A key issue in using the federal definition of emotional disturbance (ED) is the challenge of measuring five characteristics of ED (Epstein, Nordness, Cullinan, & Hertzog, 2002). Stated briefly, these five characteristics include: (1) an inability to learn; (2) relationship problems; (3) inappropriate behavior; (4) unhappiness or depression; and (5) physical symptoms or fears. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, 2004) specifies that data for making a disability identification must arise from multiple sources, and proper assessment practice dictates this as well (Salvia, Ysseldyke, & Bolt, 2007; Turnbull, Huerta, & Stowe, 2006). Thus, school personnel use a variety of assessment practices to gather information for deciding whether to identify a student with an emotional disturbance. Among these assessment practices are teacher nomination, teacher-completed rating scales, student-completed self-rating scales, semi structured interviews of student or parent, and measurement of observed student behavior. Classroom observation of a student for identification as ED is a requirement in the special education regulations of many states. However, the nature of such observation is often unspecified, with assessors and teams having various possibilities. Classroom observations provide a measure of actual classroom behavior that can be an important supplement to other assessment practices to determine eligibility as well as intervention decisions. Observation protocols that accompany the "Aschenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment Child Behavior Checklist" (ASEBA), "Behavioral Assessment System for Children-Second Edition" (BASC2), and "Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders" (SSBD) can be used to provide supportive documentation to assist in eligibility decisions and intervention planning; however, few are keyed specifically to the federal definition of ED. This column describes a target-behavior recording procedure designed to yield data based on the federal criteria for ED. (Contains 2 tables and 1 note.)