Section 03 Create data collection procedures and tools to facilitate participation and track responses

Just as the design of the data collection instruments affects data quality and representativeness, the way you go about collecting data is also important. Here are some tips to help you increase participation and ensure that you are gathering high-quality, representative data.

• Timing is important: Consider when and for how long you will collect data
• Mode matters: Think carefully about which mode of data collection to use
• Contacts are critical: Be sure to have updated contact information for potential respondents
• Tracking is key: Set up a database to track data collection and plan to do nonresponse follow-up

What States Are Doing
Almost all states use self-administered paper or online surveys to collect data on parent involvement.

Timing is important

Two elements of timing are important for data collection: scheduling and the field period.

• Scheduling: Conducting data collection activities at inconvenient times may increase respondent burden, result in overlapping data collection efforts, and ultimately decrease response rates. Coordinate data collection efforts with state and local officials and avoid school breaks and holidays whenever possible.
• Field Period: Field period refers to the amount of time planned for data collection. Allow sufficient time for all data collection efforts, including
  • Time to send surveys to parents
  • Time for parents to complete and return the survey
  • Time for data collectors to follow up with parents who do not respond initially

  Mode matters

  Data collection mode or delivery method can affect both data quality and response rate. Common issues associated with different survey modes include

  • Online surveys
    • Internet access: Many households still lack internet access; those with internet access differ from those without internet access, with more affluent households and non-Hispanic White households having greater access. [8] Goto footnoteUse more than one mode (e.g., online and paper) to minimize potential issues with representativeness and response bias.
    • Browser/mobile access: Parents may have difficulty responding to a survey using a browser that does not adequately support the survey. Additionally, many parents access the internet through their mobile devices. [9] Goto footnoteDesign online surveys with these issues in mind.
    • Email filters: Many parents have email filters that block “unwanted” or unsolicited emails. Send surveys from a state agency or other official email address to make it more likely that surveys are delivered to their intended recipients.
    • Survey complexity: Surveys with complicated question structures (e.g., those that filter how a respondent proceeds through questions based on responses to prior questions) can be difficult to complete when they are in paper format, which may affect responses and response rates. Create uncomplicated paper surveys, or use online surveys to program question patterns and make it more likely that respondents will answer the questions they are intended to answer.
    • Perceived importance: Many potential respondents overlook emails or letters inviting them to participate in data collection because they are not aware of the importance of the effort. Use official letterhead in communications and enlist support of stakeholder groups to notify potential respondents of the importance of participating in data collection.

    Contacts are critical

    Having complete and accurate contact information is very important. The better the quality of parents’ contact information, the better the chance of achieving a higher response rate.

    • When planning for data collection
      • Enlist district and school staff support to review, verify, and update parent contact information. Obtain physical and email addresses and phone numbers to allow for nonresponse follow-up.
      • If using mail surveys, use an address correction service such as the ACS service from the U.S. Postal Service to request address corrections. Include a unique code in a specified format on the mailing label to receive electronic notice about any address changes. There are fees associated with this service based on the number of address changes.
      • Ask parents to verify contact information at IEP meetings or other meetings at school.
      • If using online surveys, investigate any bounce-back emails for data entry errors or inactive accounts. Follow up on email bounce-backs by mail or by phone.

      Tracking is key

      OSEP requires states to report the number of parents to whom they distributed surveys and the number of parents who responded. States also must compare response rates from year to year for specific groups of parents and describe strategies they will implement to increase the response rate, particularly for those groups that are underrepresented. It is important that states have a system for monitoring response rates and representativeness. (See the section on creating a data file for more information about how to set up your tracking file to ensure that the data you enter are accurate.)

      • Unique IDs: The only way to know who responds to your survey is to include a unique ID on each survey. Some online services do this automatically, whereas paper surveys will require the state to add the ID number to each survey. Ensure all surveys include a unique ID for tracking purposes.
      • Database: Many online survey services automatically combine survey tracking and response monitoring in a single database, allowing you to monitor response rates in real time. With these services, survey responses are automatically entered in digital format, reducing the amount of work needed later to enter data. Design your tracking system to track surveys that were sent out and those that were received.
      • Response rates: There are two primary types of response rates to consider: overall response rates and item response rates. Low response rates can affect data quality and can be especially problematic if certain groups of parents are more (or less) likely to respond than others. Combine information about response rates with information about the demographic characteristics of your parent population to learn more about the representativeness of your data.
        • Overall response rates: The proportion of completed surveys compared to the number of surveys sent out. Calculate overall response rates to know whether the group of respondents is representative of your overall parent population.
        • Item response rate: The proportion of parents who responded to a particular question compared to the total number of parents who responded to the survey. Parents might accidentally skip a particular question or deliberately skip one that is hard to understand or that they do not want to (or cannot) answer. Calculate item response rates to know whether particular groups of parents were more or less likely to respond to certain items on the survey, which may affect the representativeness of your data.

        Nonresponse bias: The state must analyze the response rate to identify potential nonresponse bias and take steps to reduce any identified bias and promote response from a broad cross-section of parents of children with disabilities. Nonresponse bias can occur when the individuals who complete the survey differ in meaningful ways from those who do not. Nonresponse bias arises when two conditions occur: (1) certain subgroups are less likely to respond to a survey, resulting in their systematic underrepresentation in the survey data, and (2) the underrepresented subgroups differ from other subgroups in what the survey is trying to measure. Plan to monitor data as they arrive and conduct nonresponse follow-up during data collection to minimize the possibility of bias as well as check for nonresponse bias after data are collected.

        What States Are Doing

        Connecticut modified its survey distribution process in an effort to increase response rates. The state sent districts an Excel template with the state-assigned student identifiers for the special education students in their district and asked districts to enter the most current mailing address for each student. This process was a change from prior years when the state sent districts an Excel spreadsheet with students’ mailing addresses prepopulated (as extracted from the state’s special education data system) to confirm the mailing addresses. This revised process helped to ensure that each district reviewed and edited the Excel spreadsheet with the most current addresses. In addition, districts were able to indicate if a child had moved out of the district or if any additional students had been identified. The state also asked districts to provide parents’ email addresses, when available, to allow for direct parent access to the survey through a personalized link. Nearly all districts were able to provide emails for some or all parents of students with disabilities.

        Footnotes

        • 8 . File and Ryan 2014.
        • 9 . Tourangeau, Conrad, and Couper 2013.