Frequently Asked Questions about STAR (SBIRT)
Q: Who will take the Check Yourself Screening? When will this take place?
SBIRT has been in the middle school setting for the last three years and has expanded to the high school this year. During the 23-24 school year, the name was changed to STAR Wellness (Survey, Talk, Acknowledge, and Review). The program framework remains the same. Caregivers will be notified one week prior to participating in the screening process. Screening will be staggered throughout the year to help ensure student concerns can be addressed quickly and appropriately. Students may also be referred to the program through counselors, administration, or other staff members. If your student is referred to the program you will receive correspondence from your student’s STAR Student Wellness Advocate.
Q: Is taking the screener voluntary?
Participation in the Check Yourself screener is completely voluntary. Families will be notified before their student is scheduled to participate and can choose to excuse their student from the process. Students can also choose to not participate. There is no penalty for declining to participate and your student’s grades will not be affected. Click here for our middle school Opt-Out Form. Click here for our high school Opt-Out Form.
Q: How is student identity protected?
The screener will be administered by the school’s STAR Coordinator and student results may be reviewed by relevant TSD staff such as counselors or nurses. Students use a proxy ID when taking the screener: no student names are entered into the online screening tool. The results provide valuable feedback that helps determine what supports a student may need to be successful. Survey results are not retained from year to year but are deleted from the system at the end of each school year.
Q: What are the screening questions?
The Check Yourself screening questions aim to help identify students who could benefit from additional support. The questions cover three main areas that help identify specific student needs:
If you would like to preview the survey, click here. If you have any questions about the survey, please feel free to contact us! We would love to answer any questions you may have.
THS Student Wellness Advocates:
STMS Student Wellness Advocate:
MVMS Student Wellness Advocate:
TSD Wellness Coordinator:
Q: How are the screening results used?
The ultimate goal of the screening tool is to provide the families and school support team with information about the current needs of students in order to connect them with appropriate resources. Information from the screening, with identifying information omitted, will also be shared with the University of Washington and King County for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of the STAR program in schools and to further assess the needs of all students based on trends.