• COVID-19
• Commencement at HWDSB
• Senior Team
• Trustees
• Accessibility
• Indigenous Education
• Budget and Finance
• Human Rights and Equity
• Labour Update
• Media and Communications
• Policies
• Public Consultation
• Purchasing
• Research and Privacy
• School Renewal
• Severe Weather
• Multi-Year Strategic Plan
• Transportation
• Mental Health Strategy
• Wifi in HWDSB Schools

The MDI: Help us learn about Grade 4-12 student life this school year

During student census promotion this spring, we said we would follow the census with our well-being survey, the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI). This will allow us to hear directly from children and youth in grades 4 to 12 about their experiences and well-being during COVID-19.

Rather than administer the MDI in class, we are sending families with children in grades 4 to 12 a survey link by email. You can provide this to your child or children in grades 4 to 12, if you agree to them participating.

The constraints and uncertainty in schools prevent us from rolling out the MDI as a measure of our Board Annual Plan. We will fully implement the MDI in classrooms during the next school year.

We know this year has been hard on many children and youth. That is why it is important for us to collect data to fully understand the impact this pandemic is having on their well-being and perceptions.

We want to use MDI to measure well-being during this critical and historic time. We will use the MDI results to inform programs, supports and services for children and youth that foster healthy development and healing from the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is the MDI?

MDI is a tested instrument to measure well-being; we believe it is the right tool to use now. Researchers at the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) developed the MDI for children in grades 4 to 8. We worked with UBC to adapt it for youth in grades 9 to 12. The survey asks children and youth about their thoughts, feelings and experiences in school and in the community in the following areas:

1. Social and emotional development, such as self-esteem, optimism, happiness and empathy;
2. Feelings of connectedness to school, family, friends, and communities;
3. School experiences;
4. Physical health and well-being; and
5. Time use after school hours, as well as students’ wishes for after-school time.

For more details on the types of questions in these topic areas, please see: www.hwdsb.on.ca/mdi

Although we want to hear directly from children and youth, if you believe your child needs support to fill out the MDI, please help them as you see fit.

How we will protect privacy

Your child’s responses to the questions will be kept confidential and will be presented anonymously. We are not collecting student identifiers (e.g., student number or name). Only Research & Analytics Department staff will have access to the survey data and will create anonymous, summary reports for our schools, the Board, and community partners working to improve the lives of children and youth. Children and youth may skip any questions they do not wish to answer. The MDI contains information about who they can reach out to if they feel distressed and need someone to talk to.

Questions?

For questions or concerns about the privacy of your child’s survey data, please contact [email protected]. For questions about the survey itself, please contact [email protected]. If you are concerned about your child’s mental health and well-being, see our resources at www.hwdsb.on.ca/mdi

Thank you for considering allowing your student to participate in this survey during this exceptional time. Please send them the link being sent to your email if you agree to them participating.

The MDI Team

Translations

To see a translated version, please use this link: www.hwdsb.on.ca/mditranslations