KEY FEATURE: GRAPH OF RISK FACTOR INDICATOR DATA

This Form walks you through the creation of a graph of risk indicator data. The Form and graph will be completed incrementally over time.

Do not write on the original Form. Make additional copies of both pages of Form 3-2. You will need one copy of the Form to document each indicator of each of your community's priority risk factors. Make a set of Forms equal to the total number of indicators you listed in column B of Form 3-1. In the example provided for Form 3-1, South Valley Township would need a total of eight copies of Form 3-2 for the eight indicators of risk listed in the Risk Factors and Indicator Summary Table.

1. Risk Factor and Indicator

1. Risk Factor: Enter the name of one of the priority risk factors listed in column A of Form 3-1.

2. Indicator: Name one indicator or measure of the specified risk factor from column B of Form 3-1. For each indicator listed in column B of Form 3-1, you should complete a separate copy of Form 3-2.

This table will be used to organize the indicator data you have collected. The table is designed to capture data over an extended period of time. To reflect the impact of your Title V Initiative, ideally the data table should include three to five years of data before the Title V grant period began, the three years of the grant period, and then several years after the initial Title V grant ends. Therefore, the first time you work on this Form, you could be filling in several columns of the left hand side of the table, representing several years' prior data. Each year thereafter you should continue to enter new data into the additional columns of the table. (There are columns for 13 years of data on this Form).

It should be noted that there may be some lag time before data becomes available for certain indicators. Due to the time and effort required for data collection, analysis, and dissemination, certain information, such as census data, may not be available for many months or even years after the year of study. On an annual basis, enter the data that isaccessible at that time. Fill in the boxes for previous years as the information becomes available. In addition, in some cases data will not be available on an annual basis from the information source. For example, some surveys are conducted every other year rather than every year. Where data cannot be obtained for a given year, mark the boxes "NA" for not available.

1. Data Unit: Name the unit in which indicator data is measured and specify exactly what is being described. The data unit can be a number, percentage, rate, weight, score, or other measure. Examples of data units include: the number of G.E.D. Diplomas issued in thousands; gallons of alcoholic beverages consumed by each adult; the percentage of responses to the question "How many of your friends would you estimate smoke cigarettes?"; and the average SAT score.

2. Data Group : In this first column of the table, enter the separate indicator data groups, categories, or variables. These groups will reflect the different break-outs for which the indicator data have been collected and are used for comparison or analysis purposes. Data groups may include different racial/ethnic groups, age groups, or geographic groups. They also may refer to different categories of the overall indicator, such as different reasons for juvenile arrest or types of drugs available. Examples of data groups include:
   • Local, State, National (level of government).

   • African-American, Native American, White, All races (race).

   • 8th grade, 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade (grade level).

   • Murder, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Weapons Violations (type of offense).

   In some cases, there may be only one data group for a given indicator. If there is only one variable, enter the label for that group in the first row (a) and leave the other rows blank.

3. Years: Across the top row of the data table, enter the years for which data have been collected.
   • Entering the Indicator Data : For each year and data group, record the appropriate values in the data table. Data should be entered in the column for the year it represents. (Remember that the year the data actually represent might be different from the year in which they were published or made available.) Make sure that all data is entered consistently in the appropriate data unit (e.g., in thousands, percentages, rate per 100,000 population).

The following is an example of a completed data table for the Morris County School District:

1. Risk Factor and Indicator

A. Risk Factor: Availability of Drugs       B. Indicators: Perceived Availability of Marijuana                                                                                   Among Morris County Students

2. Indicator Data Table

A. Unit:

Percentage of students reporting that marijuana would be "easy" to get

B. Data Group	C. Years
	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
a. 8th Graders	30	32	34	34	37	38	38	36	33	30	27	25
b. 10th Graders	60	60	64	65	69	69	69	68	60	55	51	47
c. 12th Graders	89	93	91	93	93	94	94	90	85	82	76	76
d.

The Sample Data Table shows 30% of the 8th graders, 60% of the 10th graders, and 89% of the 12th graders in Morris County thought that marijuana would be easy to get in 1989. By the year 2000, the percentage of students who thought marijuana would be easy to get declined to 25% of the 8th graders, 47% of the 10th graders, and 76% of the 12th graders.

3. Indicator Data Sources

Indicate your sources of information for the indicator data shown in the data table. Specify the particular records or survey name from which the data were collected. For example, the indicator data source in the table above is the "Drugs in Your School Survey" distributed annually to Morris County Students. Other examples of local and national data sources include: Police or Sheriff's Departments, District Attorney's Offices, School Districts, Child Protective Services Agencies, Liquor Control Boards, Employment and Welfare Offices, Hospitals and Health Clinics, Government Agencies, the U.S. Bureau of the Census, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. (If your community attended the Communities That Care Risk and Resource Assessment Training, you may want to consult the Communities That Care Data Workbook produced by Developmental Research and Programs, Inc. (DRP) for a more complete list of sources of data on indicators of risk factors for adolescent problem behaviors.)

The indicator graph will be used to present a picture of changes in indicator data over time. To create the graph, you will transfer information from Section 2, the Indicator Data Table. Each year as the data table is updated, you will add additional data points to the graph.

1. Unit: Enter the same data unit that you wrote in 2A above. This unit of measure serves as the title of the vertical (Y) axis.

2. Vertical (Y) Axis: Label the tick marks along the vertical side of the graph frame (the Y axis) with increments of the data unit. First determine the range of values to be shown and then label the axis to form a numerical scale of the data values. Starting at the bottom tick mark of the vertical axis, write the minimum number possible for that data unit. In many cases the minimum value will be 0, but not always. In some instances, for example with some test scores, very low values are possible but rarely achieved; in such cases, you may want to start with the lowest number obtained rather than the lowest number possible. After marking the lowest value, enter a range of sequential values up the axis, ending with the highest probable value to be recorded. Make sure the differences between each value and the one above it and below it are equal. That is to say, for any value on the vertical axis, you would add the same number to produce the next higher value on the axis. For example, if your indicator unit is the percentage of households with a spouse absent, then you could label the vertical axis from 0% to 90% in increments of 15: 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90.

3. Horizontal (X) Axis : The horizontal side of the graph frame (the X axis) represents the years for which data have been collected. Label the horizontal axis tick marks from left to right starting with the earliest year of your data and adding each subsequent year.

4. Legend : Next to each letter and symbol in the legend box, enter one data group that is listed in the data table. Each group will be identified in the graph by the symbol shown next to the letter.
   • Plotting the Data Points: For each variable, locate the data values in the data table and show the values on the graph by marking each data point with the identifier symbol from the legend box. Find and mark the appropriate values along the grid lines of the vertical axis for every year displayed on the horizontal axis. Draw a line to connect like symbol marks of each year's plotted value. Data for each data group should be shown in its own data line.

Sample Indicator Graph: Form 3-2 Tracking Risk Factor Indicators

Below is an example of the completed indicator graph for "Perceived Availability of Marijuana in the Morris County School District" based on the data in the sample indicator data table shown on page 6.

Repeat the instructions for Form 3-2 for each indicator of each risk factor.

FORM 3-2 (Wordperfect format)