Data Collection

All schools and districts that participate in the survey follow federal laws regarding parental notification as required by the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA). PPRA requires schools that participate in the survey to notify parents of the survey administration, provide parents the opportunity to review the survey instrument, and allow parents to opt their child out of participating (Juvenile Correctional Facilities are exempt from this requirement).

In addition, the survey is voluntary for students. Students themselves can decide to not take the survey or skip questions they are not comfortable answering. Students fears that their online answers are not confidential and could be monitored by school staff are addressed before the survey is taken.

At no time is personal information (name, student identification number, etc.) asked on the survey, and we do not share data files that include both geographic and race/ethnicity information in the file to protect student anonymity.

Data Collection Procedures

Starting in 2019, the MSS was administered entirely online. Students can complete the survey on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet (e.g., iPad) or netbook (e.g., Chromebook). The online survey meets federal and state accessibility requirements and includes a text-to-speech option. In 2016, schools could choose to administer the survey online or on paper. Before 2016, the survey was completed on paper.

On the date of administration, teachers introduce the survey to the students and read the scripted instructions. Teachers are provided tips for consistent and valid administration (e.g., do not help students answer the questions, do not walk around the students while they are answering, etc.). Students are typically allowed a class period to complete the survey. It takes most students about 30 minutes to complete it.