Parent FAQs

I Want To Know...

We know it can be difficult to make decisions on whether or not to allow your child(ren) to participate in a voluntary survey, especially if it contains questions that concern you. Because of this, we have taken the Illinois Youth Survey and broken it down into information tailored to you as a parent.

1. Why should my child participate?

Health and social issues among youth, such as substance use and bullying, are community problems that affect youth success and can only be solved when schools, prevention experts, and concerned parents work together. Participation in the IYS is recommended by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and is supported by local personnel funded by the state to help schools with questions about prevention.

<Top of Page>

2. How is IYS data used?

IYS administration has two major goals, the first of which is to supply local data to schools and school districts throughout Illinois. These local reports provide critical information to school administrators, prevention professionals, and community members as they work to address substance use and other issues in their communities. The second goal is to provide a scientific estimate of health and social indicators for the state of Illinois. The IYS statewide reports present these findings based on a random sample of schools.

<Top of Page>

3. What do the IYS questions cover?

The survey asks about substance use, as well as risk and protective factors for youth substance use and other risk behaviors. Questions about participating in activities, safety, school experiences, nutrition, physical activity, and demographics are also included. 

<Top of Page>

4. How much class time will be used to administer the IYS?

The IYS is administered during one class period, every other year. 

<Top of Page>

5. Does participating in the IYS encourage students to experiment with new negative behaviors?

People often wonder if asking teens questions about drug and alcohol use will encourage it. Survey questions do not pose a threat beyond the risks or hazards already in a student’s life. Research has shown that there is no evidence that asking youth about substance use leads to or encourages actual use. 

<Top of Page>

6. How will you know if students are being honest?

There are checks built into the survey to identify conflicting answers and over-reporting of use. When this happens, surveys are not valid and not included in the report. Under-reporting is generally not a problem when adults conducting the survey present it seriously and address concerns students may have regarding anonymity and survey content.  

<Top of Page>

7. What is parental notification?

Parental notification provides information about the survey process and allows parents to decline participation for their student(s). Parental notification requests that parents sign and return the opt-out form only if they want their child excluded from survey participation. 

<Top of Page>

8. Are individual school results shared with anyone?

School and district results are shared with the school/district only.  CPRD will only release results to an authorized entity when there is a signed school/district release on file. 

<Top of Page>

9. Can data be linked to individual students?

There are multiple safeguards in place to ensure that student anonymity is maintained, both during data collection and in reporting. The IYS collects no individual identifiers (such as name, student ID, or IP address) that would link to specific students. The IYS reports follow established rules that offer additional protection for individual schools and districts. All IYS data collection and reporting procedures have been reviewed and approved by the University of Illinois' Institutional Review Board.

10. Our students have school-issued devices. How can they be confidential?

IYS uses Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) to provide secure communication and identification of CPRD’s network web server. IP addresses are not collected. The only identifiers are the school and grade levels for calculation of the response rate.

<Top of Page>

11. Can my child's answers be identified by their teachers, peers, or CPRD?

The IYS is anonymous and collects no identifiers that can be linked to individual students. IYS school reports present data only in aggregate. Survey instructions help educators create an environment that protects student privacy during survey administration. ISBE, CPRD or IDHS cannot identify individual students. 

<Top of Page>

12. What are the IYS statewide reports?

The IYS statewide reports provide a scientific estimate of health and social indicators for the state of Illinois. The reports—an overall report and four smaller reports representing the state’s diverse community types, are created from a subset of participating students in a random sample of Illinois public schools. Individual schools are not identified in these reports. 

<Top of Page>

13. My child has questions after participating in the IYS—what should I do?

<Top of Page>

14. Do I have to do anything to allow my child to participate?

Your child’s school will provide a parent notification form informing you about survey details and procedures and allow you to opt your child(ren) out of participation if you choose. The form only needs to be returned if you do not want your child to participate.

<Top of Page>