School districts across the country use universal social and emotional health screeners for students. It is used as a first step in identifying existing and potential mental and behavioral problems.
Successful implementation of this kind of program needs in-depth initial planning and availability of resources ready to serve students identified through the screening process. The University of Maryland’s National Center for School Mental Health created a step-by-step guide for establishing the use of a universal SEL screener in schools.
Using Universal SEL Screener in Schools; a Step-By-Step Guide
Step 1: Create a Team
A multi-disciplinary team of stakeholders should include school counselors, social workers, and psychologists to provide expertise on mental health. School and district administrators would be helpful for the allocation of resources and providing accountability.
Other stakeholders, including family representatives, teachers, and community partners, could be valuable perspectives. This team should analyze the current situation at the school by addressing the following questions:
- What are the most critical issues and trends to address?
- Is the school adequately addressing student mental health needs?
- What resources are currently available for students with mental health needs?
- What are the policies and procedures surrounding access to and use of resources?
- Does the team agree to prioritize prevention efforts by identifying students with internalized mental health issues?
The team should work to gain buy-in for this initiative by presenting the screener as a tool to meet current priorities. That includes removing barriers to learning, improving college and career readiness, and enhancing students’ social and emotional education. The use of data to highlight the importance of a universal SEL screener is also helpful in garnering support.
Step 2: Highlight Goals
Establishing the use and intended purpose of the universal SEL screener and setting goals can be done simultaneously while gaining stakeholder approval. The team should work collaboratively to identify the school and district priorities and rank the needs in order of criticality through data from the school, district, and any other available parties.
Step 3: Identify Resources
Every school and district has a unique set of needs and available resources, which determines the level of screening administered. Some schools screen one grade level for anxiety and depression. Others screen for strengths and weaknesses on a broader level at multiple grade levels. Schools with more resources and identified needs may screen every student in every grade level. Carefully plan for timing, costs, communication, and liability issues.
Step 4: Choose a Screening Tool
Selecting an SEL screener appropriate for the school’s unique culture, needs, and resources is a critical step. Issues to consider are as follows:
- Reliability and validity
- Cost
- Screening format (online, paper-based, parent/teacher input)
- Timeframe for administration and scoring
- Training and tech support
Step 5: Analyze Effectiveness
Following the implementation of the SEL screener, the team should collect data, analyze the results, develop an IEP for the student, and determine when and if additional assessments are needed. For additional information regarding universal SEL screener implementation in a multi-tier student support system, visit WPS.
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