Program Evaluation, Surveys, and Research

Evaluation staff conducts summative evaluations of instructional programs and departments for the purpose of continuous improvement.

• • Program Evaluation Reports

P&E coordinates the review of applications for research and evaluation studies to be conducted in Arlington Public Schools, and provides technical assistance for internal research projects.

• Research Application for APS Students
• Research Application for All Others

Research Application Deadlines Requests are reviewed on a semi-annual basis. Applications should be submitted in accordance with the deadlines stated below.

• June 30th  for research that is to begin during the fall semester (September – December)
• November 15th for research that is to begin during the spring semester (January – June)

Applicants will receive follow-up to their application within 15 APS business days after the submission deadlines.

Please email completed applications or questions to [email protected].

Evaluation staff coordinate and report on the biennial Your Voice Matters Survey, our new climate survey that replaces the Community Satisfaction Survey and Site-based Survey.

The Your Voice Matters (YVM) survey is a cornerstone in APS’s strategy to understand and address the needs and aspirations of our students, staff, and families. The survey, conducted jointly by APS and  Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth, and Families (APCYF), provides feedback from more than 24,000 respondents, including students in grades 4-12, staff, teachers, and families. Topics include safety, health and well-being, voice, and engagement. The results are used to inform work across both the school division and the County. This data also provides APS with benchmarks for measuring our progress on the 2024-2030 Strategic Plan.

Results from 2025 Your Voice Matters Survey

The 2025 YVM data is now available through a new dashboard designed in Qualtrics. This tool gives users the ability to explore results in greater detail by applying filters across a range of demographics. The dashboard provides a more comprehensive view of the data while empowering our schools and staff to analyze trends and use the findings to inform their Action Plans.

• Read the full Press Release for a complete overview of the 2025 YVM results.

Results from past Your Voice Matters Surveys

The YVM surveys from previous years were administered by Panorama Education, a third-party vendor. Insight Reports for past YVM surveys, providing key takeaways and insights summarized by Panorama Education, are available below.

2018   |   2020   |   2022   |   2024

The Arlington Youth Survey (AYS), also known as the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, is a comprehensive, anonymous, and voluntary survey developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and administered annually to students in 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grade to gather information on behaviors and experiences that influence youth health and well-being in Arlington County. The survey is anonymous, collects no identifying information, and allows students to skip questions or stop at any time. Data from the AYS help monitor trends in health risks and protective behaviors, guide community organizations and local health agencies in providing targeted support, and assist in securing funding for initiatives that promote healthy youth behaviors. Read the full report for results and key findings from the 2024 Arlington Youth Survey.

The Office of Program Evaluation reviews surveys distributed school-wide or division-wide prior to administration to help address the following goals:

• Support work/project plans with program and school staff
• Develop a timeline that incorporates all other work in APS
• Provide support and assistance to stuff in areas of survey development and data analysis

Students and staff receive numerous surveys throughout the year which can lead to survey fatigue, loss of instructional and work time, and low response rates. Prior to administering a survey it is important to think through the need and use of a survey.

Survey Considerations Checklist

When thinking a survey, consider the following questions:

• Does the data already exist?
• Does the survey have a clear purpose?
• Has a respondent group been identified?
• Is there an outreach plan for the respondent group?
• Has a survey window been identified? Does this window conflict with other APS surveys, testing, or other circumstances that could impact surveys? (Survey calendar information below)
• Will the survey be distributed in a manner that minimizes impact on workload and instruction?
• Is the survey concise? Are the questions clear and focused to ensure the a limited commitment for the respondent?
• Is the content of the survey free of sensitive topics or questions?
• Has a peer reviewed the topic, language, and accessibility of the survey?
• Do the survey owners have the capabilities and resources to analyze the survey response data?
• Do the survey owners have the capabilities and resources to ensure that individual responses and respondents cannot be identified?
• Is there an approved plan for survey results to be shared with stakeholders?

Survey Review Applications should be completed by any APS staff member that is requesting a survey to be administered to any APS stakeholder – community members, parents, school-based staff, central office-based staff, students, and others.

Requests will be reviewed quarterly and deadlines are listed below. Approval or denial with reason will be provided with 15 business days after each deadline:

• August 31
• November 30
• February 28
• May 31

Be cautious of the dates of review and response time and factor this into your survey timeline. For example, if you want to administer a survey in January, a survey review application should be submitted by August 31st. An application can be submitted by November 30, but your survey administration window may be impacted if there edits are needed to your survey.

Exceptions Not all surveys need to go through the survey review process. Exceptions to the survey review process include:

• Exit/feedback surveys from trainings and events;
• Class surveys/projects;
• Surveys used for scheduling/availability;
• Advisory Group surveys;

If you aren’t sure if your survey needs to go through the survey review process, please reach out to [email protected].

Survey Review Applications will include Two Levels.

Level 1 applications are for surveys that need only review and no other level of support.

Level 2 applications are for staff that are requesting support in several areas from the Evaluation Team, including:

• Reviewing survey questions/assisting with question content
• Assistance with survey design
• Pre-testing survey data
• Pulling data needed for survey distribution (ex., enrollment)
• Uploading survey in K12 Insight survey platform
• Identifying adequate distribution methods
• Cleaning raw data
• Analyzing data
• Providing data summary tables

The Survey Review Application can be completed here.

The Office of Program Evaluation has developed a Survey Calendar that incorporates the current academic calendar, major assessments, and approved surveys. Please consult the 2023-24 Survey Calendar before submitting a Survey Review Application.

For questions about the survey review policy, please contact

Robyn Ristau, Assistant Director of Program Evaluation

[email protected]

703-228-6172.

• • To see the calendar of currently approved APS administered surveys for the 2025-26 School Year, click here.