Start with the Roots: Behavior Screening in Action

Remember that feeling your first year teaching—the excitement, the late-night planning, the carefully color-coded routines—and then the moment reality hit when behavior challenges showed up that no binder or checklist had prepared you for?

Megan Flynn, one of Emergent Tree’s Content Specialists, knows that moment well. And in this month’s vlog, she shares how one simple shift—using universal behavior screeners—can transform the way we understand and support students from the very start.

Using the analogy of a tree, Megan explains how behavior screening helps us focus on the “roots” of behavior—addressing challenges early, before they grow into something bigger. Through a three-gate process, educators can move from guessing to knowing:

1. Universal Screening: Teachers reflect and complete a behavior screener for each student.
2. Relational Identification: Teams review results to identify students who may need additional support.
3. Historical Data Review: Schools look at existing behavior patterns and discipline data to inform action.

Megan highlights how this data doesn’t just help individual students—it strengthens Tier 1 systems, supports teachers with the right strategies, and helps campuses plan proactively instead of reacting to every new challenge.

The big takeaway? 
Behavior screening isn’t just another task—it’s a proactive, empowering way to understand students deeply and set them up for success.

Reflection Questions

1. How could universal screening help your campus identify and support students earlier?
2. What patterns or trends might your team uncover through existing behavior data?
3. How can screening results guide Tier 1 improvements and professional learning for teachers? 
   

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