2010 IYS Follow-up Reports have been sent out

Follow-up analysis reports have now been sent to all schools that participated in the 2010 Illinois Youth Survey, via email to the school contact person on file. Please contact the IYS office with any questions about these reports.

Prevention First Facilitated IYS Webinars FY2010

Prevention First, along with IYS staff will host three webinars for prevention professionals this school year pertaining to the Illinois Youth Survey. The details are listed below. If you would like to participate in one or more of the webinars, please click on the webinar name, which will take you to the registration page through Prevention First.


IYS Webinar #1: IYS School Reports
Friday, November 19, 2010 10:00AM - 11:30AM
After reviewing final school survey participation for 2010, this Webinar will focus on requesting and using school reports for prevention planning or other purposes. Participants will become familiar with the format of initial reports for schools that participated by paper/pencil and schools that participated online, and the follow-up report that most participating schools will receive by November of 2010. We will also discuss other reports, such as district, county and state. Participation in prior Webinars in this series is not required. This training will benefit prevention specialists who work on report interpretation with schools, or who promote the use of the IYS in local schools.


IYS Webinar #2: Recruiting Schools for the 2012 IYS
Friday, February 18, 2011 10:00AM - 11:30AM
Participants will be given an opportunity to become familiar with the 2012 survey process, to comfortably talk about the survey with school personnel. This Webinar will provide an overview of recruitment efforts that will be utilized to encourage participation in the 2012 IYS throughout Illinois. How agencies can assist in both recruitment and administration processes will also be discussed. Information about the IYS available in a variety of formats will be reviewed. Participation in prior Webinars in this series is not required. This training will benefit prevention specialists who will be promoting IYS use in local schools or helping schools administer the IYS.


IYS Webinar #3: The Electronic Side of IYS
Friday, May 13, 2011 10:00AM - 11:30AM
This webinar covers the most important elements of IYS electronic communications and participation. Learning about the Illinois Youth Survey and participating in it grows easier each year due to improvements in electronic recruitment, the IYS website, electronic report dissemination, and the IYS online survey administration option. Paper materials are still available, but the more that school and prevention agency staff know about the electronic side of IYS, the more confident and efficient they can be about accessing detailed IYS information. Participation in prior Webinars in this series is not required. This training will benefit prevention specialists who help schools to access IYS information or to plan for IYS administration in 2012.

Congratulations to Alan Markwood, 2010 IADDA Prevention Leadership Award Recipient

Alan Markwood, Prevention Projects Coordinator for Chestnut Health Systems, has been named the 2010 Prevention Leadership Award recipient by the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association (IADDA). The annual award was given by IADDA at its annual conference to recognize excellence in substance abuse prevention.

Throughout his years at Chestnut Health Systems, Alan has managed numerous prevention programs and projects, ranging from the InTouch network, various community and statewide groups, and currently including the Illinois Youth Survey. His perceptive insight and ability to grasp the often unseen and complex issues surrounding substance use has helped prevention providers and community groups across the state. In 2004, he developed the IYS follow-up analysis report, a tool which enables prevention professionals to better interpret and use the data gathered by the survey. This report helps prevention professionals identify and evaluate their school’s risk and protective factors, and match them to effective prevention strategies and programs, helping to lower rates of youth substance use.

The 2010 IYS follow-up reports for participating schools will become available in October. Please contact our office to request your school’s report.

Reminder to Online Schools & FAQ

Data is now available online for all schools that participated online this year and in past administrations. Please be sure when you are navigating to the reporting section that you choose the correct survey for the survey year you would like to print. The survey forms for 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010 will now show up on your screen during step 2. To view data from the 2010 IYS at your school, scroll down to the bottom of the page and choose one of the 2010 surveys (6th grade, 8th grade, or high school).

Answers to frequent problems accessing results online:
Q. I am able to choose the "School Year Beginning In" but it does not move on from there when I click "Continue".
A. You are using a Mac or any browser besides IE(Safari, Firefox, etc.). Although students can complete the survey using a Mac and/or other web browsers, results can only be viewed on a PC using Internet Explorer.

Q. When I log in, the numbers say Original Balance 0, Surveys Used 0, Remaining Balance 0. Why isn't my data there?
A. Those numbers are only available when statewide surveying is being conducted. When surveying has been closed to the state, all numbers on the first page will show as 0. Your data is still there even when those numbers don't show up upon login. Continue to the reporting page to view your results.

Q. I can view and print my results by number or percentage but where can I produce charts with the information?
A. Charts cannot be created using the online system to view your results. If you are in need of charts, please contact the IYS office and we can create them for you. Be sure to include if you would simply like the standard initial report charts or some using other data.

Q. My school used more than one survey form (ex: 6th and 8th). When I try to create a custom report for one survey form it works fine but if I attempt to create one using the other survey form, an error comes up and the data is not there. What am I doing wrong?
A. Your computer tries to remember where you have been previously using cookies. After you access one survey form, the first time you attempt to access the other survey form, your computer remembers the first one and opens that. The way to see if this is happening to you is to click on the grade level question under the "Population" column. If you have the option to choose 6th grade, you are viewing the 6th grade form. If your options start at 7th grade and the box is highlighted in gray, you are viewing the 8th grade form. If your options start at 7th grade and the box is highlighted in purple, you are viewing the high school form. To force your computer to view the correct form, click on "Reporting" at the top of the screen and go back through steps 1 and 2.

Q. I've tried numerous times to access my results online and cannot figure it out. Is there any way someone can walk me through it?
A. Definately. Just contact Jessica Thomas at 309-451-7849 or by email to schedule a time that is best for you.

2010 IYS Follow-Up Reports

Follow-up reports will be available for schools that request them starting likely in October. We will post an update to this blog when they are ready for distribution.

A follow-up report is offered to participating schools in the autumn following the spring survey. This report includes explanatory text to understand the meaning of numerical figures given in each section. The overall purpose of the follow-up report is to provide more focus and context than the initial report of results. The initial report’s strength is its breadth and detail. Schools can learn about the extent of a wide variety of behaviors and perceptions among students. Some of these results do not directly relate to substance abuse prevention. Among the many items that do, some are more central than others. The follow-up report focuses on a small number of items that are especially crucial for drug prevention. The report also provides some context as to whether the reported percentages may be considered "high" or "low." It also compares this year's results with regional and previous site (last time administered at the school) results.

You can find additional information explaining the follow-up report on our website: http://www.illinoisyouthsurvey.org/reports/School_Follow-Up_Report.pdf

2010 IYS State Report

We expect to have a first draft of the 2010 State Report to the Illinois Dept. of Human Services sometime early next year, in January or February. However, further editing and release of the state report could take many weeks or months beyond that. We will keep you informed on our progress through this blog.

2010 Cook County Frequency Report Now Available

In addition to the counties posted on Friday, August 20th, the Cook County frequency report is now available. Please contact the IYS office if you're interested in requesting a copy of your county's report.

2010 County-Level Frequency Reports Available

County-Level results are now available for the 2010 Illinois Youth Survey for counties that had enough schools participating. Please contact the IYS office to request a copy of your county report. The listing below includes counties available.

Please note that each report may have as few as one grade level or as many as four included, depending on how many schools at each level (grades 6, 8, 10, and 12) participated. Cook County's report will be available shortly.


Available Counties

Adams
Alexander
Bureau
Calhoun
Champaign
Christian
Clark
Clinton
Coles
Cook**
Crawford
DuPage
Effingham
Ford
Franklin
Fulton
Grundy
Hancock
Henry
Iroquois
Jackson
Jefferson
Jo Daviess
Kane
Kankakee
Kendall
Knox
Lake
LaSalle
Lawrence
Lee
Livingson
Logan
Macon
Macoupin
Madison
Marion
Mason
Massac
McDonough
McHenry
McLean
Menard
Monroe
Montgomery
Morgan
Moultrie
Ogle
Peoria
Perry
Pulaski
Randolph
Richland
Rock Island
Saline
Sangamon
St Clair
Stephenson
Tazewell
Union
Vermilion
Warren
Whiteside
Will
Williamson
Winnebago
Woodford

"One Thousand Schools" Celebration Winners

Congratulations to the four schools that were randomly chosen out of those registered by February 1st to receive a $50 incentive check for their participation. All schools that were chosen did complete the survey at their school during the 2010 IYS administration period. Although we encourage using the money in a way that expresses appreciation to the students and staff of the school for their participation, use will ultimately be up to each individual school. Please join us in our congratulations to these schools and to all those that registered and participated in 2010!

• Apollo Elementary School, Des Plaines


• Mt Carmel Middle School, Mount Carmel


• Rich Central Campus HS, Olympia Fields


• St Ladislaus, Chicago

Online Validity Numbers

Some schools' results for the 2010 Illinois Youth Survey as displayed on the SmartTrack reporting system included an inflated number of invalid surveys. This was due to an error in how the SmartTrack system was programmed to interpret results from the "honesty" question on the survey. All schools that were affected have been notified. We apologize for the error.

SmartTrack will be correcting the error on their system, but if you would also like a corrected report e-mailed to you from our IYS office, please contact us.

New features to this blog

We have redesigned our blog and have added new features to help keep you connected with the IYS. In the right hand column you will see a new search function, a share us function, a subscribe function, and a form to sign up for our mailing list. The search function will allow you to search the blog for any keywords you may be looking for (ex, providers, state report, etc.). You are able to share our posts through your facebook or twitter accounts by simply clicking on their icon and following the prompts. If you would like to receive updates directly to your inbox instead of visiting our blog, you can subscribe to our feed. Finally, if you would like to receive emails once or twice per month, you can register your email address with us directly. We plan on creating monthly email newsletters to be sent to our contact list. Please feel free to leave comments to any posting. You do not have to register with blogger to do so. Thanks and we look forward to your feedback!

SPF and Planning Grantee Community Reports

We have received the raw data from SmartTrack containing all online school responses and are in the process of reconciling it with existing data from schools that participated by paper. Once that has been completed we will work to create and distribute community reports for each grantee to include all participating schools in their area. Thank you for your patience.

Remaining paper schools

Any schools that had completed surveying before 5/14 but have not yet returned their materials can still have their results analyzed at no charge. In the school instructions envelope, you will find information on how to return the materials along with a pre-paid FedEx Ground label. If it has been misplaced, please contact Jessica Thomas via phone (309-451-7849) or email.

Reminder for online schools

When attempting to access your school's results for the 2010 Illinois Youth Survey online, please remember you need to use a PC and Internet Explorer. If you attempt to use a different browser or a Mac to access the results, it will not allow you to get past the first step. Please contact Jessica Thomas at 309-451-7849 or SmartTrack directly at 866-714-8080 for assistance with the SmartTrack system to access your results.

Attention Online Schools

Because surveying has been closed at this time, you will notice the numbers of available, used, and remaining surveys in your account have reverted to zeros. This does not mean your data is not there. Those numbers only appear during an active surveying window. Please follow the same steps as you have previously to view your results.

2010 Survey Window Closes Today

Today, May 14th, marks the official end to the surveying window for the 2010 Illinois Youth Survey. If your school was unable to survey this year, we are sorry that the opportunity has passed for this administration. The next survey period will be in the spring of 2012 and we will begin contacting schools for registration starting in the spring of next year. Any schools that decide to survey past today will be charged $1 per student surveyed in order for us to process your materials.

Returning your materials
To return your completed or unused survey materials, please see the school instructions envelope inside your materials shipment. There should be one or more prepaid return labels inside. Please affix the label to each box and call for a FedEx Ground pickup to 888-777-6040. You will need some information from the label to arrange the pickup. If you already have a FedEx Ground pickup at your school, you can give the driver your box at that time. If you have misplaced your return label, please contact us with the number of boxes and their approximate weight so we can request that a label be emailed to you. All surveys should be returned by next Friday, May 21.

Returning completed paper materials

For those schools using the paper version of the IYS this year, you should have prepaid labels included in your school instructions envelope. After all boxes have been sealed, please call 888-777-6040 to schedule your pickup. The number on the materials return sheet is for general FedEx pickup and requires an account number. This new 888 number is specifically for the PRP labels we are using. The representative will ask for some information on your label so please have it available when you call.

If you have misplaced your prepaid label or need more than were included in your shipment, please contact Jessica Thomas with the number of packages, their general weight and the email address they should be sent to. She will then request an email return label to be sent to you. The message will come directly from FedEx and can arrive within a couple of days of the request. If you have multiple packages, you will receive multiple emails.

Classroom Envelopes

We have had a higher number of schools this year that have not filled out the fronts of their classroom envelopes than in years past. This has also tended to happen more frequently at larger schools rather than smaller ones. Please be aware that the failure to complete the classroom envelopes in full will delay the processing of your results. The IYS office has to have an idea of how many envelopes and completed surveys are being sent to our contractor for scanning so they can plan staff accordingly. This means that our staff has to go through every envelope that is not filled out and manually count the surveys included, adding days to the time it normally takes to process completed materials. We ask that schools take the time to fill out the front of every envelope before returning the materials. Each classroom teacher could complete it, and more accurately, in very little time instead of one person going through everything. We also use the numbers of absent and declining students to assess whether or not your sample is valid for your school. Thank you to all schools for their participation in the 2010 IYS.

Online Proctor Training Sessions

We had a great turnout at the first round of online proctor training sessions before the survey period began! Thanks to all that attended! Due to popular demand, this week we are hosting another round of training sessions for those that were not able to attend the first round and those schools that registered to survey after the surveying window began. Anyone who would like to attend a session should notify Jessica Thomas by email with the date and time you would like.

• Tuesday, February 9: 9am-930am


• Tuesday, February 9: 1pm-130pm


• Wednesday, February 10: 11am-1130am


• Wednesday, February 10: 130pm-2pm


• Thursday, February 11: 930am-10am


• Thursday, February 11: 1pm-130pm

Surveying has begun!

Our surveying window officially opened on Monday, February 1st and we already have schools returning their completed materials! For those schools that are currently surveying, please be sure to keep the return label that is found in your school instructions envelope. Once you have completed surveying, contact FedEx at 800-463-3339 to schedule a pickup if you do not already have one at your school. If you do not have a FedEx account, please be sure to mention to them that you have a PRP label and they will set up the pickup, usually for the next day.

Schools completing the survey online should notify Jessica Thomas at jcthomas@chestnut.org to receive your administrative ID and password used to access results.

If you have any questions regarding the survey process, please contact Jessica Thomas or Donna Prather.

2008 State Report AVAILABLE

We are happy to announce that the 2008 State Report for the Illinois Youth Survey has been released for distribution and we are working on posting the report to our website at this time. It is expected to be posted by tomorrow, January 14, 2010. An order has been placed for CDs and will be available shortly. If you would like a copy of the 2008 State Report CD, please contact Jessica Thomas or Donna Prather at the IYS Office. They will also be available through the Clearinghouse at Prevention First. Thank you for your patience with this process.