Wake County schools' social, emotional & behavioral health screener is back again
Children automatically included unless parents opt-out of BIMAS-2 screener
Schools within the Wake County Public Schools System (WCPSS) have begun fall notifications to parents regarding the BIMAS-2, a “social, emotional & behavioral health” screener.
WCPSS makes this screener an automatic event unless parents opt their child out. This screener has two different windows when it will be used; one in the fall and one in the spring. Parents have to opt their students out both times.
The implications of the district’s opt-out policies include data collection likely on a large number of students whose parents might have missed the small opt-out timeframe.
Here is the Opt-Out Form.
Things to know:
Second-period teachers are expected to conduct this screener without your child being aware.
Personally Identifiable Information such as your child’s birthday and student ID are part of the questionnaire.
The questions are very similar to a psychological intake process and teachers filling it out are supposed to use their “best guess” for each of the 34 separate items on the survey.
The instructions ask teachers to recall the behavior of any one of their hundreds of students “during the past week.”
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Some families in traditional calendar schools received a letter this week that may look much like this one:
Dear Family Members,
In our continuing efforts to support the well-being of all our students, we will be administering a universal screener of social, emotional & behavioral health. Our district is using the Behavior Intervention Monitoring Assessment System-2 (BIMAS-2) research-based screening tool. We believe this will help all of our students thrive academically by identifying students who may benefit from additional social and emotional supports and interventions, much like some students benefit from additional academic supports and interventions.
This will not require you or your child to do anything. Your child’s second period teacher will complete a questionnaire about your child’s actions and emotions displayed in class during a one-week time span.
Examples of some of the questions include:
During the past week, this student shared what they were thinking about.
During the past week, this student had trouble paying attention.
During the past week, this student followed directions.
During the past week, this student acted sad or withdrawn.
For each question, the teacher will answer “never,” “rarely,” “sometimes,” “often,” or “very often.”
This information helps us to understand the needs of all our students and how we can best serve and support them. This will also provide us with data to help determine school-wide programs, interventions, and training needs for staff.
If you would like more information about the universal screener, please visit our website at www.wcpss.net/universalscreener. You can also email or call our school psychologist, Leigh Goble at lgoblel@wcpss.net or (919)-577-1335.
If you do not want your child screened, please complete this Opt-Out Form and return it to your child’s school by October 6, 2023. If you want your child included in the universal screening, no further action is required.
Neither the letter nor WCPSS’ page on the screener includes a link to the actual BIMAS-2 survey. Several years ago, I obtained a copy. Parents can access it here.
This type of psychological survey was first piloted in eight schools by the district in 2019. It is now used district-wide. A full list of dates the BIMAS-2 will be deployed by type of school is available on the WCPSS website.
The pilot program was apparently free, but here’s what I was told in 2019 about the cost by WCPSS’ former communications director:
“The costs for assessment, data storage and training to date is $66,000.”
A records request has been submitted to the district to see if the dollar figure has changed.
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