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Registration for the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is Now Open

Wednesday, November 30, 2022
 

Dear District Administrators,

Registration for the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is now open! Schools with students in any grades between 6-12 are encouraged to participate in this important data collection. The registration form and related information can be found on the Conducting A YRBS webpage, or you may use the following link to the registration form: https://tinyurl.com/YRBS-Registration.

Registration will remain open until January 3, 2023. Schools can survey students anytime between January 3 and June 30, 2023. Schools are encouraged to collaborate with local health departments, Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESAs), and other local stakeholders who can help coordinate local data collection efforts.

As a result of strong participation in the 2021 YRBS cycle, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) was able to generate reports for 73 percent of all counties as well as statewide representative data. This statewide data revealed striking disparities between high-risk groups. Notably, females, students of color, LGB students, and students receiving special education services reported fewer supports and more challenges. Even so, DPI State of Wisconsin sample data revealed that 33 percent and 52 percent of students statewide reported significant problems with depression and anxiety, respectively. These figures were exacerbated for the high-risk groups, who also reported higher rates of suicidality.

Revealing these figures was only made possible by the efforts of school staff and administrators such as yourself to ensure a successful YRBS administration last cycle. As such, DPI is encouraging you to sign up for the upcoming 2023 data collection cycle so we can continue our work to identify the most pressing challenges affecting our students.

Schools in the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and DPI State of Wisconsin sample will be contacted directly by DPI. If your high school is one of the 50 needed to produce state-level statistics, we request your participation to generate representative data. Even just one or two sample schools not participating can cause our efforts to produce statewide data to fall short. Your support is greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions, you may contact Owen Tortora at owen.tortora@dpi.wi.gov or 608-264-6715. To stay informed, subscribe to the YRBS listserv by sending an email to subscribe-wi_yrbs_general@lists.dpi.wi.gov with the word “Subscribe” in the heading.

Sincerely,
 
John W. Johnson, PhD
Deputy State Superintendent