Research Review Process FAQ

Why does my research project need to be approved?

The research review process ensures that:

All research conducted in schools and other departmental sites adheres to policy requirements.
The rights of human subjects are protected as required by law.
The wellbeing of students and departmental staff is protected.
The integrity of learning is maintained at school sites.
Organizational functions are protected from unnecessary interruptions.
District resources are maximized.
The research provides benefits for school communities and education in Clark County School District.

I received word that my Letter of Intent was approved – does this mean I can start research?

No, the Letter of Intent is only the first stage of the process. Once your Letter of Intent is approved, you must then complete the rest of the research application. You are not permitted to begin collecting data until you receive final approval from our office.

What kind of information needs to be in the Informed Consent and Informed Assent forms?

The Clark County School District requires all surveys and other projects where researchers will be interacting with District personnel, parents, or students, to provide active consent forms. Active consent forms require the subject to sign that they consent to participate in research (or assent to research if the subject is not yet of legal age to consent). The researcher is responsible for distributing, collecting, and archiving consent/assent forms. Below are examples of parental consent and student assent forms for research. Researchers are not required to use these examples—they are provided as an example of this type of form.

(Link to google docs versions, or link to the files on WordPress)

How long will it take to review my application?

We endeavor to review applications in a timely manner however review time may vary due to District responsibilities as well as the number of applications in review. Other factors which may delay processing time, impede review, or lead to application rejection include failure to upload all relevant documents– as well as inadequate explanations for questions in the application. In these cases, a member of the Research Review Committee may contact the applicant and ask that they add this information to their application.

Please submit your application early to ensure adequate time for the review process.

My IRB requires that CCSD approve my research before I can get IRB approval. What do I do?

In cases like this, we are able to issue a “conditional approval”. A conditional approval is one in which the Research Review Committee provides documentation for your IRB stating that final approval is contingent on final IRB approval. In most cases, this is sufficient to circumvent a deadlock.

If conditional approval is needed, we recommend that you start the review process early, and that you contact the Research Review Committee informing of the need for conditional approval.

What do I need to do if I will be conducting research beyond my research protocol’s expiration date?

All research protocols established by CCSD expire on June 30^th. If you will continue to conduct research involving human subjects beyond this date, you must complete a check-in form which must be approved by the Research Review Committee in order for your research protocol to be extended.

In order for the check-in to be approved, you must provide updated facility acknowledgement letters, an updated, signed and dated sponsorship form (if applicable), and an updated IRB approval letter.

What are the requirements for extension requests?

The following requirements must be met in order for an extension to be approved and for your research protocol to be extended:

You must have a currently approved research application.
You must indicate whether there will be any modifications to the original protocol. If there is any change to the protocol, it will be necessary to report and request approval for such change(s). In most cases, you must first request approval for such change(s) from your IRB. If approved, your IRB will provide an updated approval letter. It is also necessary to request approval for such change(s) from the CCSD Research Review Committee by uploading this letter along with all other updated materials along with an explanation for what changed and why.
You must upload updated facility acknowledgement letters from the principals of all schools participating in your research.
You must upload an updated sponsorship form (if applicable).
An updated IRB approval letter is required if the previous one has expired or will expire before the research project ends.

What constitutes a modification?

Modifications include any change which would be represented in your research application if you were to complete it a second time after the change takes effect. Examples of common modifications include:

An addition of another facility or school at which you will be conducting research. Note that we will require a Facility Letter of Acknowledgement from the school principal or other facility head stating that they consent to the (modified) research taking place on facility or school premises.
A change in research team members. The Clark County School District Research Review Committee is required to collect certification as proof that all research team members have been trained to know the rights of human subjects regarding research being conducted. The two forms of certification we collect come from the National Institute of Health (NIH) (Human Subjects Protection Certification) or the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program.
Changes made by your research committee/institutional review board (IRB). We must be made aware of any changes your IRB or other research committee has made to their approval of your research project.

What if I need to modify my research protocol?

If you need to modify your protocol, submit a check-in and indicate that you need to modify your protocol. Attach a letter that explains the changes you have made (and why) and upload all required materials. If approved, we will approve the modification with the same expiration date as on the initial proposal.

Why is there a fee for Release of Student Information requests?

In order to ensure District resources are utilized appropriately and efficiently, we charge $125 per hour of work required for data requests ($62.50/hour for current students). There are many systems which house school and student data for the Clark County School District, and certain data requests may be non-trivial. Even seemingly simple requests can take several hours to compile, combine, clean, and verify. If cost is an issue, we will work with researchers to reduce the amount data requested in a way that is pleasing to all parties.

Depending on the extensiveness of the data requested, and the current workload of the data team, we may deny data requests outright. In these cases we are not saying that your research isn’t worth pursuing, only that we lack the capacity to support it at this time.

Before requesting data, we encourage you to explore the data that is made publicly available by the District and the State of Nevada at the Nevada Report Card website (nevadareportcard.com) and the District’s Pledge of Achievement page (pledgeofachievement.ccsd.net).