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Request for approval (RFAP): Social-emotional-behavioral health universal screening tools

Contact(s)

The Iowa Department of Education is seeking universal social-emotional-behavioral health (SEBH) screening tool submissions. Vendors and authors of such tools may submit a request for approval for their SEBH universal screening tool/s to be reviewed and considered for inclusion in a list of approved tools. Screening tools submitted will be reviewed to ensure each approved measure meets the criteria specified by the Department. Those tools that meet the State’s approval criteria will be distributed to Iowa’s schools, area education agencies, and collaborating agencies as approved SEBH screening instruments/processes. Districts, accredited nonpublic schools and area education agencies who contract with licensed mental health providers to engage in screening of SEBH for students in grades 1 through 12 must select from this list of approved measures. Costs associated with the purchase of universal SEBH screening tools are the responsibility of the district, school, area education agency, or contracted mental health providers administering such assessments.

Legislative Authority

Iowa Code 280A (Behavioral Health Services - School Settings) allows a district, accredited nonpublic school or AEA to contract with a mental health professional or health care organization to provide behavioral health screenings in-person with 1st through 12th grade students in a public/nonpublic accredited school.

“Behavioral health screening” or “screening” means a screening and assessment performed using a universal behavioral health screening and assessment tool, approved for use by the Department of Education in consultation with the Department of Public Health and the Department of Human Services, to identify factors that place children at higher risk for behavioral health conditions, to determine appropriate treatment or intervention, and to identify the need for referral for appropriate services.

Request for Approval Requirements

The Department is looking for authors/vendors with established assessment instruments that may be used by Iowa school districts as they engage in SEBH screening. Vendors may submit their screening instrument(s) for all ages/grade levels or select ages/grade levels serving students ages 3 through 21. 

Interested authors/vendors of SEBH universal screening tools must submit the necessary technical data using the Request for Approval Submission Template.  If submitting multiple instruments (e.g., Brief Screening Scale and Comprehensive Screening Scale) use a separate submission template for each instrument. Clearly indicate which measure/s are being submitted, and which ages/grades.

Timeline

As this is a competitive review, all questions must be submitted by the date provided and will be released based on the timeline outlined. 

Submission Checklist

  • Request for Approval Submission Template with Sections 1-3 and 5 is completed and submitted. Section 4 is optional.
  • Supplemental resources, referenced as evidence within the Request for Approval Submission Template (e.g., user guide, technical manual etc.), are submitted as pdfs with the proposal. 
  • Each submission is a pdf.
  • Each submission is no more than 16MB.
  • There are no more than 10 total submissions/attachments per Request for Approval.
  • If submitting multiple measures that stand alone (e.g., Brief Screener, Long Screener), each is submitted separately with a separate Request for Approval Submission Template.

Printed from the Iowa Department of Education website on May 20, 2022 at 4:06pm.