Data Collection

Several weeks before the questionnaires were to be sent to states, Westat sent a letter from OSEP and NCSER officials that briefly explained the evaluation study and outlined the expectation of participation in this study. Westat then prepared packets to be mailed to Part B and C administrators in the 50 states and the District of Columbia; packets contained a letter of introduction, the questionnaire (Part B or C), and a postage-paid return envelope. The letters stated the purpose and importance of the study, the types of data to be collected, and how the data would be used. The letters also provided a toll-free telephone number and a project email address, so respondents could call or email if they had questions about how to complete the questionnaires. The questionnaire packets were then sent out to Part B and Part C administrators in late fall of 2005.

A few weeks after mailing the questionnaire packets, postcards were sent to states to encourage participation and to ask them to contact us if they did not receive the questionnaires or if they had any questions. Over the next couple of months, we continued to follow up with states via telephone calls, email messages, and postcards. A second packet was mailed to states that did not return their questionnaires; this packet included a letter reminding participants of the expectation of participation, a second copy of the questionnaire, and a postage-paid return envelope. Following the second mailing, if the questionnaire was still not completed and returned, senior project staff called to solicit the administrators' cooperation in completing the questionnaire and to answer any questions or concerns they may have had.

Following the data collection procedures outlined above, we achieved a 100 percent response rate for both Part B and Part C; that is, we received 51 out of 51 questionnaires for Part B and 51 out of 51 questionnaires for Part C. Thus, the mail survey data collection is a census of Part B state directors and Part C coordinators in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Once the completed questionnaires were received, they were reviewed for completeness. If there were any missing data or problematic data (e.g., selecting multiple response options when only one should have been selected, not following skip patterns), the respondent was contacted, and the items were either completed or corrected.

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