Since the beginning of the 21st century, changes in federal policies have dramatically increased the emphasis on universal screening in American schools. Universal screening is designed to be a cost-effective and brief assessment of all students within certain settings (e.g., classroom, school, district) to identify those who may need prevention and early intervention services, as well as to determine whether core educational programmes are effectively meeting the majority of students' needs. Universal Screening in Educational Settings provides evidence-based guidance for selecting or developing, implementing, and interpreting universal screening instruments in educational settings. The book describes how universal screening fits within response-to-intervention and multiple-gating models of education and also addresses psychometric issues (e.g., reliability and validity) and implementation issues (e.g., teacher training, parental consent, technology, budgets, and school characteristics). Specific chapters focus on screening instruments for early literacy, reading, mathematics, and behaviour, as well as considerations specific to English language learners. Because universal screening is a critical component of accountability, Universal Screening in Educational Settings is essential reading for school psychologists, counsellors, administrators, teachers, and related support professionals.
