CA HEALTHY KIDS SURVEY (CHKS)
About the Survey
The CHKS is a modular, anonymous assessment recommended for students age 10 (grade 5) and above. It is focused on the five most important areas for guiding school and student improvement:
- Student connectedness, learning engagement/motivation, and attendance;
- School climate, culture, and conditions;
- School safety, including violence perpetration and victimization/bullying;
- Physical and mental well-being and social-emotional learning; and
- Student supports, including resilience-promoting developmental factors (caring relationships, high expectations, and meaningful participation).
California Healthy Kids Survey Links for Parents
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who chooses the questions our students answer?
A: MUSD has no input on the content of the questions in the survey. The survey questions are determined by the California Department of Education.
Q: Can I look at the survey questions?
A: Yes, they are on the district website above. The California Department of Education selects the questions and we do not have the ability to opt out of any questions. Only parents and students may opt out.
Q: Why do we give the survey?
A: The state of California asks school districts to participate in the survey for the following reasons:
A. Reduce Risk behaviors – The behaviors assessed by the CHKS are those that contribute directly to the leading causes of death, injury and social and personal problems among youth. Schools need a thorough understanding of the scope and nature of student risk behavior and the protective factors to develop effective prevention and health programs.
B. Promote learning – ensuring that students are safe, drug-free, healthy and resilient is central to improving academic performance. Growing numbers of children are coming to school with a variety of health related problems that make successful learning difficult, if not impossible.
C. Demonstrate Accountability – The CHKS is an important component of California's school accountability system which requires that schools objectively assess students and then set measureable goals for making improvements. The CHKS gathers credible information to identify the health and safety needs of the students, establish district goals, and monitor progress in achieving the goals.
D. Meeting funding Requirements – for these reasons, state, federal and private agencies increasingly require schools to collect disseminate and use health related data as a requirement for obtaining and maintaining funding. The CHKS is specifically designed to help meet such requirements.
E. Promote Health programs and community support – a major reason for conducting the CHKS is to raise local awareness of adolescent risk behaviors and public support for school-health, prevention and youth development programs.
Q: Why does the survey ask about gender and how a person identifies?
A: These question like others in this section are simply demographic questions. They help us to understand if a particular group of students needs additional interventions.
Q: Can my student refuse to answer questions they feel uncomfortable answering?
A: Yes, students may choose to answer or not to answer any of the questions.
Q: I want more information, who can I talk to?