About the Minnesota Student Survey
The Minnesota Student Survey provides students, parents, and their communities a dynamic vehicle for on-going communication about issues vital to the health, safety and academic success of youth. It is a valuable too for school districts, county agencies and state agencies in planning meaningful and effective ways of supporting students and families.
The survey asks students questions about their activities, opinions, behaviors and experiences. It includes questions on an array of issues – substance abuse (tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs), school climate, violence and safety concerns, healthy eating, out –of-school activities, connections with school and family, and many other topics. At the senior high level, questions are also asked about gambling and sexual activity.
Goals of the Survey
Survey Participation
The 2016 Minnesota Student Survey (MSS) was administered in the first half of the 2016 students in grades 5, 8, 9, and 11 statewide. The survey was voluntary at all levels. Districts, schools, parents, and students could all choose to opt out. 85% of public school districts agreed to participate. Across the state, approximately 66% of fifth graders, 73% of eighth graders, 71% of ninth graders, and 61% of eleventh graders participated in the 2016 Minnesota Student Survey. Overall participation across the four grades was approximately 68% of total enrollment.
All schools and districts that participated in the survey followed federal laws regarding parental notification as required by the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA). PPRA requires that schools that participate in the survey 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.
Mode of Administration
In 2016, all students in grade 5 and 8 completed the survey online. Schools with grade 9 and/or grade 11 students could choose to administer the survey online or with the traditional paper survey. In Mankato, all grade 9 and 11 students took the survey online. The survey questions online were the same as those in the paper survey booklets.
New Questions and Year-to-Year Comparisons
Some of the 2016 survey instrument questions were changed from the 2013 survey instrument. While most questions stayed the same, other questions were updated with questions or response options. Some entirely new questions were added, and some questions were dropped. New questions were noted on each table. Caution must be used when making comparisons over time for any questions in which the wording has changed.
Please note that although these surveys are given repeatedly over time, student populations may change between administration of the survey.
Validity of Responses and the Survey
Caution was taken to identify invalid responses and remove them from the analysis. Surveys were eliminated when responses were highly inconsistent or there was a pattern of likely exaggeration. The exact percentage of surveys removed will be available in September 2016.