General Assessment Questionnaire FAQs
- Do I need to complete a SLAQ, OAQ, or LAC?
- Is a site-level assessment required for other settings? Are there recommended assessment tools available for other settings?
- We already use another needs assessment at our site. Does this replace it?
- May I shorten or otherwise modify the questionnaire?
- Do we need to report on conducting SLAQs or OAQ in PEARS?
- Can I test out the Survey123 version of the SLAQ or OAQ before using it in the field?
Do I need to complete a SLAQ, OAQ, or LAC?
The assessment requirement applies to all LHDs. There is no minimum funding level, nor is there a minimum number of questionnaires required for any given LHD.
SLAQs are required in four settings only: retail (small food stores and large food stores), early care and education (ECE), schools (K-12), and out-of-school time (OST). Within these four settings, a SLAQ should be completed for each site where an LHD is engaged in site-level Policy, Systems and Environmental change (PSE) work. A SLAQ is not required for sites where CalFresh Healthy Living (CFHL) work does not involve PSE, or where PSE is not happening at the site level.
When an LHD is engaged in organization-level Policy, Systems and Environmental change (PSE) work in the school setting (i.e., with a school district), then a School District OAQ is required. An OAQ is not required where PSE is happening only at the site level.
An LHD Activity Checklist (LAC) is required for each completed SLAQ or OAQ. The LHD Activity Checklist can be completed or updated throughout the year, with 1 per site/organization submitted at the end of the school or program year, once all CalFresh Healthy Living (CFHL) related activities are completed.
Is a site-level assessment required for other settings? Are there recommended assessment tools available for other settings?
While SLAQs are the required assessment for each setting where a SLAQ is available, assessments are required by the LHD Funding Application for other settings as well. Your IWP should include activities to "conduct appropriate community level and setting-based needs assessments" for all settings in which you plan to work. SLAQs are currently available for elementary school, secondary school, early care and education (ECE), out-of-school time (OST), and food retail store settings; the School District OAQ is available for those working with school districts. For other settings, and for community-level assessments, recommendations are available on the CDSS SharePoint.
We already use another needs assessment at our site. Does this replace it?
The SLAQs and OAQ are designed to provide comprehensive site or organizational-level assessment data for program planning and annual reassessment, so in most cases, you should be able to replace other assessments with one of the NPI assessment questionnaires. In cases where an NPI assessment questionnaire is required and a site/organization has been using a different assessment, we recommend that you work with them to determine whether the same information is being collected, and whether the SLAQ/OAQ can replace rather than duplicate the current tool. There are some exceptions to this. If you work with schools that implement Smarter Lunchrooms Movement (SLM), then the SLM Scorecard should be completed at those schools. It is our recommendation that the meal section of the School SLAQ be completed on the same day that the SLM Scorecard observations are carried out.
When you or a site/organization wish to continue collecting data with an assessment that has been used previously, and the two tools collect similar information, you may find that you are able to use the information on the SLAQ/OAQ to complete the other assessment, or that if the site completes both assessments at the same time, it does not take much more time.
May I shorten or otherwise modify the questionnaire?
SLAQs, OAQs, and LACs may not be shortened, as they are comprehensive and include important information on evidence-based and emerging PSE strategies, based on literature review and validity testing. You may add supplemental questions needed for local evaluation and planning purposes. All questionnaires have been designed to be as concise as possible, with sections that can be skipped when they do not apply to a site.
On the retail SLAQ, questions not needed for aggregate state-level analysis have been removed or clearly delineated as optional. Additionally, some sections do not apply to every store and can be skipped.
Do we need to report on conducting SLAQs or OAQ in PEARS?
Yes, conducting a SLAQ or OAQ should be reported on the “Needs, Readiness, and Effectiveness” section of the PSE module. A job aid to assist in reporting SLAQs, OAQs, and other needs assessments is available on the CDSS PEARS User Resources webpage. LACs do not need to be reported into PEARS.
Can I test out the Survey123 version of the SLAQ or OAQ before using it in the field?
Yes, we encourage you to do this! If you want to test out any of the Survey123 questionnaires, follow these steps:
- Click on the Survey123 link for the SLAQ or OAQ you want to test (organized by setting on the Questionnaires webpage)
- In the Site Information section in Survey123, select the “TEST” option from the County and City dropdown lists and “Test Entry” from the Site dropdown list (pictured below). This will pre-populate the rest of the site information with test responses.
- Proceed with going through the tool and reviewing the questions.
- When you reach the end of the survey DO NOT click “submit.” Instead, simply close out of the web browser window. At this point, your testing is complete.
