Supporting Student Well-Being: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for Gr. 9-12

Dear TAS Parents and Guardians, 

At TAS, we care deeply about the well-being of our students. To help us meet our mission to support them in leading healthy, active, and balanced lives, students in Grades 9-12 will complete the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) during Advisory. 

What is the SDQ? 

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief, research-based emotional and behavioral screening questionnaire for children and young people. This tool is used extensively worldwide and can capture the perspective of children and young people.  

Why is the Questionnaire Being Administered? 

The purpose of the questionnaire is to: 

• Identify students who need immediate support.
• Identify students who are struggling with social/emotional/behavioral issues in order to provide appropriate early intervention/prevention support. 
• Obtain an overview of the social/emotional/behavioral needs at TAS to ensure we are providing optimal support for our students each year. 

How and When Will the Questionnaire be Administered? 

The online questionnaire will be administered during your student’s Advisory and will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. The survey items are available for you to review. The SDQ is a research-based question bank, designed to assess student well-being. TAS has made slight modifications to fit our community’s needs.  

How Will the Results be Used? 

• The data collected will be managed and analyzed by the Upper School Personal and Academic Counselors, and the Upper School School Psychologist. 
• Individual student responses to the questionnaire are confidential except in situations involving potential threat of harm to self or others. Any concerns raised through the survey process will be shared only with school personnel involved in supporting that student. 
• The questionnaire is designed to identify specific students who need additional support. The survey will be conducted electronically, and students’ names will be captured along with their responses. TAS counselors will meet with any student whose responses indicate a need for follow-up. 
• School counselors, the Upper School school psychologist, and administrators will analyze overall trends to help improve student support at TAS and track this data over time to determine if we are meeting our goals for student support.  

Does My Student Have to Complete the Questionnaire? 

• No. You can opt out of having your student complete the questionnaire; however, we strongly encourage all students to participate.  

Parents and guardians who do not want their student to take the survey should let their student’s school counselor know by phone or in writing prior to the administration of the SDQ.  

Here are the dates for the SDQ Survey administration: 

• Grade 9: September 15
• Grade 11: September 16
• Grade 10: October 6
• Grade 12: October 7

TAS will assume parent/guardian consent to their student's participation unless the school counselor has been notified. If you would like your child to participate, you do not need to take any action.  

Thank you for your support with this important project. 

The Upper School Personal and Academic Counseling Team 

TAS Personal and Academic Counselors: 

• Grade 9: Sean Huang — huangse@tas.edu.tw
• Grade 10: Ryan Haynes — haynesr@tas.edu.tw
• Grade 10: Janet Hong — hongj@tas.edu.tw
• Grade 11: Song Han — hans@tas.edu.tw
• Grade 12: Shirley Peng — pengs@tas.edu.tw

Upper School Psychologist: 

• Kari Johnson (johnsonk@tas.edu.tw) – Grades 9-12  

Thank you for your partnership in supporting the well-being of our students.

The Upper School Personal and Academic Counseling Team