Topics in this section:
Q: What is the BIMAS-2?
- The BIMAS-2 is used to identify students that may benefit from additional small group supports provided by your school’s MHAT Counselor or Elementary Counselor.
- The Behavior Intervention Monitoring and Assessment System 2 (BIMAS-2) is a student well-being screen consisting of three versions: 1) A Self-Report form, 2) A Teacher Report form, and 3) A Parent Report form. The Bellevue School District currently only uses the Self-Report and Teacher Report forms. Both forms consist of the same 34 questions that are divided into 5 areas:
- Conduct – Asks students about behavior challenges such emotion regulation, drug/alcohol use, and verbal/physical aggression
- Negative Affect – Asks students about feelings and behaviors associated with anxiety and depression
- Cognitive Attention – Has students rate perception of own executive functioning skills such as staying on task, impulsivity, planning, and memory
- Social – Asks students about basic social skills such as speaking clearly, maintaining friendships, sharing feelings and thoughts, and comfort level in being around others
- Academic Functioning – Asks students about basic social skills such as speaking clearly, maintaining friendships, sharing feelings and thoughts, and comfort level in being around others
Q: Where are the data stored from the BIMAS-2?
- The student data from the BIMAS-2 are stored both remotely and locally. With respect to the remote location, the Bellevue School District contracts with a company called Edumetrisis, which is the developer of the BIMAS-2. Edumetrisis hosts the application that delivers on-line version of the screen and stores the data from both the on-line and paper copy versions of the screening tools.
- Locally, the scores are stored on a local and internal SQL server that only the IT database managers and I have access to. MHAT staff and a few school counselors have access to view the scores through an internal web app that can only be accessed through being connected to the district internet. The access to the web app is controlled by the district’s Active Directory services. Other than the internal SQL server with web app we do not import the data into any other databases or systems.
Q: What protections do we have with Edumetrisis?
- Data security and privacy are very important to our process. We have a digital security agreement, which is required by district policy 3231P and state law, with Edumetrisis. The agreement that Edumetrisis signed ensures proper security of the data and states that they are not allowed to use the data for research purposes, marketing, or share the data with any other entities.
Q: What security measures are in place for the data?
- As noted in the previous questions, security measures around accessing the BIMAS-2 data include ensuring that Edumetrisis complies with digital security laws and procedures. Locally, all the data are stored on servers and files that are password protected.
Q: Who has access to the information from the BIMAS-2?
- The only people that have access to the data within the Edumetrisis database are the MHAT Counselors that sometimes work across buildings and the local building student support staff. That includes the principal(s), school counselors, and possibly the psychologist. Teachers do not have access to the student’s self-report data and the previously mentioned student support staff can only see data for students at their school. If scores are download data into an Excel spreadsheet, those scores are put into a secured OneDrive folder with restricted access, which is the same as in Edumetrisis. Staff are instructed to never send bulk data results by email.
Q: How long are the BIMAS-2 data saved?
- With regard to data retention and privacy in general, the district follows the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) as well as the state guidelines accessed through policy 3231P. Results are automatically sent out to parents, but school staff will contact parents if there are any concerns. Under FERPA parents can always request to access all educational records to obtain the BIMAS-2 results. Some uncertainty exists in state guidelines around how BIMAS-2 data are categorized, but generally they are akin to special education records, which means that the record would be destroyed 6 years after a student leaves the Bellevue School District.
Q: Are the BIMAS-2 scores included in student records?
- We do not include the scores in students’ cumulative files or general records. The scores and all MHAT data are stored in local files or a database that are available only to authorized staff.
Q: Are the BIMAS-2 data shared with outside groups?
- Parents can request and receive the results for their student(s), but individual results of students are not shared with outside groups. Aggregate data may be shared with the community and outside groups to provide reporting on the functioning of the MHAT and overall well-being of students in the Bellevue School District. Special care is taken when some disaggregated results include a low number of students. Typically, these results are not provided since a low number of students may compromise anonymity.
The Bellevue School District acknowledges that we learn, work, live and gather on the Indigenous Land of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Duwamish and Snoqualmie Tribes. We thank these caretakers of this land, who have lived and continue to live here, since time immemorial.
The Vision of the Bellevue School District is to affirm and inspire each and every student to learn and thrive as creators of their future world.
