WEEK 2: Reliable Screening Data: The Right Information at the Right Time
A common concern expressed by educators is, “We already have so much data. Why do we need another assessment?” It is a fair question. Schools collect grades, attendance records, behavior referrals, benchmark assessments, progress reports, and more. The challenge is not the amount of data we have. The challenge is whether our data help us make timely decisions that give students access to the support they need before they struggle significantly.
Reliable screening tools and related data serve a different purpose than many of the data sources schools traditionally collect. Screening tools are designed to proactively identify students who may be at risk and need additional academic, behavioral, social-emotional, or attendance supports. Screening data help us preemptively identify concerns before students experience repeated failure or escalating challenges, unlike reactive data sources such as office discipline referrals, failing grades, or chronic absenteeism.
When evaluating current data systems and sources, teams should ask several important questions:
- Does our data help us determine whether Tier 1 instruction is meeting the needs of most students?
- Does it identify specific skill gaps that can guide differentiated instruction in the classroom?
- Does it help teams match students to the most appropriate intervention?
- When during the school year do we know which students need additional support in our priority areas, such as literacy, mathematics, behavior, social-emotional learning, or attendance?
- Does it provide information about whether students are responding to interventions over time?
- Are we identifying students proactively, or does our data primarily tell us who is already struggling after problems have become more difficult to address?
Reliable screening tools are only one part of an effective tiered system of support. Schools also need clear decision rules that outline how students access advanced tier support. A documented process for requesting assistance, established entrance criteria, progress-monitoring expectations, and exit criteria help ensure that students receive support quickly and consistently. These decision rules also prevent students from remaining in interventions indefinitely without evidence that the support is still needed.
Ultimately, effective screening systems are not about collecting more data. They are about collecting the right data at the right time and using it to make actionable decisions. When schools combine reliable screening tools with clear decision-making processes, they create a proactive system where students gain timely access to supports, instruction is strengthened, and intervention resources are used more effectively.
To learn more about evidence-based screening practices, visit AIR’s Center on Multi-Tiered System of Supports: https://mtss4success.org/essential-components/screening and for more information on mental health screening in particular, visit https://shape.3cimpact.com/overview or view the School Mental Health Quality Guide.
References
Center on PBIS. (2016). Tier 2 systems readiness guide. University of Oregon. https://www.pbis.org/resource/tier-2-systems-readiness-guide
Center on PBIS. (2025). Tier 2 School-Level Systems Guide. Center on PBIS, University of Oregon. www.pbis.org
Center on Multi-Tiered System of Supports at the American Institutes for Research. (2020). Tier 2 identification procedures. https://mtss4success.org/essential-components/screening
Center on Multi-Tiered System of Supports. (2026). Screening. American Institutes for Research. https://mtss4success.org/essential-components/screening
American Institutes for Research. (2020). Tier 2 identification procedures. Center on Multi-Tiered System of Supports. https://mtss4success.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/Guidance_Tier2%20_Identification_508.docx
Hannigan, T. P., & Hannigan, A. M. (2020). Evidence indicators in each tier of the PBIS Champion Model. Journal of School Administration Research and Development, 5(S1), 36–44.
Kittelman, A., Nese, R. N. T., McIntosh, K., & Hoselton, R. (2022). Optimal timing for launching installation of Tier 2 and Tier 3 systems in School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 24(4), 238–249. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300721996084
Nese, R. N. T., McIntosh, K., Hoselton, R., & Kittelman, A. (2023). Examining teaming and Tier 2 and Tier 3 practices within a School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports framework. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 25(2), 87–99. https://doi.org/10.1177/10983007211051090
National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH, 2023). School Mental Health Quality Guide: Screening. NCSMH, University of Maryland School of Medicine.