Research Procedures

How to Submit and Application

1. Review the materials and information on the Fort Bend ISD website first. Refer to the Frequently Asked Questions section for some quick answers. Please contact Fort Bend ISD’s Coordinator of Research and Program Evaluation if you have any questions or need additional assistance.
2. Fill out and sign the Fort Bend ISD Research and Evaluation Application Form. Please refer to the Research Application Checklist and Research Application Review Criteria to make sure all the necessary information is completed and all the necessary documents are attached.
3. Refer to the Parent/Guardian Consent Form Templatefor sample consent forms.
4. Refer to the Principal Agreement To Participate FormForm for the school principals to sign.
5. Your description of the project should be sufficiently detailed to allow the Review Committee to determine exactly what your research is about, what the Fort Bend ISD students, parents, and staff are required to do and how much time the data collection will require.
6. Please enclose the Application Checklist, Consent Forms (for parents/guardians) and all instruments (survey, questionnaires, interviews, etc.) used with your application form.
7. Mail or fax the materials to:
   Department of Accountability and Program Evaluation
   Fort Bend Independent School District
   16431 Lexington Blvd.
   Sugar Land, TX 77479
   Fax: 281-634-1532
   
   Please note on your mail or fax that this is a research application.

After You Submit Your Application

1. After your application is complete, the Coordinator of Research and Program Evaluation will appoint a Review Committee made up of the Fort Bend ISD staff. Committee members will be selected from among those staff mostly likely to be knowledgeable about the proposed research or evaluation subject or population. The Review Committee will each review and make decision about the research application. In the event that the research application is extensive and complex in nature, a special review committee meeting will be called upon to make recommendations about the research application.
2. The research/evaluation review process takes four to six weeks. Applications should be submitted well in advance of the proposed starting date to ensure adequate time for review, modifications, contacting principals, and/or other Fort Bend ISD staff, the collection of signed parental consent forms, etc..
3. After all reviewers have made their recommendations, the Coordinator of Research and Program Evaluation will compile them and notify you of the committee’s decision. The decision can be either recommended, rejected or requiring changes. If changes are required, the Coordinator will provide a description of them to you.

If Your Project is Recommended for Implementation

1. If your project is recommended for implementation and you will go into any of the schools in Fort Bend ISD, you will need to fill out an online criminal history check form first. Fill out the Online Criminal History Check  and either submit the form online or fax it to the Human Resources Department (fax number: 281-327-1280) of Fort Bend ISD. Please note on the form that you are applying to conduct a research in Fort Bend ISD. The Coordinator will notify you if you have been cleared.
2. After you have been cleared in the criminal history check, you can start going into selected schools or departments to collect data. The selected schools and departments will be notified that your study has been recommended for implementation.
3. If you are only conducting your research via phone, email, fax or paper format and you will have no contact with students, you do not need to go through the criminal history check.
4. The school principal or administrative staff has the right to decline participation after discussing the project with you.
5. You must obtain the written approval from the principal by having the principal sign a Principal Agreement to Participate Form.
6. You may have all participating principals sign one form or have each one sign a separate form.
7. Should the principal of a participating school change while you are conducting your project, you must obtain approval from the new principal and submit a new Principal Agreement to Participate Form.
8. You are responsible for returning all signed form(s) to the Coordinator before you conduct your research.
9. Parental consent is required for any student who will participate in your project. Data collection from students is not allowed if the parental consent form has not been signed and returned. You are responsible for providing copies of your parental consent forms to participating schools. Please provide extras in case some copies are lost or not returned. Campuses cannot photocopy consent forms or other materials.
10. A copy of each signed parental consent form must be kept in the student’s permanent folder. You are responsible for making copies of signed forms and returning them to each participating school.

Once You Have Completed Your Project

1. When your data collection is complete, and you will no longer be working in the participating school(s), please notify the Coordinator using the Research Data Collection Completion Notification Form.
2. You must not identify any staff, students, and campuses in any products resulting from your work.
3. You must provide the Coordinator of Research and Program Evaluation a summary of your method and conclusion as soon as one is completed. Fort Bend ISD will determine if the findings from the research/evaluation can be further used/or and applied in the district for educational improvement.
4. If your results are later reported in a more complete form (book, dissertation, journal article, etc.), you should provide Fort Bend ISD with a copy for its professional library.
5. Personal feedback to principals and teachers involved in your project is also encouraged.
6. Provide an in-kind service to the school(s) in which you conducted your project is also encouraged. You may volunteer to mentor or tutor individual students, serving as a guest speaker, or donating money or materials.

Modifying or Extending Your Project

1. If you need to collect data not included in your original application, you must submit an updated application with your additions or changes clearly marked.
2. Note in the “application number” section that this is an addendum to an existing project.
3. Describe all additions to the project and attach updated or new consents or measures.
4. Your application may be reviewed again if you substantially change your measures and methodology.
5. If you would like to collect data in additional schools, please contact the Coordinator of Research and Evaluation explaining why additional schools are needed and specify the number of schools you are requesting.
6. If you would like to change your project’s ending date, please contact the Coordinator of Research and Evaluation explaining why additional time is needed, and specify a new ending date.