Integrating a Culturally Responsive Lens Into Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Assessment Within Tiered Decision-Making Frameworks

Abstract

Effectively directing school resources to support students needing behavioral intervention has been aided by advances in social–emotional–behavioral (SEB) assessments. Growing questions have emerged about whether SEB assessment advances are engaging equitable approaches to their utilization and serving as a catalyst for equitable access to resources. Reviewing findings from the current special issue, this commentary discusses the role SEB assessments have for contextualizing student behavior from a culturally responsive lens and guiding future research directions.

Keywords:

• assessment
• behavior
• assessment
• social–emotional
• mental health services

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Isaiah B. Pickens

Dr. Isaiah B. Pickens is the founder and CEO of iOpening Enterprises, a professional development and media company that specializes in building the capacity of individuals and organizations to unlock their potential using psychological science, implementation best practices, and inspirational media. In this capacity, Dr. Pickens has developed the BRIDGE Trauma-Informed Culturally Responsive (TICR) Program, a multiday professional development for educators that provides a practical toolkit for managing youth traumatic stress responses in the school setting. As a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leader and Fellow, Dr. Pickens works collaboratively with cross-sector scholars and practitioners to promote a culture of health in America. Dr. Pickens currently sits on the national board for Communities In Schools (CIS) and has been awarded the American Psychological Association Early Career Achievement Award and the Black Enterprise BE Modern Man award for his contributions to the field of psychology. As a former clinical assistant professor at NYU School of Medicine and assistant director at the UCLA–Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, the coordinating site of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), Dr. Pickens has built a reputation as a national trauma expert and shares practical science-informed lessons about mental wellness with audiences around the world. Dr. Pickens aims to continue working toward systemic change and unlocking people’s potential by moving the world from a focus on happiness to a focus on healthiness through psychological science.