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SAEBRS and MySAEBRS

For students in grades K-5, District 47 uses a social-emotional screener known as SAEBRS (Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Rating Scale). To proactively address depression and other mental health concerns, SAEBRS is designed to gauge student risk for emotional and behavioral problems. Through observation, teachers  of grades K-5 complete the SAEBRS screener for all students in their classroom; the screening process does not impact or interrupt instruction nor are students directly involved.

For students in grades 6-8, teachers will also complete the SAEBRS screener for all students in their first CORE class three times a year. Additionally, District 47 has added the MySAEBRS. Students complete the MySAEBRS (comprised of 20 items and taking approximately 5–10 minutes) to self-assess their social, academic, and emotional behavior competencies. It is an opportunity for students to share how they view themselves.

The SAEBRS factors (Social Behavior, Academic Behavior, and Emotional Behavior) are often linked to a student’s overall academic success and, in accordance with the principles of prevention science, correspond to various risk and protective factors. School mental health staff will be made aware of all results from the screeners, which will be used in combination with other data points in determining if next steps are required. The classroom teacher or a clinician will notify parents/guardians regarding any concerns along with possible next steps if they are required.

The SAEBRS screener is comprised of 19 items, each of which relates to a child’s general behavior as well as his/her social, academic and emotional behaviors. Ratings like never, sometimes, often and almost always correspond to the frequency with which the teacher observed various student behaviors in the previous month. Teachers in grades K-5 will be completing a screener for each student three times a year (during report card windows).

Our goals in participating in this program are straightforward:

  • To help identify the social emotional needs of students as early as possible.
  • To provide targeted support to students who require social-emotional support.
  • To identify students who are at risk for having mental health issues.

This tool does not provide a diagnosis of any kind, but rather informs school staff about students who may require support. The teacher-completed SAEBRS is a universal screening tool for all students (K-8) and does not have an opt-out option; however, if you do not want your middle school child (6-8) to complete the MySAEBRS student self-assessment, please contact Kristin Schmidt, Director of SEL at klschmidt@d47.org.