Note: If students and their parent/guardian complete the hardcopy form they do NOT need to submit electronic forms.

1.) Distribute consent and assent forms to students

Teachers are responsible for emailing the forms to be completed by the student and a parent/guardian.

• Use our Email template to send the permission forms to your students

• Direct Links to electronic forms:

  • Consent Form - completed by parent/guardian: https://csscholastica.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1KQg1ZnfLbKX8VM

  • Assent Form - completed by student: https://csscholastica.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bPWGEI8jhKmlPTM

  • Spanish version | Versión en español haga clic aquí: https://csscholastica.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wIvUJfJmEsFrxQ

2.) CSAwesome updates your Student Information Spreadsheet as forms are completed

The program will update your assigned Student Information spreadsheet when parent(s)/guardian(s) and students have completed the permission forms. Records will be updated every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until the end of November and weekly thereafter.

3.) Follow-up with students with missing or incomplete forms

Follow-up regularly with those students that have missing or incomplete forms. Students have the option to opt-out of the project and should complete the form if they do not want to participate.

Note: If students and their parent/guardian complete the online forms they do NOT need to submit a hardcopy.

1.) Distribute BOTH the consent and assent forms to students

• Consent Form English (link) | Consent Form Spanish (link)

• Assent Form English (link) | Assent Form Spanish (link)

Print each of the program forms for each of your students. When handing out these forms, be sure to give an explanation of what the forms are and what students need to return them.

2.) Collect completed consent and assent forms

Collect both the completed consent and assent forms from ALL students including those that do not wish to participate. Students are responsible for returning both the completed consent and assent forms to their instructor.

3.) Follow-up with students with missing or incomplete forms

Follow-up regularly with those students that have missing or incomplete forms. Students have the option to opt-out of the project and should complete the form if they do not want to participate.

4.) Scan and submit to your assigned folder

Teachers are responsible for uploading the hardcopy forms. Forms can be submitted in individual or group PDF files to the folder with your assigned Student Information spreadsheet. You can also email info@csawesome.org to submit.

5.) CSAwesome updates your Student Information Spreadsheet quarterly throughout the academic year

After you have uploaded the files, the program researchers will update the columns in your spreadsheet on a quarterly basis to reflect whether or not each student has consented to participate.

Be sure to write your name and section on the consent form where it says INTERNAL USE ONLY.

Note: PDF versions of forms will not be updated as frequently as electronic forms.

Ideally, teachers should aim to have all students submit permission form(s). There is an option on the forms for participants to opt-out. We understand that not all students will return forms despite teacher efforts. Missing or incomplete forms NOT impact your status in the project, however, we ask that you make a best faith effort to collect all forms from all students by sending reminders and following up with students.

Students should be completing the same amount of work whether they opt to participate in research or not. Students cannot be excluded from the class or penalized because they do not consent to have their data shared. Students who do not complete both forms and those who do not consent to participate will have all their data omitted from any and all final reports and dissemination.

REMEMBER: You CANNOT penalize students for choosing NOT to participate in the research or program evaluation projects. We understand that you may not have all students return forms. This will NOT impact your status in the project. We ask that you make a best-faith effort to collect all forms.

Summer Mailings and Email | If possible, mail or email consent and assent forms out to parents before your class begins.

Class Reward | Offer the whole class a reward if students have their consent and assent forms completed by an assigned deadline. For example, if consent and assent forms are completed by the end of the week have a pizza party for your students or offer them a candy reward.

Raffle | Another way to motivate students to return consent and assent forms is to offer them a raffle prize. Those who complete the forms, including those that will not be participating, will have their name put into a raffle for a prize. We recommend a tiered raffle entry system:

• Returned within 3 days: 3 raffle entries

• Returned within a week: 2 raffle entries

• Returned within two weeks: 1 raffle entry

• Returned after two weeks: No raffle entries

Parent Teacher Conferences | If your school has Parent Teacher Conferences early in the beginning of the school year consider having parent(s)/guardian(s) complete the consent form at the meeting. Please note that this option, while convenient, may not be possible for all teachers as many Parent Teacher Conferences are not held until later in the year and not all parents may attend.

Information Session | Host an information session for your students and your students’ parent(s)/guardian(s). This will provide your students’ parent(s)/guardian(s) with an opportunity to learn about the class as well as how computer science will benefit their child. Be sure to invite your principal and counselors as well as utilize the recruitment resources that were sent to you. Also, remember to hand out consent forms and cover letters to have parent(s)/guardian(s) to complete and return before they leave.

Q: What forms do I distribute to and collect from students?

A: Instructors need to hand out the consent form and assent form (2 documents per student). Only the signed consent form and signed assent form need to be collected.

Q: Do students need to return both the assent and consent form?

A: Yes, a completed consent and assent form is a requirement of our IRB approval and research project. All students are expected to have both an assent and consent form on file. This includes students who are over the age of 18. The programs need both the assent and consent form on file for each individual to use their data. If only one form is returned we cannot use this individual's data.

Q: Do parent(s)/guardian(s) need to sign the assent form?

A: No, only students need to sign the assent form and only a parent/guardian signs the consent form.

Q: HARDCOPY DISTRIBUTION: I have the consent forms on file but I do not have access to a scanner. Can I still participate? -or- I had the forms at the beginning of the year but lost them before I could upload them to my folder. Can my class's data still be used?

A: The program needs a copy of all assent and consent forms in our records to use data. If instructors do not upload or provide any consent forms to the project, we cannot use student data and the teacher may be unable to continue participating in the project. If you are having difficulty uploading the forms, please contact csed@css.edu and we will help you through the process.

Q: HARDCOPY DISTRIBUTION: I had the forms at the beginning of the year but lost them before I could upload them to my folder. Can my class's data still be used?

A: If forms were lost or damaged before upload the instructor is responsible for issuing these to students to complete again.

Q: Some of my students did not consent to participate. Do I still need to upload their forms?

A: Yes. It's important that the programs have all completed consent and assent forms on file regardless of whether or not the individual will be participating.

Q: Can I still issue the electronic assessment(s) or survey(s) to students who do not consent to participate?

A: Yes. We will remove the data of any student who has not consent to participate from any final reports.

Q: Can I penalize a student who does not participate in research or submit their form?

A: Absolutely not. Students and parent(s)/guardian(s) have a right to choose whether or not they would like to participate. You cannot penalize a student for not submitting a form. This also means that you cannot offer extra credit to students who return their forms.

Q: Does a student who is over the age of 18 need their parent/guardian to sign the consent form?

A: Any student over the age of 18 can sign the consent form (they do not need a parent/guardian signature). However, we would recommend that instructors encourage students to make parents/guardians aware of the research project.

Q: I've given several reminders to a student in my class but they still haven't returned their consent or assent form. Am I still eligible to participate in the research project?

A: Yes. As long as teachers make a good faith effort to collect all consent and assent forms they will not be disqualified from the research project if a few students are missing forms.

Q: At the beginning of the year one of my students consented to participate but now they no longer want their data shared. What do I do?

A: All students have a right to withdraw from the study at any time. If a student comes to you and states they no longer wish to participate, contact csed@css.edu immediately. We will work with you to have the student's information updated.

Q: One of my students dropped from my course. What do I do with their consent form?

A: Nothing. The programs will handle updating this student's information. If the student consented and only submitted one assignment, our project may still be interested in using their data. Do NOT delete dropped students from your folder/spreadsheet and do not delete dropped students consent or assent forms.