Arizona Youth Survey Arizona Criminal Justice Commission What

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Arizona Youth Survey Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

Arizona Youth Survey Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

What is the Arizona Youth Survey (AYS)? • The Arizona Youth Survey (AYS) is

What is the Arizona Youth Survey (AYS)? • The Arizona Youth Survey (AYS) is a biennial school-based survey of 8 th, 10 th, and 12 th grade students. It is administered in schools across all 15 counties in Arizona during the Spring semester of every even academic year. • The purpose of this survey is to better understand the frequency of problematic behaviors in youth (i. e. substance use, bullying, impaired driving, gang activity), and the factors that may influence the prevalence of these behaviors. • The AYS is based on nationally recognized surveys, including Communities that Care (CTC) and Monitoring the Future (MTF). Over the years, the AYS has provided schools, community organizations, and government agencies with valuable information for substance abuse prevention planning and grant writing. • History of Participation: Survey Year 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 Number of Schools 362 319 372 349 243 249 246 Number of Students 60, 401 54, 734 63, 784 62, 817 48, 244 57, 170 49, 009

Design of the Survey • The AYS is administered by teachers or other administrators

Design of the Survey • The AYS is administered by teachers or other administrators in each school. Staff at the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC) have designed a quick, easy survey process for all schools involved. • Important facts to note: – The survey is anonymous. No student-identifying information is collected for the survey. – Student participation is completely voluntary. Not only are parents/guardians able to decline approval for their student(s) to participate in the survey, but students are also given the ability to opt-out of completing the survey at any time in the process. – Participation in the AYS is completely free for schools. The ACJC provides all materials needed to distribute and return surveys for analysis. – The survey is available through online or paper-pencil formats, and takes about 45 minutes to complete. – Schools select the specific day in which the survey will be administered to their students. – In recognition of the valuable information provided by the AYS, the legislature has exempted it from state requirements mandating the use of active parental consent forms. Thus, the AYS uses passive parental consent forms which allow a parent to opt their student out of participating in the survey.

What kinds of questions are asked? • The survey covers a variety of topics

What kinds of questions are asked? • The survey covers a variety of topics including: – Substance Use – Gang Involvement – Problematic Behaviors (Impaired Driving, Gambling, etc. ) – School Experiences and Interactions – Bullying – Family / Household Interactions – Goal-Setting and Future Orientation – Risk and Protective Factors (RPFs) – Other Contextual Factors

Examples of Survey Questions • “How wrong do you think it is for someone

Examples of Survey Questions • “How wrong do you think it is for someone your age to smoke cigarettes? ” • “On how many occasions (if any) have you used marijuana during the past 30 days? ” • “During the past 12 months, how often have you been picked on or bullied by a student on school property? ” • “If I had a personal problem I could ask my mom or dad for help. ” • “How many times in the past year (12 months) have you participated in clubs, organizations or activities at school? ”

Community-Wide Benefits from the AYS • • • AYS data is used by a

Community-Wide Benefits from the AYS • • • AYS data is used by a number of coalitions, non-profit agencies, Regional Behavioral Health Authorities (RBHA), state universities, and other government agencies in order to: – Identify the nature and extent of various problem behaviors; – Assess the performance of prevention and intervention efforts; – Guide program and policy decisions that affect prevention and intervention efforts; – Design and implement a new program and/or policy; and – Apply for competitive funding opportunities to solve a variety of problem behaviors. Organizations using AYS data have been awarded funding from various federal and state agencies to support prevention efforts in their communities. Grants have been awarded from sources such as: – Drug Free Communities (DFC) – Partnership for Success (PFS) – Parent’s Commission (PC) – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) The ACJC distributes only county-level and state-level reports to community members. School and districtlevel reports are not released for community consumption unless indicated by school officials.

School-Specific Benefits from the AYS • The AYS gathers information on the individual and

School-Specific Benefits from the AYS • The AYS gathers information on the individual and environmental factors that are affecting students. These data will allow schools to better understand the needs of their students, assess the overall strengths of the school, and identify any areas for improvement. • Schools that participate in the AYS are given individualized reports summarizing the school’s data along with statewide results for comparison. Districts that have multiple schools participating in the AYS are also given an individualized district report. These school/district-level reports are released only to school officials unless ACJC is otherwise instructed by the appropriate school/district administrator. • Schools have previously used AYS data to: – Identify areas in need of prevention or intervention efforts; – Assess the impact of current programs and policies; – Apply for grant and other funding opportunities.

What You Will Need to Do • Register your school to participate in the

What You Will Need to Do • Register your school to participate in the survey by clicking here. • Identify a school liaison to handle all communication with the ACJC. • Distribute and collect parental consent forms for students. • Help assure students that their answers are completely anonymous. • Administer the survey to students on the selected survey administration date (determined by the participating school). • Fill out information forms regarding the number of students who did/did not participate in the survey. • Return all survey materials as instructed with the provided return labels.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit our website at: http: //azcjc. gov/content/arizona-youth-survey

FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit our website at: http: //azcjc. gov/content/arizona-youth-survey