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We tested the reliability and construct validity of a Chinese translation of one of the forms of the Behavior Assessment System for Children (3rd Edition)--Self-Report of Personality for adolescent 11- to 21-year olds (BASC-3-SRP-A). The BASC-3-SRP-A yields 16 subscales that form four composite scales. Data were obtained from 444 12- to 14-year olds (Group 1; girls: 59.0%) and 759 15- to 18-year olds (Group 2; girls: 69.2%). For both groups, Cronbach's alphas for most of the 16 subscales were higher than 0.70 and were higher than 0.83 for the four composite scales. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using Mplus 8 on the combined sample yielded support for the construct validity of the Chinese translation of the BASC-3-SRP-A. Findings support the use of BASC-3-SRP-A among Chinese youth.

There is growing evidence that current classification methods are not consistent with current empirical knowledge of childhood psychopathology and the optimal way to classify school-age children remains controversial. The current study investigated three classification methods (categorical, dimensional, person-oriented) for use in predicting school-based outcomes. Children (grades 1-5; N = 558) were administered the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Teacher Rating Scale and results were used to form three classification systems. Educational outcome variables were collected seven months later and the predictive validity of the three classification systems was compared using regression analyses. Findings indicated that all three methods for predicting educational outcomes were modest and were best able to predict later grade point averages. Results indicate the relative superiority of person-oriented and dimensional methods of classification; however these classification methods warrant further investigation. (Contains 6 tables.)

Increasingly, schools are implementing school-based screening for risk of behavioral and emotional problems; hence, foundational evidence supporting the predictive validity of screening instruments is important to assess. This study examined the predictive validity of the Behavior Assessment System for Children-2 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System Student Form (BESS Student) in the authentic context of an urban high school that conducted universal screening over 3 years. Multivariate regression, sensitivity, specificity, and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were used to examine the BESS Student scores' prediction of internalizing symptoms. BESS Student scores were able to explain a significant proportion of the variance in internalizing symptoms concurrently, but predictive validity estimates decreased over time. Significant gender differences were present; BESS Student scores were better able to predict internalizing symptoms for females. Implications for research and practice involving screening for behavioral and emotional problems are discussed.

Universal screening for complete mental health is proposed as a key step in service delivery reform to move school-based psychological services from the back of the service delivery system to the front, which will increase emphasis on prevention, early intervention, and promotion. A sample of 2,240 high school students participated in a schoolwide universal screening to identify behavioral and emotional distress as well as personal strengths. School psychologists, as part of a multidisciplinary team, coordinated the use of these screening data to engage in preventive consultation with administration to make decisions regarding the refinement and expansion of mental health service delivery options. Schoolwide and individual student prevention and intervention activities were tailored according to screening results. The roles of the school psychologist and multidisciplinary team members are discussed as critical components of this approach to service delivery change. Implications for future consultation research, practice, and training are provided.

This study assesses the ability of a brief screening form, the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System-Student Form (BESS-SF), to predict scores on the much longer form from which it was derived: the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Second Edition Self-Report of Personality-Child Form (BASC-2-SRP-C). The present study replicates a former study included in the BESS manual with an entirely new sample. Participants included 252 students from a large, urban, Southwestern U.S. city school district in the third through fifth grades. The sample's ethnic majority was Hispanic (81.7%). Results revealed high specificity and negative predictive values between the screener and omnibus form, suggesting a child who identifies as not "at-risk" on the BESS-SF will likely identify as not "at-risk" on the BASC-2-SRP-C domains. These results effectively replicate the previous findings with a new sample of largely Hispanic (Latino/a) students from a large urban school district.

A 25 item short form of the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC) Teacher Rating Scale--Preschool (TRS-P) was developed by the BASC authors to serve as an emotional/behavioral indicator for an academic intervention study targeting preschool-aged students. The BASC screener is thought to fulfill a need for an abbreviated behavior rating scale for preschool-aged students that teacher's can complete in a short amount of time. The purpose of the current study is to assess the psychometric properties of the BASC screener. Internal reliability analysis demonstrated remarkably high internal consistency for the screener. Long-term test-retest reliability was found to be acceptable. Furthermore, the construct validity of the screener was investigated using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods. Results showed that the screener measures three distinct constructs: Social Skills, Attention/Cognition, and Affect. Evidence of convergent/divergent and discriminant validity is provided. (Contains 4 tables, 1 figure, and 9 notes.)

This study examines similarities and differences in teacher ratings of behavioral problems and adaptive skills between a sample of 320 students from Anguilla, BWI and 315 children from the United States of America using the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 1992). The study also compared teacher ratings of boys and girls in the Caribbean sample. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) revealed that Anguillian teachers rated their students as having higher mean school problems, while the mean score for adaptive skills was higher for US students. Effect sizes were small, though, indicating that little of the variance in ratings was attributable to cultural group. Boys in the Caribbean sample had significantly higher mean scores on externalizing and school problems. Girls were rated at having more adaptive skills. Again, effect sizes for the differences were small. Scientific and practice implications are offered. (Contains 2 tables and 1 note.)

This study examined the criterion-related validity of score inferences from the "Behavioral and Emotional Screening System Parent Form" (BESS Parent) for the detection of symptoms of prevalent mental health disorders of childhood. The BESS Parent was administered to 99 parents of first- through fifth-grade students, along with the "Child Behavior Checklist" (CBCL). Correlations were computed between the BESS Parent total and researcher-calculated subscale scores, and "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual" ("DSM")-oriented scales of the CBCL. Moderate correlations were obtained between the BESS Parent total score and CBCL "DSM"-oriented conduct problems, oppositional defiant, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and affective problems scales, and with the CBCL externalizing, internalizing, and total problems composite scores. Results support interpreting the BESS Parent as a measure of risk and as an indicator of the potential presence of one of the common mental health disorders of childhood. (Contains 1 table.)

The BASC-2 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System Teacher, Child/Adolescent Form (BESS Teacher Form C/A; Kamphaus & Reynolds, 2007) is a brief teacher-report rating scale designed to identify students who are at-risk for behavioral and emotional problems. The aim of this study was to describe the latent dimensions that underlie the responses to the BESS Teacher Form C/A. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) across two random subsets of a nationally representative sample of 2,582 children aged 6 to 12 years suggested that the BESS Teacher Form C/A contains a four-factor latent structure consisting of Externalizing Problems, Internalizing Problems, School Problems, and Adaptive Skills. (Contains 3 tables.)

The overrepresentation of U.S. minority students identified for emotional and behavior disorders special education programs plagues schools and challenges researchers and practitioners. Arcane methods including teacher nomination continue to guide referral processes, despite compelling evidence of their influence on disproportionate special education placement for children of color. As universal screening practices are deployed, emerging evidence suggests that requiring a teacher, parent, or student to complete a rating scale may reduce disproportionality. By using available research to posit that if schools engage in universal screening of behavioral and emotional risk using formal scales, fewer children of color would be placed in special education programs. The logical and evidentiary case for universal screening is made and questions requiring more research are presented.

The BASC-2 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) Student Form (Kamphaus & Reynolds, 2007) is a recently developed youth self-report rating scale designed to identify students at risk for behavioral and emotional problems. The BESS Student Form was derived from the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Second Edition Self-Report of Personality (BASC-2 SRP; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004) using principal component analytic procedures and theoretical considerations. Using 3 samples, the authors conducted exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) to understand the underlying factor structure of the BESS Student Form. The results of the EFA suggested that the SRP contained a 4-factor (i.e., Personal Adjustment, Inattention/Hyperactivity, Internalizing, School Problems) emergent structure, which was supported by CFA in 2 additional samples. Practical and research implications are discussed. (Contains 4 figures and 3 tables.)

The problem of valid measurement of psychological constructs remains an impediment to scientific progress, and the measurement of executive functions is not an exception. This study examined the statistical and theoretical derivation of a behavioral screener for the estimation of executive functions in children from the well-established Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC). The original national standardization sample of the BASC-Teacher Rating Scales for children ages 6 through 11 was used (N = 2,165). Moderate-to-high internal consistency was obtained within each factor (0.80-0.89). A panel of experts was used for content validity examination. A confirmatory factor analysis model with 25 items loading on 4 latent factors (behavioral control, emotional control, attentional control, and problem solving) was developed, and its statistical properties were examined. The multidimensional model demonstrated adequate fit, and it was deemed invariant after configural, metric, and scalar measurement invariance tests across sex and age. Given its strong psychometric properties, with further tests of item validity, this instrument promises future clinical and research utility for the screening of executive functions in school-age children. (Contains 4 figures and 5 tables.)

The purpose of this article was to examine a typology of child behavior using the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Teacher Rating Scale (BASC TRS-C, 2nd edition; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004). The typology was compared with the solution identified from the 1992 BASC TRS-C norm dataset. Using cluster analysis, a seven-cluster solution was identified and replicated using internal and external validation procedures. Five of the seven clusters were similar to the original solution; however, two new maladaptive behavior clusters emerged. Results also showed that the percentages of students exhibiting problematic behavior increased over time. (Contains 4 tables.)

Gender differences in aggression have typically been based on studies utilizing a mean difference method. From a measurement perspective, this method is inherently problematic unless an aggression measure possesses comparable validity across gender. Stated differently, establishing measurement invariance on the measure of aggression is prerequisite to making any inferences about gender differences. This paper investigated whether aggression functions in the same way across gender using teacher-rated aggression scales from the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC). The samples for this study consisted of the BASC standardization samples, including 1,223 children (628 boys, 595 girls) and 788 adolescents (379 boys, 409 girls). The measurement invariance of the BASC aggression scales was examined with both confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory (IRT). CFA results showed that there was not enough evidence to support the measurement invariance of the scales across gender at a scale level; IRT results found that only a few items were significantly different across gender. The two methods have similarities and differences in studying measurement invariance, so they can be complementary to each other. The implications of the findings for research and practice in school psychology are discussed. (Contains 6 tables and 2 figures.)

This study examined how the manifestation of overt aggression changes during early adolescence using Hierarchical Linear Modeling. The distinct courses of physical and verbal aggression identified in this study provide support for developmental transformations in overt aggression, which would have been obscured unless aggression had been defined with greater specificity. The examination of gender effects revealed that while boys demonstrate higher initial levels of physical and verbal aggression, there were no gender differences in the growth of physical and verbal aggression. In addition, the testing of ethnicity effects demonstrated that Blacks and Hispanics show higher initial levels of physical and verbal aggression than Whites, however, adolescents from other ethnicities did not differ from Whites in terms of initial aggression levels. Despite the significant differences in initial status, ethnicity did not significantly predict the growth of aggression with the exception that Blacks exhibited a faster rate of decline in physical aggression. The limitations of this study and the implications for future research and practice are discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)

External correlates of a teacher-rated typology of child adjustment developed using the Behavior Assessment System for Children were examined. Participants included 377 elementary school children recruited from 26 classrooms in the southeastern United States. Multivariate analyses of variance and planned comparisons were used to determine whether the teacher-rated behavior subtypes could be differentiated and, if so, to create more complete descriptions of each cluster. Self-perceptions of academic, social, and emotional adjustment as well as peer perceptions of behavioral attributes and social status were found to provide convergent evidence for the typology. Divergent evidence emerged related to internalizing difficulties. Parallels between the teacher-rated typology and peer-relations research were drawn. Most notably, peers rated Mildly Disruptive (MD) children as bullying and disruptive, consistent with teacher report. However, peers also rated MD children as "cool" and with high levels of social dominance and social control, consistent with recent reports of popular bullies. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)

The purpose of this study was to document the development of a short behavioral scale that could be used to assess preschoolers' behavior while still retaining adequate scale coverage, reliability, and validity. Factor analysis and item analysis techniques were applied to data from a nationally representative, normative database to create a 23-item behavioral screener to be used to identify children at risk. Screener sum scores were created and correlated with kindergarten and second-grade measures to assess validity evidence. Additionally, a receiver operating curve analysis created a cut score for making decisions about the need for further assessment. Based on the information collected, the 23-item screener was useful for assessing preschool-age students' behavior characteristics.

A principal components analysis of the Teacher Rating Scale-Child (TRS-C) of the Behavior Assessment System for Children was conducted with a cross-sectional cohort of 659 children in Grades 1 to 5. A predictive validity study was then conducted with a 2-year longitudinal sample of 206 children. The results suggested that scores from the resulting 23-item screener had strong initial reliability and validity evidence. Predictive validity coefficients for the screener scores were acceptable for both behavioral and academic outcomes and equal to or better than those for the full TRS-C, comprised of 148 items. The practicality of the screener was documented by teachers' experiences. Administration time was less than 5 minutes per child, and no specialized teacher training was necessary. These results provide preliminary evidence that routine school screening via a brief teacher rating scale can increase the probability that children with behavioral and emotional problems may be validly identified for diagnostic and treatment services. (Contains 4 tables.)

A constructive debate over the classification of child psychopathology can be stimulated by investigating the validity of different classification approaches. We examined and compared the short-term predictive validity of cluster analytic and dimensional classifications of child behavioral adjustment in school using the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC; [Reynolds, C. R., and Kamphaus, R. W. (1992). "Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC)." Circle Pines, MN: AGS.]) Teacher Rating Scales for Children (TRS-C). We cluster analyzed 14 dimensional scores of children's behavior in first grade and identified seven clusters. Then we examined the predictive power of the dimensions and the clusters using a variety of school outcomes in second grade, including academic achievement scores in reading and math, absenteeism, discipline reports, and participation rates in pre-referral intervention. Both methods significantly predicted all school outcomes with similar magnitudes of effect sizes, but the dimensional approach was more powerful in predicting the outcomes except pre-referral intervention. Moreover, coherent group differences in the clusters were identified with respect to the school outcomes. This latter finding may suggest differentiated prognoses of cluster membership. The implications for future validation studies of alternative classification systems of child behavioral adjustment are discussed.

The Individuals with Disabilities Act (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act; IDEIA, 2004) has been reauthorized, and new parameters for defining learning disabilities (LD) have been established that provide more flexibility for corresponding state and local regulations. The field now has a unique opportunity to shape the practice of LD diagnosis and should consider important conceptual, theoretical, empirical, economic, legal, and practical issues related to LD diagnosis. This article highlights five key recommendations for the diagnostic definition of learning disabilities: (1) the definition needs to be unambiguous; (2) it must be universally accepted across professions, researchers, and governmental entities; (3) it must incorporate clearly defined subtypes of learning disabilities; (4) it must be empirically supported; and (5) it must point to valid, reliable, and cost-effective procedures for the identification of children with and without learning disabilities. Consideration of these points may help the field to avoid repeating past mistakes and returning to the folly of poor LD diagnostic practice.

American schoolchildren show tremendous academic as well as intra- and interpersonal behavioral differences in the classroom. Current service delivery models within schools may be insufficient to meet the demand and diversity of students' needs, especially in schools serving students placed at risk by adverse life circumstances, such as poverty. This article presents empirical findings about the range of normal behavioral variability within schools serving students at risk. Our findings suggest that a population-based perspective on behavioral adjustment captured this variability and was useful in predicting children's educational risk status. Our data are best explained by a model associating behavioral risk and educational status that aligns with prevention-oriented service delivery approaches specifying the needs for universal, selected, and indicated interventions in schools. We discuss our findings relative to the needs for schools to afford timely and efficient use of academic supports and mental health resources in schools serving children placed at risk. (Contains 3 tables.)

How a cluster analysis is conducted, validated, and interpreted is illustrated using a 14-scale behavioral assessment instrument and a national sample of 1,228 elementary school students. Method, cluster typology, validity, cluster structure, and prediction of cluster membership are discussed. (Author/SLD)

This study investigated diagnosis of learning problems in 177 boys (ages 6-13) with behavior problems. The standard score discrepancy method and standard score plus low achievement method were more likely to identify children with above-average intelligence quotients as learning disabled, whereas a regression approach identified learning disabilities more consistently across abilities. (Author/JDD)

Education research changed significantly with the passage of the Education Science Reform Act of 2002. That legislation created the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) within the U.S. Department of Education, forever changing research in education broadly writ, including school psychology. The creation of IES served many purposes, from defining education as a scientific discipline to encouraging research designs based on the premise that they make causal inferences more tenable. Something had to change, and IES brought about this shift.

This review of the literature and available evidence attempts to clarify the debate surrounding the learning disability (LD) diagnosis by offering a diagnostic model based on the principles of academic and functional impairment. The authors briefly review the strengths and weaknesses of current LD diagnostic approaches. Next, they propose a method for diagnosing LD that presumes core symptoms of below average academic achievement and associated impairment in other domains of functioning, including behavior and emotion, interpersonal relations, and self-care and fulfillment, which is modeled on the successful decades old approach to mental retardation diagnosis. The authors contend that this approach may help ameliorate the diagnostic problems plaguing the LD field. Finally, they present a rationale for future research efforts aimed at determining a level of low achievement that is associated with functional impairment. Keywords: learning disabilities, low achievement, functional impairment, diagnosis

Pending legislation and positions taken by the U.S. Department of Education may radically alter current learning disabilities (LD) definitions and diagnostic approaches. Proposals include eliminating a discrepancy model and incorporating a more comprehensive approach to LD assessment but one based on more subjective clinical judgment. Although this effort to change is laudable, it does not address the residual problems that will continue to plague the field: the lack of specificity of the construct of LD and the inconsistent and idiosyncratic approach to diagnosis taken by practitioners and researchers across and within states. This article proposes a new LD classification model that transcends educational and psychiatric systems of diagnosis, calls for a uniform and national diagnostic system, and suggests renaming the disorder (e.g., developmental learning delay).

Academic underachievement (AU) was studied among 177 clinic-referred boys reliably diagnosed as having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or conduct disorder (CD). Unlike previous studies, the present study assessed AU using a formula that determined while discrepancy between a child's predicted level of achievement and actual level of achievement while controlling for regression and age effects. AU was associated with both ADHD and CD when the disorders were examined individually. However, when examined in multivariate logit model analyses, the apparent relation between CD and AU was found to be due to its comorbidity with ADHD. When boys with ADHD were divided into those with attention deficits only and those with co-occurring hyperactivity, findings did not support the hypothesis that the association with AU is stronger for attention deficits without co-occurring hyperactivity.

Assessment of adaptive behavior is still controversial partially because there is disagreement about its relationship to intelligence. Most studies have yielded low to moderate correlations, suggesting these constructs are relatively distinct. The purpose of this study was to examine correlations between the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised. Subjects were 99 children, ages 5 to 19 yr., referred for psychological evaluations of diagnosed or suspected mental handicaps. Correlations between the Vineland and each intelligence test were low to moderate. Present results confirm previous findings and support the conclusion that adaptive behavior and intelligence are separate but related constructs as well as continued inclusion of adaptive behavior in assessment procedures.

We tested the reliability and construct validity of a Chinese translation of one of the forms of the Behavior Assessment System for Children (3rd Edition)–Self-Report of Personality for adolescent 11- to 21-year olds (BASC-3-SRP-A). The BASC-3-SRP-A yields 16 subscales that form four composite scales. Data were obtained from 444 12- to 14-year olds (Group 1; girls: 59.0%) and 759 15- to 18-year olds (Group 2; girls: 69.2%). For both groups, Cronbach's alphas for most of the 16 subscales were higher than.70 and were higher than.83 for the four composite scales. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using Mplus 8 on the combined sample yielded support for the construct validity of the Chinese translation of the BASC-3-SRP-A. Findings support the use of BASC-3-SRP-A among Chinese youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An overview of key features of the Kaufman Assessment Battery (K-ABC) for Children and a history of its development are presented. The discussion covers administration and scoring, standardization, reliability, validity, and educational translation. Some early postpublication research is presented, and conclusions about the possible impact of the K-ABC are drawn. (Author/CL)

Practical considerations associated with local norms development are discussed. A local norming project administering the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised to 398 elementary Mexican--American children is presented in detail. The utility of local norms and their interpretation is discussed in the context of this local project. (Author/BW)