Systematic Screening Tools: Universal Behavior Screeners

Tool Name Overview

Behavior Assessment System For Children 3rd A measure of behavioral and emotional functioning. A
Edition: Behavioral and Emotional Screening total scale score is computed using six indices:
System (BASC-3: BESS; Kamphaus & behavioral and emotional risk, externalizing risk,
Reynolds, 2015) internalizing risk, adaptive skills risk, self-regulation
risk, and personal adjustment risk. Scores provide
information on risk that may affect students’ academic
Available from Pearson Assessments progress and social relationships.

This screening tool is used with students in grades

preschool-12. Online completion and scoring and paper
copies are available. Screening takes educators about 30-
45 minutes per class. Sample reports are available on the
website.

Completed by: teacher/educators, parents, students

Pricing estimate: $75 manual, $34.25/25 forms, $343.75
data management system.
Emotional and Behavioral Screener (EBS; A measure to screen students for emotional and
Cullinan & Epstein, 2013) behavioral concerns. The 10-item scale is summed to
indicate the level of risk for an emotional disorder.
Educators use the score to determine how to respond,
Available from Hawthorne observation or monitoring, additional assessment, or
tiered intervention supports.

This tool involves a 10-item rating form and decision

summary form. Two school personnel must administer
the screener for each student. Scores place students either
at risk or not at risk.

Completed by: teachers/educators

Pricing estimate: $137.50 for the complete kit
Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior A measure assessing behavioral and emotional risk. A
Risk Screener (SAEBRS; Kilgus et al., 2013) Total Score and three domain scores (Social Behavior,
Academic Behavior, and Emotional Behavior) are
computed and used for decision-making.
Available from ebi.missouri.edu and FastBridge
This screening tool distinguishes K-12 students with
moderate/high concerns from students with few
behavioral concerns. Screening takes educators about 1-3
minutes per student. An online data management system
as well as paper copies are available..

Completed by: teachers/educators, students

Pricing estimate: free access for paper version. Online
management system available for cost
Social Skills Improvement System— A measure for screening students’ in academic areas
Performance Screening Guide (SSiS-PSG; (reading and math), motivation to learn, and prosocial
Elliott & Gresham, 2008) behavior.
The criterion-referenced scoring indicates students who
Available from Pearson Assessments may be experiencing adequate, moderate or severe
difficulty.
It takes about 20 minutes per class and can be used for
students preK-12. Educators score a class of students (up
to 25) using one scoring booklet. One subscale is
included in the online AIMSweb system (see Pearson
Assessment).

Completed by: teachers/educators

Pricing estimate: $55.50/10 forms
Social Skills Improvement System— Social- An updated edition of the SSiS–PSG provides additional
Emotional Learning (SSiS-SEL; Elliott & information related to students’ social and emotional
Gresham, 2017) learning (SEL). The SSiS-SEL has eight subscales as
follows: self-awareness, self-management, self-
awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-
Available from Pearson Assessments making, motivation to learn, reading skills, and
mathematics skills.

This screening tool is used for students ages 3-18. It

takes educators about 30-45 minutes to complete per
class. The tool is available online or in paper format.

Completed by: teacher/educator, parent, student

Pricing estimate: $459.50 for kit and 1 year scoring
subscription
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire A measure providing information on students’ on five
(SDQ; Goodman, 1997) domains: emotional symptoms, conduct problems,
hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems, and
prosocial behavior. Domain scores and a Total Problems
Available from SDQ scores are computed and indicate potential risk scores.
The newest update includes additional externalizing and
internalizing scores (Youth in Mind, 2015).

This tool can be used for ages 2-17 and there are teacher,
parent, and student forms that can be completed.

Completed by: teachers/educators, parents

Pricing estimate: free access for paper version. Please see
website for pricing for use in district/school data
management systems.
Student Risk Screening Scale (SRSS; A tool providing information on antisocial behavior
Drummond, 1994) patterns. Risk scores predict important behavioral and
academic outcomes.

Available from miblsi.org and Ci3T

This document was supported from funds provided by the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports cooperative grant
supported by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) of the U.S. Department of Education (H326S180001). Dr. Renee
Bradley served as the project officer. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the U.S.
Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, or enterprise
mentioned in this document is intended or should be inferred.
The tool is available for students in K – 12. Educators
have options to use this tool by downloading the
spreadsheet, creating it in a school or district data-
management system, or printing it in paper format. If
using paper copies, one sheet is used per class and it
takes about 10-15 minutes per class to complete.

Completed by: teachers/educators

Pricing estimate: free access
Student Risk Screening Scale – Internalizing An extension of the SRSS to better capture students
and Externalizing (SRSS-IE; Drummond, experiencing internalizing behaviors. Items on two
1994; Lane & Menzies, 2009) subscales (internalizing and externalizing) are summed to
determine a risk category for each student: low,
moderate, or high risk.
Available from Ci3T
This teacher rated screening tool for grades K-12
provides data on both externalizing and internalizing
behaviors. The tool is available in a downloadable
spreadsheet, created by a school or district in their data
management system, or paper format. If using paper
copies, one sheet is used per class. It takes educators
about 10-15 minutes per class to complete.

Completed by: teachers/educators

Pricing estimate: free access
Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders - A tool used to identify students at risk for externalizing
2nd ed. (SSBD; Walker et al., 2014) and internalizing problems. In Stage 1 educators rank
order their class along the two dimensions. In Stage 2,
three scales are used to determine if students exceed
Available from Ancora Publishing normative criteria (scales: Critical Events Index, Adaptive
Behavior Rating Scale, Maladaptive Behavior Rating Scales).
Typically, three students in each category move on to Stage 2.

This multi-gating tool can be used to screen students in

PreK-9th grades. It takes educators about 40 minutes to
screen a class of students using Stages 1 and 2. Addition
time is needed for observation time if using Stage 3.

Completed by: teachers/educators

Pricing estimate: $225 SSBD Portfolio

This document was supported from funds provided by the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports cooperative grant
supported by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) of the U.S. Department of Education (H326S180001). Dr. Renee
Bradley served as the project officer. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the U.S.
Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, or enterprise
mentioned in this document is intended or should be inferred.
Information summarized from the following sources:

Hoff, N., Strawhun, J., & Peterson, R. L. (2015). Examples of behavior screeners [Resource brief].
Retrieved from https://k12engagement.unl.edu/Examples%20Behavior%20Screeners%204-23-
2015.pdf

Oakes, W. P., Lane, K. L., Cantwell, E. D., & Royer, D. J. (2017): Systematic screening for behavior in
K–12 settings as regular school practice: Practical considerations and recommendations. Journal
of Applied School Psychology, doi: 10.1080/15377903.2017.1345813

Oakes, W. P., Lane, K. L., Common, E. A., & Buckman, M. M. (2018). Systematic screening for
behavior in early childhood settings: Early identification and intervention within a tiered
prevention framework. Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education, 3, 10 -38.

Patel, K. P. & Runge, J. T. (2012) Universal screening for behavior, social, and emotional functioning in
a SWPBIS Model [Poster presentation]. Retrieved from
https://www.iup.edu/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=123909
References for screening tools:
Cullinan, D., & Epstein, M. (2013). Emotional and Behavioral Screener. Austin, TX: Pro Ed
Publishing.

Drummond, T. (1994). The Student Risk Screening Scale (SRSS). Grants Pass, OR: Josephine County
Mental Health Program.

Elliott, S. N., & Gresham, F. (2008). Social Skills Improvement System (SSiS) – Performance screening
guide. SanAntonio, TX: PsychCorp Pearson Education.

Elliott, S. N., & Gresham, F. (2017). Social Skills Improvement System (SSiS)—Social
Emotional Learning. San Antonio, TX: PsychCorp Pearson Education.
Goodman, R. (1997). The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: A research note. Journal of Child
Psychology and Psychiatry, 38, 581–586. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1997.tb01545.x

Kamphaus, R. W., & Reynolds, C. R. (2015). Behavior Assessment System for Children-Third Edition
(BASC-3): Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS). Bloomington, MN: Pearson.

Kilgus, S. P., Chafouleas, S. M., Riley-Tillman, T. C., & von der Embse, N. P. (2013) Social, academic,
and emotional behavior risk screener: Teacher rating form. Columbia, MO: University of
Missouri.

This document was supported from funds provided by the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports cooperative grant
supported by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) of the U.S. Department of Education (H326S180001). Dr. Renee
Bradley served as the project officer. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the U.S.
Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, or enterprise
mentioned in this document is intended or should be inferred.
Lane, K. L. & Menzies, H. M. (2009). Student Risk Screening Scale for Internalizing and Externalizing
Behavior (SRSS-IE). Screening Scale. Unpublished screening tool.

Walker, H. M., Severson, H. H., & Feil, E. G. (2014). Systematic screening for behavior disorders
(SSBD) technical manual: Universal screening for preK–9 (2nd ed.). Eugene, OR: Pacific
Northwest Publishing.

Youth in Mind. (2012). What is the SDQ? Retrieved from http://sdqinfo.org/a0.html

This document was supported from funds provided by the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports cooperative grant
supported by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) of the U.S. Department of Education (H326S180001). Dr. Renee
Bradley served as the project officer. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the U.S.
Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, or enterprise
mentioned in this document is intended or should be inferred.