Despite significant advancements in supporting students' social, emotional, and behavioral health in recent years, progress remains hindered by limited formative assessment options. The focus of this special issue is on applications for Direct Behavior Rating (DBR), which is a hybrid assessment method incorporating procedures utilized in direct observations and teacher ratings. Three articles in the special issue utilize multiple baseline designs to demonstrate the utility and effectiveness of DBR single-item scales, and a fourth article describes a multiple-item DBR applied to social behaviors. Expert commentaries provide perspectives on the current literature related to the assessment of social, emotional, and behavioral constructs in school settings and also chart a future course for continued study.