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North Penn to administer Pennsylvania Youth Survey and belonging survey in November; district outlines opt-out and use of results
Summary
District officials said the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) will run Nov. 10–21 for grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 and that the psychological sense of belonging survey will be administered for grades 7–12 in the same window. Officials described anonymity, passive parental notice on Oct. 20, and how results will inform counseling and grant applications.
North Penn School District officials told the ECI Committee on Oct. 7 that the district will administer the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) and a psychological “sense of belonging” survey during a two-week window in November to inform mental-health planning, counseling and possible grant pursuits.
Dr. Broxterman, the district presenter who identified himself as a building principal, said the PAYS administration window will run Nov. 10–21 and is anonymous. The questionnaire covers substance use, violence, bullying and mental-health indicators; the district said it has used PAYS data previously to support Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) grant applications for mental-health supports.
“The survey is completely anonymous,” Dr. Broxterman said. He told the committee the survey link does not collect student identifiers beyond district and grade level, students can skip any questions they do not wish to answer, and school counselors will be available if issues arise after completion. The district will send a passive-consent notice to parents on Oct. 20; parents who prefer their child not participate must notify the principal and the school will provide a non-punitive alternative location during testing.
Broxterman said the survey takes about 40 minutes and will be scheduled during class periods (for example, social studies or health). He said the high school will give the PAYS to 10th and 12th graders during a mid-day “night zone” block that was shifted earlier to allow testing. Elementary sixth-graders will take the survey in social-studies or health classes, depending on building planning.
Separately, Dr. Waters described the district’s sense-of-belonging survey, administered to grades 7–12. She said the high school’s student ambassadors will review results and help propose school-level action steps, with counselors and principals also participating in follow-up. The belonging instrument contains 18 Likert items such as “I feel part of my school” and “Most teachers at this school are interested in me.”
Committee members asked about result timing and follow-up. Administrators said the district receives preliminary summary information in December–January and a comprehensive profile around April; the district will compare new results against past benchmarks and make adjustments to interventions as needed.
District presenters emphasized PAYS and the belonging survey are tools for planning and resource requests rather than punitive measures, and noted the surveys’ role in identifying both risk and protective factors among students.
