1. Universal Screening for Behavior
Wyoming Department of Education

2. Why screen for behavior?
The goal is to identify students who are at risk before they mess up
This is especially important for internalizing behaviors that may build up discretely until the student does something drastic
Screening also helps to reduce the number of punitive consequences for students
Should be conducted three times per year (October, January, April)

3. Catch ‘em before they fail!
We need to identify students before they do something stupid enough to be suspended or expelled
It is important to be proactive in order to build relationships with students as opposed to destroying relationships with reactive consequences

4. Identifying Externalizing vs. Internalizing Behaviors
Externalizing behaviors are easily seen
Verbal outbursts
Physical aggression
Stealing and cheating
Internalizing behaviors are more difficult to notice
Anxiety symptoms
Depression symptoms
Social Unattachment
Have group share examples of both types of behaviors.

5. Universal Screening: Instrument Selection Criteria
Glover & Albers (2007) co-authored an article regarding application of the The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing in selecting a universal screening instrument for use in schools
Key criteria:
Appropriateness for intended use
Technical validity
Usability/practicality
Jennifer Rose, Illinois PBIS Network

6. Types of Universal Screeners
The following universal screening instruments are discussed to provide examples of various research-validated screeners:
Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD)
Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BASC-2/BESS)
Student Risk Screening Scale (SRSS)
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)
Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS)
Jennifer Rose, Illinois PBIS Network

7. Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 2001) is a free psychological measure available at
Assesses emotional functioning of children aged 3-16 based on parent, or teacher reports
Various uses: Screening, clinical assessment, progress monitoring, research tool
It comes in many languages and can be used as a rating scale for evaluations
Jennifer Rose, Illinois PBIS Network

8. Administration & Scoring Criteria
The SDQ is comprised of five scales with five corresponding items
Each item is scored on a three-point Likert type scale
Not true=0; Somewhat true=1; Certainly true=2
Factor analytically derived tool based on standard classification of psychological disorders
Jennifer Rose, Illinois PBIS Network

9. SDQ scales and corresponding items

10. Student Risk Screening Scale
The Student Risk Screening Scale (SRSS; Drummond, 1993) is a free screening instrument
Extensive research supports validity/reliability of the SRSS
Lane, Parks, Kalberg, & Carter, 2007; Lane, Kalberg, Parks, & Carter, 2008; Lane et al., 2010; Severson, Walker, Hope-Doolittle, Kratochwill, & Gresham, 2007; Walker, Ramsey, & Gresham, 2003
Behaviors are rated from 0-3
0= never; 1= occasionally; 2=sometimes; and 3=frequently
Risk status is based upon the following ranges:
High=9-21; moderate=4-8; and low=0-3
Jennifer Rose, Illinois PBIS Network

11. Universal screening readiness checklist
Build a foundation
Secure district and building-level administrative support for universal screening
Establish universal screening committee consisting of district and building-level administrators, student support personnel, teachers, family and community representatives and assign roles
Clarify goals
Identify purpose of universal screening (e.g., mental health, social skills assessment)
Determine desired outcomes
Jennifer Rose, Illinois PBIS Network

12. Universal screening readiness checklist
Identify resources and logistics
Identify resources for supporting students identified via screening (in- school and community-based)
Create a timeline for executing screening process including frequency of screening (e.g., once, or multiple times per year?)
Develop budget for materials, staff, etc.
Create administration materials (e.g., power point to share process with staff, parents and community members, consent forms, teacher checklists)
Schedule dates for screening(s) and meetings to share school-wide results
Jennifer Rose, Illinois PBIS Network

13. Universal screening readiness checklist
Select an evidence-based screening instrument
Use The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, or resources from other professional organization resources (e.g., National Association for School Psychologists; NASP), as guidelines for selecting an appropriate screener
Jennifer Rose, Illinois PBIS Network

14. Universal screening readiness checklist
Data
Develop data collection and progress monitoring system
Determine systematic process for using results to inform interventions
Plan for sharing screening and progress monitoring results with staff and families
Jennifer Rose, Illinois PBIS Network