Building on the foundation established by the California Student Wellness Index, we developed the Comprehensive Assessment of Resilience and Emotional Strengths (CARES). This 27-item universal mental wellness screener integrates the CSWI with the Social Emotional Health Survey and the School Connectedness Scale in to an efficient wellness screener format. Validation and normative information is based on the responses of 500,000+ California students in grades 6-12. This tool is a resource to enhance your school's data-informed efforts to support students' well-being.

Component Measures

CARES Documentation and Online Administration/Scoring Resources

Tier 1 CARES Universal School Mental Wellness Screener Documentation

Explore the CARES Tier 1 online universal screener

CARES Universal Wellness Screener PDF

Tier 2 CARES Screening and Monitoring Assessment Measures Documentation

Explore a CARES Tier 2 online survey administration and scoring resource

For more information, contact: Michael Furlong, mfurlong@ucsb.edu

Furlong, M. J., O’Malley, M., Chan, M. K., Dowdy, E., Goodwin, J. W., Ortiz, A., Nylund-Gibson, K., & Hanson, T. (2025). The California Student Wellness Index: Development, Validation, and Multi-Tier Applications. Contemporary School Psychology, 29, 315–332.

This report examines the development, validation, and applications of the California Student Wellness Index (CSWI). This concise 10-item measure evaluates students' mental health and well-being. It includes an assessment of life satisfaction (Brief Multidimensional Student Life Satisfaction Scale) and measures emotional distress (Social Emotional Distress Scale). The validation is based on responses from 600,000+ California students in grades 6-12. Detailed scoring, norming, and interpretation information is provided.