ADE Director's Communication Memo Form


Memo Number : LS-10-009

Date Created : 09/16/2009

Attention:

Superintendents
Co-op Directors
other: All Principals
Counselors & Persons Interested In Prevention

Type of Memo: Informational
Response Required: Yes
   
Section:   Learning Services - Dr. Laura Bednar, Assistant Commissioner
Subject:
Arkansas Needs Prevention Survey (APNA) to be Conducted

Regulatory Authority:
N/A

Contact Person:
Stephanie Starks

Phone Number:
501-686-9030

E-mail:
stephanie.starks@arkansas.gov

ARKANSAS PREVENTION NEEDS ASSESSMENT (APNA) STUDENT SURVEY

The office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention of the Department of Human Services (DHS) will conduct the annual Arkansas Prevention Needs Assessment (APNA) Student Survey in late fall to help school districts meet No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements. Survey administration requires only one class period. The 2009 survey is scheduled to be administered by all participating public school districts anytime between November 9 and 20, 2009. All completed survey instruments for all school buildings in each district are to be returned to the survey contractor, International Survey Associates (ISA), by December 1, 2009. Reports of district results will be distributed during late winter of 2010.

The APNA student survey collects data on health risk behaviors such as alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and violence that can result in injury and/or impede positive development among youth. The survey also assesses risk and protective factors, which include attitudes and opinions that research has shown predicts youth involvement in the health risk behaviors. Each public school district is extended the no-cost opportunity to survey all students enrolled in the 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grade levels. To participate in the survey a Superintendent merely needs to complete and submit a signed Agreement Form committing to survey all eligible students in all four grades.
The APNA survey offers Arkansas school districts an effective means to meet the district’s needs assessment requirements. However, in order to realize the most valid and reliable data possible, it is critical that a district survey all classes in all buildings housing grades 6, 8, 10 and 12. When a district limits survey participation to selected classes, grades or buildings, data results can be skewed.

Data gathered by APNA addresses the State Outcomes and Targeted Measures of the State of Arkansas Strategic Prevention Framework and will be used in a broader context to support data driven planning efforts occurring at the county, regional and state levels. That is why all schools are being asked to participate. And, because districts receive individual building and district level reports, each district can use its own data to more effectively plan prevention activities tailored to the unique needs of its students (by building and/or grade level).

WHY SHOULD A SCHOOL DISTRICT PARTICIPATE?

* Provides data for the No Child Left Behind reporting requirements AT NO COST to the district – see attachment
* Provides valuable information on health risk behaviors such as alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and violence that can impede positive development among youth
* Uses risk and protective factors that predict the involvement in these health risk behaviors
* Identifies the prevention needs for the school district
* Helps in preparation of school improvement plans relative to school environment, external factors that present barriers to learning, community involvement, learning process, and school risk factors
* Gathers information regarding factors that may indirectly affect intellectual development and career planning goals of the student

WHAT WILL THE SCHOOL RECEIVE?

*Local data including a district level report and individual building reports for each participating building (if there is an adequate number of respondents)
*Trend data on drug and alcohol use rates, age of first use, delinquency rates, student perceptions of drug and alcohol health risks and social acceptance, and levels of risk and protection
*The opportunity to provide valuable data to members of the community involved in prevention planning and persons seeking funding for prevention efforts. To view the State of Arkansas Strategic Prevention Framework planning document, a sample school district report and a sample school report, please visit the website:
http://www.arkansas.gov/dhs/dmhs/adap_survey.htm

For information on how to participate in the survey, please call Ms. Stephanie Starks, Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, at 501-686-9030 or Ms. Tommie Waters at 501-686-9515. Also, assistance is available from the attached list of Prevention Resource Center staff concerning the completion of the APNA Survey Agreement Form.

Attachments:

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