High School FLASH, 3rd Edition
Public Health - Seattle and King County
High School FLASH is a sexual health education curriculum designed for classroom settings in grades 9–12. The program aims to (1) prevent unintended pregnancy, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and sexual violence; (2) increase knowledge about reproductive and sexual health; and (3) improve family communication about relationships and reproductive health. FLASH covers the following topics: healthy relationships, communication, decision making, online safety, coercion and consent, pregnancy, the reproductive system, sexual orientation and gender identity, abstinence, birth control and condoms, HIV and STD prevention, STD testing, and improving school health.
The program is designed for high school students in grades 9–12.
The program is designed to be delivered in high school classrooms, though it has been implemented in a wide variety of settings.
For curriculum, materials, and pricing information, please contact:
Website https://kingcounty.gov/flash.
Email FLASH@kingcounty.gov.
For training and support, please contact:
Website https://kingcounty.gov/flash.
Email FLASH@kingcounty.gov.
| Category | Component | Core Component | Component present | Notes | Lesson number(s) / activities where present |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Content | Graduating from high school | No | No | ||
| Content | Anatomy/physiology | No | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 2 | |
| Content | Other | No | No | ||
| Content | Volunteering/civic engagement | No | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 15 | |
| Content | Spirituality | No | No | ||
| Content | Morals/values | No | No | ||
| Content | Identity development | No | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 4, 5 | |
| Content | Social support/capital | No | Yes (evaluated version) | Lessons contain optional family homework | |
| Content | Social influence/actual vs. perceived social norms | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | These lessons contain social norms activities | Lessons 7, 15 |
| Content | Social competence | No | Yes (evaluated version) | Lessons 5, 6, 9, 14 | |
| Content | Parenting skills | No | No | ||
| Content | Normative beliefs | No | No | ||
| Content | Leadership | No | No | ||
| Content | Gender roles | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 5 | |
| Content | Gender identity | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 4, 5 | |
| Content | Cultural values | No | No | ||
| Content | Connections with trusted adults | No | Yes (evaluated version) | Lessons contain optional family homework | All lessons |
| Content | Conflict resolution/social problem solving | No | Yes (evaluated version) | Lessons 6, 9 | |
| Content | Communication skills | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | Lessons 6, 9 | |
| Content | Child development | No | No | ||
| Content | Boundary setting/refusal skills | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | Lessons 5, 6, 9 | |
| Content | Substance use cessation | No | No | ||
| Content | Substance use - Other drugs | No | No | ||
| Content | Substance use - Alcohol | No | No | ||
| Content | Substance use - Abstinence | No | No | ||
| Content | Brain development and substance use | No | No | ||
| Content | Vocational/skills training | No | No | ||
| Content | Supplemental academic services | No | No | ||
| Content | School engagement | No | No | ||
| Content | College preparation | No | No | ||
| Content | Alternative schooling | No | No | ||
| Content | Self-regulation | No | Yes (current version) | Lesson 9 | |
| Content | Self-esteem | No | No | ||
| Content | Self-efficacy/empowerment | No | No | ||
| Content | Resilience | No | No | ||
| Content | Sexual health | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 2, 6, 7, 9 | |
| Content | STIs - Treatment | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 13 | |
| Content | STIs - Screening | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 13 | |
| Content | STIs - Prevention | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 1, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 | |
| Content | STIs - Information | No | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 11, 13 | |
| Content | Sexual risk reduction | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | Lessons 1, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15 | |
| Content | Sexual risk discontinuation | No | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 9 | |
| Content | Sexual risk avoidance | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 9 | |
| Content | Personal vulnerability | No | No | ||
| Content | Maternal health | No | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 3 | |
| Content | Contraception - Condoms | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | Lessons 10, 12, 13 | |
| Content | Contraception - Long-acting reversible contraceptives | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 10 | |
| Content | Contraception - Other | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 10 | |
| Content | Contraception - Pills, patches, rings, and shots | Yes | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 10 | |
| Content | Reproduction | No | Yes (evaluated version) | Lesson 3 |
The program aims to (1) prevent unintended pregnancy, HIV and other STDs, and sexual violence; (2) increase knowledge about reproductive and sexual health; and (3) improve family communication about relationships and reproductive health.
FLASH covers the following topics: healthy relationships, communication, decision making, online safety, coercion and consent, pregnancy, the reproductive system, sexual orientation and gender identity, abstinence, birth control and condoms, HIV and STD prevention, STD testing, and improving school health.
The program is delivered through large and small group discussions, interactive activities, role-plays, demonstrations, skills practice, worksheets, and family homework assignments.
The program consists of 15 50-minute sessions, offered daily to weekly. It can be adapted for block schedules and multi-hour workshops. FLASH is most commonly delivered over three to five weeks, but implementation is flexible.
The program is delivered by classroom teachers or community-based educators.
The curriculum is available in two formats:
- Printed curriculum in a three-ring binder with tabs
- Online paperless curriculum (only the student materials can be printed from the online version)
The following materials and resources are available:
- Implementation toolkit
- Student- and parent-facing materials in English and Spanish
- Pre-tests and post-tests for each lesson, aligned to national health standards
- Materials for review committees and parent preview
- All lessons are available in asynchronous format for independent study to provide flexibility during the pandemic.
None
The following resources are available:
- Implementation toolkit
- Facilitator forms for each lesson
- Observation forms for each lesson
- Logic model
- Red/yellow/green light adaptation guidance
- Core components
- FLASH evaluation overview
- Medical accuracy overview
- Trauma-informed overview
- Age appropriateness overview
FLASH educator training is available but not required. The following resources are available:
- Self-guided FLASH teacher training modules (asynchronous)
- FLASH training offered by FLASH instructors (live, remote)
- FLASH professional development assessment tool
Website https://kingcounty.gov/flash.
Email FLASH@kingcounty.gov.
Contact the developers at FLASH@kingcounty.gov for assistance.
High School FLASH is a flexible curriculum. Please see the red/yellow/green light adaptation guidance at https://kingcounty.gov/flash.
| Citation | High-Quality Randomized Trial | Moderate-Quality Randomized Trial | Moderate-Quality Quasi-experiment | Low Study Rating | Did Not Meet Eligibility Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coyle et al., 2021 |
✓ |
| Citation | Setting | Majority Age Group | Majority Racial/Ethnic Group | Gender | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coyle et al., 2021 |
In school: High school | 14 to 17 | African American or Black | Youth of any gender | 1734 |
Evidence by Outcome Domain and Study
| Citation | Sexual Activity | Number of Sexual Partners | Contraceptive Use | STIs or HIV | Pregnancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coyle et al., 2021 |
|
n.a. |
|
n.a. | n.a. |
| Citation | Details |
|---|---|
Coyle et al., 2021 |
The program was evaluated using a randomized controlled trial involving 9th and 10th graders recruited from seven school districts in the midwestern and southern regions of the United States. Teenage birth rates were at or above the national average in these school districts. Twenty schools were randomly assigned to either a treatment group that received the 15-session FLASH program or a control group that received a five-session, knowledge-based sexual health curriculum. Surveys were administered three months and 12 months after the end of the FLASH program. The study found that among the subgroup of youth who were sexually inexperienced at baseline, youth participating in FLASH were significantly less likely to report having had vaginal sex without condoms or other birth control in the prior three months than youth in the control group were (effect size = -0.67). This impact was measured three months after the program ended. The impacts were no longer statistically significant by the 12-month follow-up, however. Three and 12 months after the end of the FLASH program, the study found no statistically significant program impacts for the full sample on the prevalence of vaginal sex in the past three months or the prevalence of vaginal sex without contraception in the past three months. The study also found no statistically significant effect on initiation of vaginal sex among the sexually inexperienced sample, either at the three-month or the 12-month follow-up. The study also examined program impacts on measures of increased knowledge and attitudes about STI testing and increased comfort with communication with parents about sexual health. Findings for these outcomes were not considered because they fell outside the scope of the review. |