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. What is the Illinois Youth Survey and why should my child participate?
The IYS is a statewide student survey on substance abuse and related
issues. It is conducted through schools with grade levels 8, 10, and
12 every even year in the spring. With the funding of the Illinois
Department of Human Services, the Center for Prevention Research and
Development (CPRD) at the University of Illinois now coordinates the
survey at no charge to schools throughout the state.
The data collected through the IYS or any group survey depends on
widespread participation. The higher percentage of students who
participate, the more accurate results for the school will be. Improved
knowledge helps schools provide more effective solutions to prevent
youth substance use and related problems.
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2. Will my child’s answers be identified to their teachers or peers?
Individual student confidentiality is a core principle of the IYS. The
identity of the youth who participate is not collected. Full
instructions accompany the survey to help educators create an
environment that protects privacy and promotes truthful responses.
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3. How much class time will be used to administer the survey?
The IYS can be administered during one full class period. Students who
do not wish to participate and/or whose parents opt them out of
participating will be given a quiet task to complete. Students will not
be penalized for not participating.
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4. What questions are asked on the IYS?
The Illinois Youth Survey has 8 sections including: demographics,
community, drug use, physical and other injury, individual/peer,
nutrition/fitness, school, and family. You can view a copy of all
questions on the survey or by individual sections by visiting our survey content page.
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5. Do I have to do anything to allow my child to participate?
Parents will be sent a parent notification form informing them about the
survey and allowing them to opt their child(ren) out of participation.
The form will only need to be returned if you do not want your child to
participate.
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6. What if I want my child to participate but also skip certain questions or sections on the survey?
Students can skip any question or section on the survey that they do not
wish to answer. If you would like your child to skip an entire section
or question, be sure to inform your student of your wishes. Remember
that no one at the school or CPRD will know which student answered each
survey.
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7. How will you know if students are being honest?
There are safeguards in our analysis of the survey that tend to weed out
any over-reporting of use. Under-reporting has not been a major
problem so long as youth are assured that their responses cannot be
tracked back to them and that adults conducting the survey present it
seriously and in a manner conducive to student cooperation. Some youth
enjoy completing the survey, but even those who don’t will usually be
truthful if the survey is administered as suggested.
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8. My child participated in the IYS, what should I do now?
It is recommended that parents use the administration of the IYS to open
a dialogue with their children regarding substance abuse and the
related issues that are on the survey. Please visit our “Talk to your child” page for tips on how to start communicating.
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9. How can I view results to the survey?
County level and statewide
information is available on our website for the IYS conducted since
2006. County data will be available in the summer or early fall of the
following school year, whereas statewide data will be available the
following spring. School administration receives their local school
report. Contact your school principal for more information.
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10. What is the data collected used for?
The administration of the IYS 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 abuse issues in their communities. The second
goal is to provide a scientific estimate of health and social
indicators for the state of Illinois. The Illinois Youth Survey
statewide report presents findings based on data gathered January
through June of the survey year from students in the random sample of
schools.
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11.
Will my child's personal information be supplied to any other
state/federal authority (ex: IRS, INS, TANF, etc.) and linked to my
household?
The purpose of the survey is
not to point out individual students with problem behaviors or to single
out families, but to have a broad idea of how students at your
school/district/county/community or statewide think and act with regard
to various health related topics. We do not collect individual names,
addresses, social security numbers, student identification numbers, or
any other state/national identification. There is no possibility that
any agency will be able to link your child’s responses to your child or
household.
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