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Conducting Research & Evaluation in AISD
Application Guidance
I. General Information
Proposed Project Starting Date |
Applications for projects that include implementation of a curriculum, student
support service or professional development program should be submitted at least three (3)
months before the proposed start date to allow for program review. The submission deadline
for applications for projects that include a program is NOVEMBER 1st for the current school year.
Applications for non-program projects should be submitted at least one (1) month before the proposed
start date and by DECEMBER 1 for the current school year. Applications for projects that do not
require the participation of students and teachers are accepted on an ongoing basis.
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Proposed Project Ending Date |
All data collection that takes place in or involves schools must be completed by
May 1st. Also, please note that no data collection may occur in schools on testing
days. Be sure to consult the district testing schedule.
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Which of the Results
Policies R4-R7 does this study address? |
AISD sets priorities to ensure that external research and evaluation projects focus
on high-priority areas. This provides district staff with information needed to meet
AISD’s Student Results Goals. This year, AISD is encouraging projects that address
Results 4-7. For more information about the Results Policies
see the AISD Policy section.
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Are you proposing to implement a program? |
___ Yes ___ No
Answer yes if your project includes a curriculum or instructional methods program,
a student services program, professional development for AISD staff or any
other type of program.
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II. Main Project Contact Person/Student if class project, thesis or dissertation
Name: |
The Main Project Contact Person should be the person who will collect the data
and/or be most involved in the daily aspects of project management. |
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III. Project Director/Supervising Professor if class project, thesis or dissertation
Name: |
The Director should be the person who holds ultimate responsibility for
the project. This person may or may not be the same as the person named
as the Main Project Contact. The Director will be copied on all correspondence,
but will not be contacted directly, unless the Main Project Contact cannot
be reached. Examples include a Co-PI or PI for a project or an AISD staff
member who requested the research or evaluation.
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IV. Project Overview:
| SAMPLE |
Number |
Description (Grades, Schools, Other Characteristics) |
| Students |
Please estimate the number of students who will participate in your project. |
Please describe the characteristics of the students involved (e.g., how many
in which grades, with what demographic or other special characteristics?). |
| Staff/Others |
Please estimate the number of AISD staff who will participate in your project. |
Please describe the characteristics of AISD staff participants (e.g., how many,
in which staff positions, with what demographic or other special characteristics?). |
| Parents/Guardians |
Please estimate the number of parents/guardians who will participate in your project. |
Please describe the characteristics of parent/guardian participants (e.g., how many,
with what demographic or other special characteristics?). |
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| PARTICIPATION |
Time Required |
Data Required (New & from School/Central Records) |
| Students |
How much total time will be required of each
student (e.g., 1 hour per interview, with 3 interviews total)?
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What data will you be collecting from or about each student (e.g., school
attendance and discipline records for 2002-03, three one-hour interviews with
each student to gather information on attitudes towards school)? Will data be
individually identifiable? |
| Staff/Others |
How much total time will be required of each
participant (e.g., ½ hour per week for 10 weeks)? |
What data will you be collecting from or about school staff (e.g., ten weekly
classroom observations to examine teacher’s ability to help students understand
statistical concepts)? Will data be individually identifiable? |
| Parents/Guardians |
How much total time will be required of each parent/guardian (e.g., 1
hour to fill out survey)? |
What data will you be collecting from or about parents (e.g., a take home
survey describing parent’s beliefs about helping their children with homework)?
Will data be individually identifiable? |
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V. What hypothesis(es) or research question(s) is being investigated?
This can be a formal hypothesis that predicts relationships among variables. "As
teachers' years of experience increase, so will students' TAKS scores."
It can also be a research question. "What are the characteristics of students
in high performing middle schools that distinguish them from students in low
performing middle schools?"
Finally, it can be an evaluation hypothesis or question. "Students who
are in the Really Good Reading Program will score higher on TAKS reading
objectives than students who are not in the program."
VI. How will you obtain parental/guardian consent for participating
students? What consents will be obtained from other participants?
If you are collecting data from or individual-level data about students, please
attach a copy of your consent form in English. You may provide translations of
consent forms after they have been approved.
Please see Data Release Procedures for complete information.
VII. Is this a single study or one of a series planned
or contemplated?
Regardless of your answer to this question, only the time span and project
activities described in this application will be considered approved. Subsequent
studies will require separate applications.
VIII. Provide a brief summary of your research or evaluation design,
including statistical analysis procedures. If AISD databases will be used, please
detail your variables and sampling needs.
Please be sure that your summary is sufficient to allow your reviewers to
determine exactly what AISD students, staff and parents/guardians will be asked
to do as a part of your project, and what data will be extracted from school
or central records.
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