All AP Research proposals and inquiry forms are screened against Blount County Board Policy 6.4001, Federal Ethics Regulations (Common Rule/Belmont Report), and College Board Data Standards.
1. Strictly Prohibited Topics (Fatal Flaws)
Research involving the collection of student data regarding the following topics is strictly prohibited and will result in a failed compliance check:
Political affiliations or voting history
Religious practices
Firearm ownership
2. Participant Safety
Coercion: Participation must be entirely voluntary. You cannot penalize a student for saying "no," nor can you pressure friends/teammates to participate.
Assent vs. Permission: You must understand the difference: Parents provide "Permission" (legal consent), while Minors (students) provide "Assent" (agreement to participate).
3. Data Security & Anonymity
Destruction Plan: You must state a specific date (e.g., May 2025) and method (e.g., shredding, deleting files) for destroying your raw data.
Anonymity: If you claim your survey is "Anonymous," you cannot collect names, email addresses, or handwriting samples.
Right to Inspect: Your parent permission forms must explicitly state that parents have the right to inspect all survey materials upon request.
4. Mandatory Policy Agreement
Your research proposal must include a written statement indicating that you have read, understand, and agree to abide by Blount County School Board Policy 6.4001.
Documents needed for both screener and final district submission include (and must be in the following naming format):
Last name, First name - Research Proposal (ex. Smith, John - Research Proposal)
Last name, First name - Survey - Interview Questions (ex. McCall, Debbie - Survey - Interview Questions)
Last name, First name - Parent Permission Form (ex. Wolfe-Miller, LaDonna - Parent Permission Form)
Last name, First name - Principal-District Permission Forms (ex. Jones, Tommy - Principal-District Permission Forms)
Feel free to copy/paste from the items above to use as a file-naming template.
Blount County Schools Board Policy 6.400.1
Belmont Report (ethics for student involvement in research)