Behind Closed
Doors:
What Curry County 8th and 11th Graders Say
Data Compiled and Report Prepared by
Gordon Clay
http://bit.ly/1UaiVG7
February, 2016
Report short-cut:
http://bit.ly/1UaiVG7
Oregonn Healthy Teen/Wellness
Surveys - Curry County - 2010/2015 - 6th/8th/11th Grades
http://www.thecitizenswhocare.org/schoolboard/healthyteen-wellness-county-comparison-composite.html
or http://bit.ly/1poPrYJ
(next best county) 2015 Oregon Healthy Teen
Survey: Bullying,
Harassment, Intimidation
& Cyberbullying
http://www.thecitizenswhocare.org/schoolboard/oregon-county-chart-healthy-teen.html
or http://bit.ly/1RYSb84 Suicide
Ideation/Violence 2014 Oregon Wellness
Survey: Bullying,
Harassment, Intimidation
& Cyberbullying
http://www.thecitizenswhocare.org/schoolboard/oregon-county-chart-student-wellness.html
or http://bit.ly/22gTbJt Suicide
Ideation/Violence The silence from the district and
board regarding bullying is deeply fustrating to many
parents, students and other community members. Back at the December 16, 2015 board
meeting, I reported my concern over the dramatic increase in
suicide ideation last year by our students in the 2015
Healthy Teen Survey. I had asked at that time that the board
and district consider implementing OSBA school board policy
JHH concerning steps to take with suicide sitsuations. (I
understand that a teacher, recently, felt that they had
someone who was suicidal and not knowing what to do, waited
until the break between classes to report it after the child
had left the classroom and gone into the general
population.) I'm a data guy and I thought I should
let you know what I've uncovered since. I was doing a
project for another entity. It used student's answers to a
short list of question concerning bullying, violence and
suicidality which I have been tracking since 2010. I
developed a chart showing that same information for all
Oregon counties. The initial purpose was to provide
information in one place that officials could look at to see
how their counties compared. An unintended consequence of that
process, I was noticing, question after question, where
Curry County 8th graders were ranking well above Oregon
state averages. In digging further I found that they were
number one in the state in 12 of 14
categories
and number 2 in those other two
and 11th graders were number one in 2 categories, number 2
in two and 5th in three others. (See http://bit.ly/1RYUHex
2nd place Suicidality - 8th and 11th
graders Potential Upstanders -
2014 And finally, an aea of real potential.
Converting bystanders to upstanders. An upstander
is someone who sees bullying going on and says something
like "Stop, that's not cool." If a second bystander
chimes in it almost always stops the bullying in less than
ten seconds. From the 2014 report, there were a lot
of potential 6th, 8th and 11 grade
Upstanders: Do all of your staff
members understand the tell tale signs of bullying, suicide
ideation, inhalation and cutting issues? When they do
recognize what's happening, do they understand what steps to
take? I would bet that there isn't one middle or high school
student in Curry County, Oregon who doesn't know a
cutter. Don't continue to make
excuses to do nothing. The truth can be denied but not
avoided. Information Oregon Healthy Teens (OHT) is Oregon's
effort to monitor the health and well-being of adolescents.
An anonymous and voluntary research-based survey, OHT is
conducted among 8th and 11th graders statewide. The OHT
survey incorporates two youth surveys that preceded it, the
YRBS and the Student Drug Use Survey. Why does Oregon conduct the Oregon
Healthy Teens survey? OHT is fundamental to ensuring that
young people arrive at adulthood with the skills, interests,
assets, and health habits needed to live healthy, happy, and
productive lives in caring relationships with other people.
The information gathered in this survey enables schools and
communities to know what proportion of their young people
are developing successfully and what proportion is having
problems. It allows them to assess whether the things they
are doing are improving outcomes for young
people. How does the survey make a
difference in youth health and well-being? Over the past 20 years, research has
identified an increasing number of effective approaches to
preventing these problems. These include programs and
policies that support families, school practices, media
interventions, and neighborhood and community-wide efforts.
Accurate estimates of the extent of youth problems are
essential for knowing which schools and communities need
which programs and whether the programs, when implemented,
are working. Oregon Healthy Teens monitors the
factors that influence successful development. Research has
shown that risk factors and assets that affect young people
include family, school, neighborhood, and community
characteristics. By measuring these influences as well as
youth behavior, the OHT survey provides information to help
schools and communities focus on the things that are most
important to ensure successful youth development. As we
develop a system for monitoring youth well-being, we will
become better and better able to ensure that the largest
possible proportion of young people achieve its full
potential. What topics are included in the
survey? How are the rights of families
protected? In the weeks prior to the survey,
parents/guardians receive a letter asking permission for
their student to fill out the questionnaire. The parent or
guardian is given the option to refuse consent. In addition,
each student has the option to decline the survey, or to
skip any question they don't want to answer. How is the confidentiality of the
student protected? The OHT survey is anonymous; students
are not asked for their names. Once the surveys have been
completed and collected, there is no identifying information
linking a questionnaire to an individual student or parent.
In addition, the information reported to the school district
is aggregated-it is grouped by grade level and gender, and
no individual set of information is identified in these
reports. How long have school-based surveys
been used for statewide health monitoring in
Oregon? Historically, two agencies in the
Department of Human Services administered two school-based
youth surveys on alternating years Oregon: the CDC-based
Youth Risk Behavioral Survey (YRBS), administered in
odd-numbered years since 1991, and the Student Drug Use
survey (including Risk and Protective factor information) in
even-numbered years since 1996. While each survey provided
data on part of the key indicators for many state and
national strategic assessments and plans, a more coordinated
approach was needed to help develop consistent, yearly
tracking of key indicators, and increase the usefulness of
data to local communities and schools. How do state agencies, local health
departments, schools, and other groups use the survey
data? OHT data are used to help evaluate the
effectiveness of a variety of projects and programs that
promote healthy adolescence in Oregon. They are a key source
of state and national leading health indicators, such as
those included in the Oregon Benchmarks and Healthy People
2010. Survey findings serve as a valuable
tool for legislators and other policy makers as they make
decisions about health related policies, services, programs,
and educational activities. Agencies, non-profit
organizations, and community groups use the data to provide
base-line and evaluation information required for grants and
other funding sources, and for planning and evaluating
activities and programs that promote health and ability to
learn, prevent injury, and reduce high risk behaviors among
youth. Many Oregon counties and local communities use OHT
survey information in community health
assessments. Many schools and communities use the
results from this survey in the process of obtaining Safe
and Drug Free Schools funding and other grants to enhance
local prevention resources. Obtaining such funding relies on
the proven strategy of being able to demonstrate need and
provide accountability by measuring outcomes. Parents, school staff members, and
community groups can use the information to identify areas
where help is most needed for students to change behavior,
and they can use that opportunity to develop and support
activities and environments that encourage healthy
behaviors. How do I see the survey questions
or results? All OHT reports going back to 1997,
including questionnaires and data tables, are available on
our data page. Oregon Healthy
Teens Survey Frequently Asked Questions What is the goal of Oregon Healthy
Teens? Healthy students have better
attendance, get higher grades and test score and are less
likely to skip school, drop out or engage in risky
behaviors. The Oregon Healthy Teens Survey is a
comprehensive, school-based, anonymous and voluntary survey
that is a key part of a state-wide effort to help local
schools and communities ensure that all Oregon youth are
healthy and successful learners who contribute positively to
their communities. OHT provides schools, communities, and
our state with a clearer picture of youth strengths and
problems. The OHT Survey allow schools and communities to
find out what prevention efforts are working and which need
improvement, with a particular emphasis on tobacco
prevention. Our goal is to do what the name says: give our
teens the support they need to live healthy lives. State and
local agencies depend on OHT to assess youth needs, develop
comprehensive plans and prevention programs, solicit
funding, and measure outcomes. Are sensitive questions
asked? Our goal is to reduce those behaviors
among high school and middle school students that adversely
affect their health and ability to learn. Some questions may
be considered sensitive. AIDS, HIV infection, and other
sexually transmitted diseases are major health problems.
Sexual intercourse and intravenous drug use are among the
behaviors known to increase the risk of HIV or other STDs.
The only way to determine if adolescents are at risk in
these areas is to ask questions about these behaviors.
Mental health, attempted suicide, harassment, tobacco,
alcohol and other drug use, and weapon carrying may be
considered sensitive topics. Questions are age appropriate and are
presented in a straightforward and sensitive manner.
Students can also choose to not answer any question that may
make them uncomfortable. Does asking questions about a
behavior encourage that behavior? No. The CDC (Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention) states that there is no evidence
that simply asking students about health risk behaviors will
encourage them to try that behavior. In addition, asking sensitive
questions can bring good news, such as recent Oregon Healthy
Teens findings that show a reduction in sexual activity and
tobacco use among Oregon teens. Kids don't always tell the truth,
how do we know results are accurate? Protecting student confidentiality and
anonymity is paramount. Students must see the survey as
important and know that procedures are in place to protect
their privacy and anonymity. Studies have shown that surveys
such as OHT give more accurate results than those where
students believe their answers can be traced (and so are
more likely to say what they think we want to hear). Survey
data from adolescents is as reliable as data collected from
adults. Internal reliability checks help identify and remove
the small percentage of students who falsify
answers. How will my family’s privacy
be protected? This survey is anonymous. Survey
administration procedures are designed to protect student
privacy and allow for anonymous participation. Students will
not put their names or other identifying information on the
questionnaires or answer sheets. When the surveys have been
completed and collected, we will have no identifying
information linking a questionnaire to an individual student
or parent. Summary information across grade levels will be
reported to the school district. Will any students be tracked and
surveyed again to see how their behavior
changes? No. Although an individual student
might participate again in future years, it will be
impossible to track individual students who participate
because no identifying information will be
collected. How is the OHT Survey
Developed? The Oregon Healthy Teens Survey was
designed and is conducted as a collaborative effort by the
Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Healthy Authority.
Creating a single public health statewide system for getting
a scientifically accurate picture of youth development helps
reduce costs and redundancies sometimes associated with the
multiple school assessments conducted in the past, and
provides schools and their communities with a better
opportunity to use the information for longer-term planning
and evaluation of their efforts to improve youth
outcomes. Who Participates in
OHT? Surveys are administered in
odd-numbered years to Oregon’s 8th and 11th grade
students. OHT receives completed surveys from students
across the entire state, totaling more than over 30,000
Oregon adolescents in 2008 and 16,000 in 2009. What Does OHT
Measure? OHT focus areas include: How Are OHT Data
Used? Data are used to help evaluate the
effectiveness of a variety of projects and programs that
promote healthy adolescence in Oregon. OHT data are a key
source of state and national leading health indicators and
outcome measures, such as those included in the Oregon
Legislative Benchmarks and Healthy People 2010. Many Oregon
counties and local communities use OHT survey information in
community health assessments. Agencies, non-profit
organizations, and community groups use the data to provide
base-line and evaluation information required for grants and
other funding sources, and for planning and evaluating
activities and programs that promote health and ability to
learn, prevent injury, and reduce high risk behaviors among
youth. Is student participation anonymous?
How is student privacy protected? Survey administration procedures are
designed to protect student privacy and allow for anonymous
participation. The survey is proctored by classroom
teachers, who are given training materials on the survey
protocol. Students submit a completed optically scannable
survey, containing no personal identifiers, which is then
placed in one envelope for the entire class. Students not
participating in the survey are provided with an alternative
activity by their school, usually outside of the classroom.
Aggregated reports sent to schools and districts are based
on the all students participating, so anonymity of students
is preserved. How long does it take to fill out
the questionnaire? Is there some sort of physical
test? One class period is needed for
administration of the self-administered questionnaire. It
takes approximately 5 minutes for the survey administrator
to distribute survey materials and read directions to the
students. It then takes approximately 40 minutes for
students to record their responses. No physical test or exam
is involved. Are the questionnaire and consent
letter provided in other languages? Currently, we can provide Spanish hard
copies of the survey and consent letter, which schools can
distribute to students not fluent in English. Is OHT related to the “No
Child Left Behind” mandates? The focus of No Child Left Behind is
on the improvement of students in academic areas. The NCLB
section, Title IV-A, Safe and Drug Free Schools, requires
school districts to collect data around student alcohol,
tobacco, and other drug use as well as issues around
violence. If funds from U.S. Department of Education
(including NCLB) are used for surveys, it requires active
parental permission, which is not the approach used by the
Oregon Healthy Teens Survey. Program planning and support for
increasing the health and well-being of students helps those
students to be ready and able to learn once they are in the
classroom. Schools are generally interested in having a
healthy student-body that is able to focus on their
education when they are in the classroom setting. How do parents find out about
OHT? Oregon uses an “active
notification” with a “passive permission/ passive
consent” model for parents. OHT requires that
participating schools actively notify the parents of
selected students. A letter is sent to the home of each
student in the selected grade, either via a mailed letter or
email, to inform the parents or guardians of the upcoming
survey and give parents a chance to find out more about the
survey. The state coalition for OHT suggests that each
school make a physical copy of the survey available in
either the main office or the counseling office, where
parents could visit and view the survey. If the school does not hear from a
parent, the survey protocol assumes permission is given by
the parent for their student to take the survey. If a parent
does not wish their child to participate in the survey, they
are asked to complete and return the parental notification
form to the school to opt their student out of the survey.
Schools are asked to have an alternate site and activity for
those students - while their classmates take the survey.
Parents can also tell their child not to take the survey.
Students can also opt out of the survey on their own even if
the parent had not explicitly asked them not to participate.
The survey is voluntary, which is stated at the bottom of
each page in the survey form. When is the survey conducted? When
are results available? The most current "Wellness" survey was
conducted in 2013. Read the State Report (pdf). Source: public.health.oregon.gov/BirthDeathCertificates/Surveys/OregonHealthyTeens/Pages/aboutoht.aspx 2015 Healthy Teen
Survey Results for the 2015 OHT survey are
available by county as PDF files. Districts and schools from
every county, except Josephine, Wallowa and Wheeler,
participated in this year's survey. Due to relatively small
sample sizes, the following counties were combined for more
robust results: Sherman/Gilliam/Wasco into North
Central Health District (11th grade) The following counties have sufficient
sample sizes; however, the percentage of sampled students
who participated in the survey was relatively low. Although
results for these counties are posted, caution should be
used when interpreting the results since they may not be
representative of the county as a whole. District Participation by County
(pdf) 2016 Student
Wellness Survey Visit www.oregonpridesurveys.com
to find survey data, forms, instructions, and frequently
asked questions. Why should schools participate in
the Student Wellness Survey? Oregon youth spend a large part of
their lives in school. Only parents and family are more
influential. Teachers, administrators and school
boards work to create a learning environment where all
students can thrive. SWS provides information that can help
schools and communities develop plans to support youth and
track changes over time. By tapping into issues associated with
school climate, positive youth development, and behavioral
health, the survey assesses key factors that influence
student success. What is school
climate? The degree to which students feel they
belong, are valued, and are physically and emotionally safe
at school Student qualities such as: attendance,
commitment to school, respect for teachers, and feeling safe
at school School qualities such as: supportive
teachers, opportunities for participation in class or other
activities, and levels of harassment and bullying at school
or on the way to or from school. What is positive youth
development? Youth that feel competent and
confident, are involved in the community and have good
physical and mental health. High levels of positive youth
development are strongly associated with academic
success. What are behavioral health
risks? Common behavioral risks include:
mental health disorders, substance use, problem gambling,
and antisocial behavior. As the number of risks increases,
youth become less likely to establish constructive
relationships, succeed in school or make a successful
transition to the workforce. Contact Information: Renee Boyd Rusha Grinstead
Behind
Closed Doors
8:41
1:03:12
1:08:14
1:23
Nor Conservative
Excerpt
Information
Related
issues: Bullying,
Zero
Tolerance
Oregon
Healthy Teens Survey Frequently Asked
Questions
2016
Student Wellness Survey
The
Data Difference: The data user’s guide: Using data for
better decisions
- 30 page pdf
Publications
using Oregon Youth Risk Survey
Data
Youth
Risk Behavior Surveillance System
(YRBSS)
Release date June-July, 2016
Charts:Oregon Healthy
Teen/Wellness Surveys - Curry County - 2010/2015 -
6th/8th/11th Grades http://www.thecitizenswhocare.org/schoolboard/healthyteen-wellness-county-comparison-bully.html
or http://bit.ly/1RYUHex
Healthy Teen Survey
Questions - http://www.thecitizenswhocare.org/schoolboard/healthy-teen-survey-questions.html
or http://bit.ly/22g7BcP
http://www.thecitizenswhocare.org/schoolboard/oregon-county-chart-healthy-teen-2.html
or http://bit.ly/1TZEoSyOregon Wellness Survey
Questions - http://www.thecitizenswhocare.org/schoolboard/student-wellness-survey-questions.html
or http://bit.ly/22g7LRH
http://www.thecitizenswhocare.org/schoolboard/oregon-county-chart-student-wellness-2.html
or http://bit.ly/1WlYIe9
Background
March is girls sports month and a reminder of the time
over three years ago when a number of girls who played
basketball for Brookings-Harbor asked for help and were
ignored by the district. It's also the month four years ago
when Dorothy Schull passed away.)
"2X" signifies that twice the Oregon average was reached
by Curry County students.
Program Design and Evaluation Services
Source:: public.health.oregon.gov/BirthDeathCertificates/Surveys/OregonHealthyTeens/Pages/background.aspx
Why
should your school participate
Grant/Harney
Source: public.health.oregon.gov/BirthDeathCertificates/Surveys/OregonHealthyTeens/Pages/2015.aspx
The Student Wellness Survey (SWS) was introduced in 2010
to assess school climate, positive youth development and the
behavioral health of Oregon youth. It is an anonymous,
research-based survey of students in grades 6, 8 and
11.
OHT Survey Coordinator
Program Design and Evaluation Services
Oregon Health Authority
Division of Public Health
827 NE Oregon St., Suite 250
Portlaand, OR 97232
renee.k.boyd@state.or.us
Phone: 971-673-1145 or
Oregon Health Authority
Office of Health Analytics
500 Summer St. NE E 86
Salem, OR 97301-118
E-mail: rusha.grinstead@state.or.us
Phone: 503-602-9214
Fax: 503-378-8467