.
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REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation Study of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—24

27. This school year, who has helped you most to prepare for college? (Check only one). 

• Counselors

• Teachers

• Dean 

• Other adults in my school

• Parents/guardians

• Other family 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!
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REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation 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 called Ramp-Up to Readiness (“Ramp-Up”). 

Scholars at the College Readiness Consortium at the University of Minnesota developed RampUp based on existing research.

The purpose of this letter is to let you know that we plan to release some information about the 

students in [high school] to REL Midwest and that your son or daughter may be asked to 

complete a survey and college-readiness assessment. The information provided to REL 

Midwest will not include student names or any other personally identifiable information 

about you or your child. In other words, the data will be anonymous to the researchers. 

Parents and students should understand the following:

 This anonymous information will help the research team better understand the challenges 

that schools have in carrying out Ramp-Up and the experiences students have when 

participating in Ramp-Up activities. 

 The anonymous information will include students’ grades, test scores, course 

enrollments, college enrollment activities, and the student identification number used by

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 your child’s identity. 

 As part of the study, 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-readiness 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 anonymous. 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. They will report these averages in government reports and 
OMB Control Number XXXX-XXXX (Exp XX/XX)

REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation Study of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—26

research articles, but readers will be unable link those findings with individual students, 

teachers, or schools.

 Risks: This study presents minimal risk to your child. That is, students do not experience 

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. Students do not have to participate 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 ready.

If you do not wish us to release anonymous information for your child or have your child 

complete the surveys and assessments, please fill in the form below and have your son or 

daughter return this letter to [return location] by [deadline]. 

If you have questions about this research project or about your child’s rights as a participant, 

please contact Jim Lindsay of REL Midwest at 630-649-6591.

Sincerely,

[insert district signatory

By signing this form, you are indicating that you do not wish your child to participate in the 

study or for us to share your child’s information with the REL Midwest research team.

I do NOT want my child, __________________________________________,

Full Student Name

(Student ID # _____________________) to participate in the Ramp-Up evaluation being 

conducted by 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 by the College Readiness Consortium at the University of Minnesota. REL Midwest, 

operated by American Institutes for Research, is sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences 

(IES) at the U.S. Department of Education. The evaluation will examine how school staff 

implement 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 invites you and other school staff to participate in the study, which will begin this 

spring. The study involves the following data collection activities, which you 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 survey in the spring 2014

Voluntary Participation

Participation in the data collection activities is voluntary. You also can withdraw from the study 

at any 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 ensure 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 that 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 Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation Study of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—28

Confidentiality

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

for this study will summarize findings across the sample and will not associate responses with 

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, you 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 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 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: Implementation Study of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—29

Attachment 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 name of 

high school] provides to students to prepare them for college. Although students may pursue a 

variety of pathways after high school, the questions for today focus on the types of supports that 

high schools offer to help students pursue college; by “college,” we mean a two-year college, 

four-year 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 to 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 by REL Midwest and American Institutes for Research. 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 consent form. It is impossible to write 

down everything 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 anything. Anything 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 any questions 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 questions. I’ll turn on the audiorecorder and start asking questions.
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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, I mean 

programs developed by local, regional, or national organizations that are often (but not 

always) targeted 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 any college-access or -readiness programs offered to everyone in the school?

Questions About College-Access Services, Activities, and Resources

Now, let’s talk about any 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 any services, activities, and resources that [fill in name of high school]

offers to help students prepare to succeed in first-year, nonremedial, college classes.

3. Do students have the opportunity to take college-level courses?

[Probe:

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.
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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. Does [fill in name of high school] provide feedback to students about whether they are 

on track academically for college?

[Probe if yes:

a. Who receives feedback (e.g., all seniors, freshmen who have failed a class)?

b. In what format do students receive feedback (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] offer workshops or classes for students to develop 

study or note-taking skills?

[Probe if yes:

a. When do these workshops or classes take place (month, time of the day, multiple 

times over the school year)?

b. Who 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 many students who graduate from [fill in name of high school] are prepared 

academically 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 minutes)

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 variety of colleges that 

exist, differences in their admissions requirements, and differences in their application 

processes?
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[Probe:

a. College fairs (e.g., at the school or school-organized field trips 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, highachieving 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 activities necessary to meet admissions 

requirements at a college matching their goals, interests, and abilities?

[Probe if yes:

a. When 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, interests, 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 any school help with completing steps in the application process, 

such as taking college admissions exams, writing college essays, 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 seniors 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? Who is eligible to attend? How many 

eligible students attend (i.e., all, most, half, some, hardly any)?]
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13. Does [fill in name of high school] take any steps to monitor students’ completion of 

key enrollment steps, such as taking college admissions exams or completing college 

applications?

[If yes, probe:

a. Which 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 System (MCIS), to organize their college planning 

and application process?

[If yes, probe:

a. When 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 software (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 the 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 any 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 any 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-Work map)?

[Probe for each key activity 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. When 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)?]
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REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation Study of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—34

18. To what extent do students here at [fill in name 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. When 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. When 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 families 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 any 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. When do these meetings take 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)?
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REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation Study of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—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 any steps 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 Readiness (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 goals, persisting in the 

face of obstacles, help-seeking behavior, or time management)?

25. Are there any 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. When 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 based on a question included on a survey from the Center for Applied Research 

and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota.
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27. To what extent are teachers here expected to provide assistance to students in planning 

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 (academically, financially, and 

personally) 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 Implementing a Schoolwide College Readiness Program 

(10 minutes)

Finally, let’s talk about implementing a schoolwide college readiness program. 

33. What educational initiatives, if any, has [name of high school] been involved in 

implementing this year? 

[Clarify:

a. Is this initiative school-wide? What 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!
1120 East Diehl Road, Suite 200 | Naperville, IL 60563-1486 | P: 866.730.6735 F: 630.649.6700

www.relmidwest.org

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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 are 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 activities 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 [email address]. To meet our analysis and 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 30-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 support 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

630-649-6591
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REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation Study of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—38

Attachment A-6. Instructional Log for Ramp-Up Workshop

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 year. Your opinions are useful for improving

the quality of the Ramp-Up program.

Confidentiality. REL Midwest will keep all collected data confidential. Per the policies and 

procedures required by 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 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 respondent, is a class E felony.

Risks. There are no known risks related to participating in this survey. 

Voluntary Participation. 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 if 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, please contact Jim 

Lindsay at jlindsay@air.org or 630-649-6591. If you have concerns or questions 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

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 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. 
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REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation Study of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—39

Background Information

1. What is your current position at this school? Check all that apply.

• Teacher

• Counselor

• Dean

• Principal 

• Assistant principal

• 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 many students actually attended the workshop? [drop down box]

6. What percentage of your students attended the workshop? [drop down box]

7. In what grades are the students who attended the workshop that you taught today? 

Check 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

• 46–60 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 Readiness
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• Career Readiness

• Financial Readiness

• Personal/Social Readiness

10. Did you adapt the instructional materials to suit the needs of your workshop?

• Yes [continue to q11]

• No [skip to q12]

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 actively 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.

• Strongly Disagree 

• Disagree

• Agree 

• Strongly Agree 

14. I had enough information about the college selection and enrollment process to teach 

today’s workshop.

• Strongly Disagree

• Disagree 

• Agree

• Strongly Agree

15. I had enough information about the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in college 

to teach today’s workshop.

• Strongly disagree 

• Disagree

• Agree 

• Strongly agree 

16. What worked well in today’s workshop? [text box]

17. What could be improved about today’s workshop? [text box]
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18. If you have any 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 year.

19. Have you taught at least one Ramp-Up advisory this school year?

• 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 q22]

21. Which lessons have you taught so far this year to ninth graders? Check all that apply.

[insert names of each lesson taught to ninth graders]

22. Are you assigned to teach a 10th-grade Ramp-Up advisory?

• Yes [continue to q23]

• No [skip to q24]

23. Which lessons have you taught so far this year to 10th graders? Check all that apply.

[insert names of each lesson taught to 10th graders]

24. Are you assigned to teach an 11th-grade Ramp-Up advisory?

• Yes [continue to q25]

• No [skip to q26]

25. Which lessons have you taught so far this year to 11th graders? Check all that apply.

[insert names of each lesson taught to 11th graders]

26. Are you assigned to teach a 12th-grade Ramp-Up advisory?

• Yes [continue to q27]

• No [skip to q28]

27. Which lessons have you taught so far this year to 12th graders? Check all that apply.

[insert names of each lesson taught to 12th graders]

28. On average, what percentage of students scheduled to attend your weekly advisory has

attended every session so far?

• Less than 25%

• 25–50%

• 51–75%

• More than 75%

• I do not know.
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29. On average, how long have the weekly advisory sessions you’ve taught so far this year 

lasted?

• Less than 20 minutes

• 20–29 minutes

• 30 minutes

• I do not know.

30. So far this year, how often have you adapted the instructional materials to suit the needs 

of your advisory?

• Never

• Rarely

• Sometimes

• Often

• Always

31. On average, what percentage of students in your advisory actively engages in the 

advisory’s activities?

• Less than 25%

• 25–50%

• 51–75%

• More than 75%

• I do not know.

32. If you have any additional comments about the Ramp-Up advisories, please enter them 

here: [text box]

Thank you for completing this log!
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REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation Study of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—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 which 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 year 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-year college or 

university, community 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, I will ask questions about the Ramp-Up program and other college-readiness supports 

offered in your school. We hope that you will feel free to attempt to answer the questions as best 

you 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 questions, 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 by REL Midwest and American Institutes for Research (the third-party 

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 consent forms. It is impossible to write 

down everything 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 anything. Anything 

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 any questions before I 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, we are beginning with the questions. I’ll turn on the audiorecorder and start asking 

questions.
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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 variations 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 underlying 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.
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REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation Study of the Ramp-Up to Readiness Program—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 year 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 year 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 

MCIS) 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 any internal evaluation of your school’s implementation of RampUp 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 with 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?
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[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 amount 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 many workshops were held over the course of the year?

[Probe: Did the number of workshops differ by grade-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 five 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 the 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, I would like to talk about the tools used in the Ramp-Up program, specifically the 

Readiness Rubric or Postsecondary Plan.

7. Thinking specifically 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 year?

[Probe if less than 100 percent: Which students did not complete a Postsecondary 

Plan and why?]
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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 Postsecondary Plan was reviewed with students?]

c. Can you provide 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 about 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 parents?

[Probe if not: Why?]

8. Thinking specifically 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 of 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 year?

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 about 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 experience 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 year, were four hours spent introducing staff to the 

Ramp-Up program?
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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 RampUp?]

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 teachers have the opportunity to attend professional 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 regularly scheduled 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 staff changed during the school year, 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 school no longer offers a support that I read, please let me know. 

[Instructions to moderator: complete the following matrix by asking questions 17 – 22 for 

each support listed. Probe as necessary to be able to complete the matrix]
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Matrix of College-Readiness Supports

College-Readiness Support

Participation 

Rate

F

r

e

q

u

e

n

c

y

Inte

nsity

Corresponding 

Readiness Dimension

10th11th12th

A

c

a

d

e

mic

A

d

missio

ns

C

a

r

e

e

r

Fin

a

n

cial

P

e

rso

n

al/S

o

cial

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 year?

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 achievement?

22. Are there any 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.
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G. Professional Development

23. So far this school year, has the school provided staff any 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: What percentage of teachers?]

d. What did you find helpful or unhelpful about these materials or this professional 

development?

H. College Culture

Next, I would 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 any, has [name of high school] been involved in 

implementing this year? 

 

9 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.
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[Clarify:

a. Is this initiative school-wide? What 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!
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Attachment A-8. Staff Survey Questionnaire

Purpose. The Midwest Regional Educational Laboratory at American Institutes for Research 

(REL Midwest) 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. REL Midwest will keep all collected data confidential. Per the policies and 

procedures required by 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 felony. 

Risks. There are no known risks related to participating in this survey. 

Voluntary Participation. 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 if 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 

your participation.

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 questions 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

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 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. 
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Background Information

1. What is your current position at this school? Check 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 your role: [text box]

[If 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 understanding 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.

• Strongly disagree 

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree 
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6. I understand Ramp-Up’s five pillars of readiness (academic, admissions, career, 

financial, and personal-social readiness).

• Strongly disagree 

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree 

7. I understand my role in delivering Ramp-Up.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree 

8. Do you know who the Ramp-Up Coordinator at your school is?

• Yes

• No

• I’m not sure.

[If 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.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree 

[If 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.

• Strongly Disagree 

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly Agree 

Expectations and Beliefs

The following set of questions asks about your expectations and beliefs related to college 

preparation. In this survey, “college” refers to all postsecondary educational opportunities, including 

two-year colleges, four-year colleges or universities, community colleges, and career or technical 

colleges. Please indicate to what extent you disagree or agree with the following statements:
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11. I believe that our school should prepare all students to go on to college.*10

• Strongly disagree 

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree 

12. School personnel share a common goal to prepare all students for college.*

• Strongly disagree 

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree 

13. All teachers should be able to advise students on college options.*

• Strongly disagree 

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree 

14. College counseling is the job of school counselors, not teachers.*

• Strongly disagree 

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree 

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.
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• 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 types of personal and social skills that students need to succeed in college
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• 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]

• Moderately 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.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

23. The Ramp-Up curriculum enables students to make informed decisions about preparing 

for college.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

24. The Ramp-Up curriculum enables students to make informed decisions about preparing 

for a career.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree
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• Strongly agree

25. The Ramp-Up curriculum helps students develop the belief that they can turn their 

postsecondary plans into reality.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

26. The Ramp-Up curriculum helps students understand whether they are on or off track to 

reach college readiness by the end of high school.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

27. The Ramp-Up curriculum provides students with clear information about what steps 

must be taken to enroll in college.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

28. The Ramp-Up curriculum provides students with clear information about when key

steps in the enrollment process must occur.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

29. The Ramp-Up curriculum covers appropriate topics on preparing for college.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

30. The Ramp-Up curriculum spends the appropriate amount of time on each topic.

• Strongly disagree
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• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

31. The Ramp-Up curriculum consists of a coherent sequence of concepts and ideas.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

32. The Ramp-Up curriculum is engaging to students.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

33. Have you taught at least one Ramp-Up advisory this school year?

• Yes [continue to q34]

• No [skip to q41]

34. How many of the Ramp-Up lessons did you teach this school year 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 weekly advisory? 

• Yes

• No

37. How often did you receive information from the Ramp-Up coordinator about a lesson 

prior to teaching it? 
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• Never

• Rarely

• Sometimes

• Often

• Always

• 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

• Rarely

• Sometimes

• Often

• Always

40. Did you have enough time to prepare lesson content prior to teaching it?

• Never

• Rarely

• Sometimes

• Often 

• Always

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 [continue to q42]
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• Moderately 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 statements.

42. The Postsecondary Plan helps students to develop a plan for their life after high school.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

43. I use the Postsecondary Plan when helping students develop plans for their life after high 

school.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

44. How many 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 many 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 Readiness Rubric?

• Not at all familiar [skip to q51]
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• Slightly familiar [continue to q47]

• Moderately 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.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

48. I use the Readiness Rubric to monitor students’ progress toward their postsecondary

goals.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

49. How many students in your Ramp-Up advisory completed the Readiness Rubric at least 

twice this year?

• None

• A few students

• Most students

• All students

• I do not teach a Ramp-Up advisory.

50. For how many 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.
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Ramp-Up Activity: Personal Readiness Evaluation for Postsecondary 

[If 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]

• Moderately 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.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

53. I use the PREP to understand students’ personal readiness for college.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

54. How many students in your Ramp-Up advisory completed the PREP survey at least once 

this year?

• None

• A few students

• Most students

• All students

• I do not teach a Ramp-Up advisory.

55. For how many students in your Ramp-Up advisory have you discussed a student’s PREP 

survey results with his or her parents? 

• None

• A few students
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• Most students

• All students 

• I do not teach a Ramp-Up advisory. 

Professional Development

The following set of questions 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 any training by the University of Minnesota’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. 

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

59. The training I received provided useful information to me about my role and 

responsibilities in delivering Ramp-Up. 

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

60. Staff at the College Readiness Consortium have responded effectively to questions I

have asked about the Ramp-Up program. 

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree
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• Strongly agree

• I have not asked the College Readiness Consortium any questions about RampUp.

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 any training about Ramp-Up at your school?

• Yes [continue to q63]

• No [skip to q72]

• Uncertain [skip to q72]

63. How many 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 indicate the extent to which you disagree or agree with the following statements:

64. The training I received helped me to understand why my school has adopted a collegereadiness program.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

65. The training I received helped me understand the Ramp-Up curriculum.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

66. The training I received helped me understand the Ramp-Up tools (specifically, the 

Postsecondary Plan and the Readiness Rubric).
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• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

67. The training I received provided useful information to me about my role and 

responsibilities in delivering Ramp-Up. 

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

68. I have enough information about the college selection and enrollment process to teach 

the Ramp-Up curriculum.

• Strongly disagree [continue to q69]

• Disagree [continue to q69]

• Agree [skip to q70]

• Strongly 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 information about the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in college 

to teach the Ramp-Up curriculum.

• Strongly disagree [continue to q71]

• Disagree [continue to q71]

• Agree [skip to q72]

• Strongly 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 statements.

72. The Ramp-Up program increases students’ ability to set educational goals.

• Strongly disagree
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• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

73. The Ramp-Up program increases students’ ability to make and monitor progress toward 

educational goals.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

74. The Ramp-Up program increases students’ ability to create relationships to support their 

educational goals.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

75. The Ramp-Up program increases students’ ability to meet admissions requirements at a 

range of colleges.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

76. The Ramp-Up program increases students’ likelihood of succeeding academically at 

college.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

77. The Ramp-Up program increases students’ ability to find a career that matches their 

goals and abilities.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree
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78. The Ramp-Up program increases students’ understanding of ways to pay for college (for 

example, through savings, loans, financial aid).

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

79. The Ramp-Up program has increased my ability to help students prepare and plan for 

college.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

80. I have more productive conversations with students about how to prepare for life after 

high school because of Ramp-Up.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly 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.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree

• I have not had conversations with families about how to prepare their children for 

life after high school.

82. I have more productive conversations with colleagues about how to prepare students for 

life after high school because of Ramp-Up.

• Strongly disagree

• Disagree

• Agree

• Strongly agree
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REL Midwest Supporting Statement B: Implementation 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. Which 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 types of students

• No students 

• Uncertain

Final Thoughts

Finally, thinking about the Ramp-Up program overall...

84. What are the strengths of Ramp-Up? [text box]

85. What are the weaknesses of Ramp-Up? [text box]

86. What factors, if any, have made implementing Ramp-Up challenging at your school? 

[text box]

87. What factors, if any, have facilitated the implementation of Ramp-Up at your school? 

[text box]

Thank you for participating in this survey!