Kelly Kang email

From: Kang, Kelly H.

Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2011 3:36 PM

To: Plimpton, Suzanne H.

Cc: Rivers, Emilda B.

Subject: Responses to OMB questions on GSS

Hi Suzanne,

Here are our responses to OMB questions. I didnt address (3) because I am sure youll take care of it.

Id appreciate it if you can submit this to OMB at your earliest convenience.

Thanks, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Kelly

1. OMB: The memo says its methodological research but it looks like a production activity to screen

all of the schools in question (ie, an operation to determine their inclusion in the next round of

data collection). Is that correct? If so, please change characterization.

NSF: No, this is not a production activity; it is a research activity for this cycle only. The goal is to

assess our ability to improve survey coverage by testing the effectiveness of administrative

sources (IPEDS degree completion data and school website review) thereby reducing the

screening cost in the GSS. We will use the additional data from the screening survey to help NSF

determine the best methodologies to use to efficiently screen potentially eligible institutions in

the GSS for upcoming 2011 cycle and beyond.

As part of the previously approved GSS frame expansion research activity, approximately 500

institutions were identified as potentially eligible for GSS using mainly the IPEDS degree

completion data. A website review of the potentially eligible institutions was conducted in an

attempt to verify the degree programs offered at these institutions. We had originally planned to

base the decision of whether or not to add new institutions to the GSS based on the results of the

website reviews.

However, given that the potentially GSS eligible institutions are primarily masters degree granting

institutions, we are concerned that using the results of the website reviews alone may yield too

many ineligible new schools in the 2011 GSS cycle. Our concern is that often school websites do not

always provide sufficient or updated information to screen out the practitioner-oriented degrees

from the research-oriented degree programs. Therefore, we decided that further research is

needed (the short screening survey) to determine whether the IPEDS degree completion data and

the school website reviews can be used to successfully identify the GSS eligibility of the degrees.

2. OMB: Is this going to be the way that NCSES proposes to deal with new schools each round? In

other words, why would we anticipate this being a onetime activity?

NSF: Yes, this is planned as a onetime activity. We will compare the eligibility results from the

three sources (screening survey, school website review, IPEDS degree completion) to determine

the effectiveness of the outcome of each source. The results from the screening activity will help

us determine the best procedures for screening potentially eligible schools in the future GSS

cycles and for streamlining the process of confirming their GSS eligibility to ensure full coverage of

all graduate students enrolled in science, engineering, and selected health fields in the U.S.

From: Plimpton, Suzanne H.

Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2011 11:49 AM

To: Kang, Kelly H.

Subject: FW: GSS

Kelly,

Some questions from Shelly.

Thanks,

Suzanne

From: Martinez, Shelly [mailto:Rochelle_W._Martinez@omb.eop.gov]

Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2011 11:45 AM

To: Plimpton, Suzanne H.

Subject: GSS

Okay, I just took a look at the GSS change request. The memo says its methodological research but it

looks like a production activity to screen all of the schools in question (ie, an operation to determine

their inclusion in the next round of data collection).

1. Is that correct? If so, please change characterization.

2. Is this going to be the way that NCSES proposes to deal with new schools each round? In other

words, why would we anticipate this being a onetime activity?

3. Suzanne, please plan to load the screener questionnaire as a separate IC in ROCIS rather than

as a memo attachment.

Thanks. Shelly