Quick Response Information System: Fast Response Survey System (FRSS)

1. Overview

The Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) was established in 1975 to collect issue-oriented data quickly and with minimum response burden. The FRSS, whose surveys collect and report data on key education issues, was designed to meet the data needs of U.S. Department of Education analysts, planners, and decision makers, as well as other government officials with education data needs, when information could not be collected quickly through NCES’s large recurring surveys. Findings from FRSS surveys have been included in congressional reports, testimony to congressional subcommittees, NCES reports, and other Department of Education reports. The findings are also often used by state and local education officials. Surveys are generally limited to three pages of questions, with a response burden of about 30 to 45 minutes per respondent. To date, more than 100 surveys have been conducted under the FRSS. Recent topics have included career and technical education programs, programs and services for high school English learners, school safety and discipline, condition of school facilities, dual credit and exam-based courses, arts education, dropout prevention, distance education, alternative schools and programs, educational technology, and after-school programs. Some surveys, such as surveys on school facilities, Internet access, dual credit and exam-based courses, distance education, and arts education have been conducted more than once. Before the Postsecondary Education Quick Information System was established in 1991, the FRSS was sometimes used to examine postsecondary issues.

Purpose

FRSS is a survey system designed to collect small amounts of issue-oriented data from a nationally representative sample of districts, schools, or teachers with minimal burden on respondents and within a relatively short period of time.

Components

To ensure minimal burden on respondents, the FRSS surveys are generally limited to three pages of questions, with a response burden of about 30 minutes per respondent. Sample sizes are relatively small (usually about 1,200 to 1,800 respondents per survey) so that data collection can be completed quickly.

Periodicity

Most FRSS-PEQIS surveys are only administered once. Some surveys, like surveys on distance education, remedial education, Internet access, and teacher preparation and qualifications, have been conducted more than once in the past, but may or may not be conducted again in the future.

Data Availability

Data for selected FRSS collections are available at https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/getpubcats.asp?sid=005, through FRSS 108. Data for FRSS 109 are expected to be released in Spring 2020.