Universal screening can be a foundational part of a comprehensive assessment process that evaluates all students for various specialized services, such as special education, gifted education, and language development. Unlike traditional identification methods, which rely on referrals from educators or parents/guardians prior to assessment, universal screening systematically includes all students in a formal assessment process (Johnsen et al., 2021; Lakin, 2016). Ikeda et al. (2008) define universal screening as the “systematic assessment of all children within a given class, grade, school building, or school district on academic and/or social-emotional indicators that the school personnel and community have agreed are important” (p.103).