About CHKS
The CHKS (California Healthy Kids Survey) was developed under contract
from CDE by WestEd in collaboration with Duerr Evaluation Resources,
assisted by an Advisory Committee of researchers, teachers, school
prevention and health program practitioners, and public agency representatives.
It is designed to provide a common set of comprehensive health risk
and resilience data across the state to guide local program decision-making
and also determine geographic and demographic variations. Its flexible
structure enables it to be easily customized (including the addition
of questions) and integrated into program evaluation efforts to meet
local needs and interests.
The California Healthy Kids Survey is a comprehensive and customizable youth
self-report data collection system that provides essential and reliable
health risk assessment and resilience information
to schools, districts, and communities.
Targeted at grades 4-12, the CHKS enables schools and communities
to collect and analyze valuable data regarding local youth health
risks, assets, and behaviors. The survey is a powerful tool that
can help schools and districts meet all the new assessment requirements
of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) for Title IV Safe
and Drug Free Schools and Communities by accurately identifying areas
of strength and weakness. It is designed to be part of a comprehensive
data-driven decision making process to help guide the development
of more effective health,
prevention, and youth
development programs.
At the heart of the HKS is a research-based “Core” module
that provides valid indicators of drug use, violence, crime, and
physical and mental health. The Core, in combination with the Resilience & Youth
Development Module, collects all the data needed for NCLB compliance
and allows comparability to state and national data. A unique benefit
of the HKS is its customizability to meet local needs. In addition
to the Core, there are five supplementary modules to choose from
that ask detailed questions on specific topics. There is also a custom
module for incorporating additional questions targeting topics of
local interest. You can select questions from our comprehensive item
pool, or hire HKS staff to help you create new questions. The customizability
of the HKS means that schools and districts receive relevant, useful
knowledge tailored to their needs.
