The purpose of this announcement is to inform schools and districts that registration for the 2018 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) will take place starting mid-March and ending June 30th. Schools in Washington state with students in grades 6, 8, 10, or 12 are eligible to participate. Small school districts with less than 600 students enrolled in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 combined can register additional grades 7, 9 and 11. Participation is free to schools in 2018.
In mid-March, superintendents and principals will be sent registration information by post and email. Mailed letters will be sent by Department of Social and Health Service’s Department of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DSHS/DBHR). Emails will be sent by OSPI. Correspondence will include a hidden link which is necessary to register online. If you have any questions about registration, please email surveyadmin@askHYS.net.
Why Participate in HYS?
In 2016 over 200,000 students, in over 1,000 schools, in all 39 counties in Washington completed the survey. HYS results help schools make evidence-based decisions that lead not only to positive academic outcomes and also provide information that allows schools to identify conditions that impact students learning and the overall school climate. To view results from previous years, please visit www.AskHYS.net.
Survey Requirements
The survey takes about 50 minutes to administer. Student participation is completely voluntary and anonymous. To participate in the survey, principals must agree to follow the survey administration procedures shown below:
The HYS must be administered during the weeks of October 8-19.
Send an informational letter to parents, prior to the survey administration. This letter will be
Post information about the survey on the school website and announce to students.
Place a copy of the survey in the school office for parent review.
Parents and students must be notified about the survey using the approved survey notification letter and methods. Schools must also verify that they followed the proper notification by September 24th or surveys will not be shipped to schools.
Provide an alternative activity for those students that choose not to participate in the survey.
Additional HYS Information
The HYS includes questions regarding alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use; community, school, and family risk and protective factors; safety and violence; diet and nutrition; health, health care, and exercise. Questions about sexual behavior, sexual orientation, and sexual abuse are optional and can be removed by schools from the survey forms
The following survey related materials can also be found on the HYS recruitment website at www.AskHYS.net/Recruitment:
Question and Answer Fact Sheet answers frequently asked questions about the survey.
Rationale and Description of Survey Content provides an overview of the behavior covered by the survey and a statement of rationale for the inclusion of these items.
Optional Questions Fact Sheet provides information about the value of data on sexual orientation, behavior and abuse.
How Can the Data Be Used? gives more detail about using the survey data.
List of ESD HYS Coordinators shows the primary regional recruitment contacts who can help if you have questions about the survey.
HYS Sponsorship
The HYS is sponsored by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Social and Health Service’s Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DSHS/DBHR), and the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB). Representation of these agencies oversees all aspects of the survey. Contact information for other HYS supporting agencies is provided below: If you have questions about registration for HYS, please contact Susan Richardson, Looking Glass Analytics, at surveyadmin@askHYS.net.
If you have any questions about the HYS, please contact Mandy Paradise, at 360-725-6248, or Emily Maughan, at 360-725-6030, or email hys@k12.wa.us. The OSPI TTY number is 360-664- 3631.
EVERY STUDENT READY FOR CAREER, COLLEGE, AND LIFE Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.
