Search

The focus of this study was to prospectively investigate the effect of aggressive behavior and of classroom behavioral context, as measured in the fall of 1st grade, on the timing of 1st school removal across Grades 1-7 in a sample of predominately urban minority youths from Baltimore, Maryland. Using a multilevel discrete-time survival framework, we found that demographic characteristics of the students as well as early individual- and classroom-level of aggression contribute to the onset of school removal. Although early individual aggression was positively associated with the risk of school removal, initially higher levels of classroom aggression corresponded to lower risk of school removal. (Contains 1 footnote, 2 tables, and 6 figures.)

Within 3-tier behavioral models, universal interventions are expected to prevent the onset of problem behavior in a majority of children altogether and to sustain improvements in child outcomes by the selected and indicated interventions. A cohort longitudinal design was used to assess the extent to which a 3-tier model achieves these expected outcomes. The respective universal, selected, and indicated interventions included Behavior and Academic Support and Enhancement, First Step to Success, and MultiSystemic Therapy. A total of 407 children in Grades K-3 from 1 of 4 longitudinal cohorts participated. The results of 2-level linear growth analyses indicate that the 3-tier behavior model achieved the anticipated outcomes with respect to social behavior. The results, limitations, and implications are discussed. (Contains 2 figures and 6 tables.)

Although elementary schools provide an opportunity for early identification and treatment of academic and psychological problems, relatively little is known about the types of symptoms being addressed in schools. Latent profile analysis on data from 678 urban first graders yielded 3 classes of children: nonsymptomatic (NS), internalizers and average performers (IAP), and externalizers and low performers (ELP), with different combinations of symptoms. Survival analyses conducted on the children's use of services (in Grades 1-9) indicated that students in the ELP class received mental health and special education services faster than those in the NS class, whereas IAP children were no more likely than NS children to receive services. Findings suggest that staff may be more sensitive to early educational and externalizing problems. (Contains 4 tables and 3 figures.)

We confirmed the factor structure of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale-2nd Edition (BERS-2) with a normative parent and youth sample. The BERS-2, based on the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS), is a standardized instrument that assesses children's emotional and behavioral strengths. The original BERS was renormed to create a separate parent scale (Parent Rating Scale) and a youth self-report scale (Youth Rating Scale). In this study, we investigated whether the five-factor structure of the original BERS (i.e., interpersonal strengths, family involvement, intrapersonal strengths, school functioning, and affective strengths) could be replicated with normative parent and youth respondents. A total of 927 parents of students with and without disabilities and 1301 youth with and without disabilities volunteered to participate in the study. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine the extent to which the normative parent and youth data fit the original five-factor BERS structure. Results indicated that the five-factor structure demonstrated an acceptable fit with the normative parent and youth samples. Practical implications and future research ideas are discussed.

Behavior rating scales are important tools in the process of assessing students' emotional and behavioral needs. Best practices in behavioral assessment dictate that the perspectives of multiple informants (e.g., teacher, parent, youth) should be considered. Overall, agreement between multiple informants is modest at best and is especially low between adult and youth respondents. Low cross-informant agreement has primarily been determined with behavior rating scales that are deficit- based; the scales almost exclusively measure behavior deficits and pathologies. Recently developed strength-based instruments examine the students' behavioral and emotional strengths and competencies. Cross-informant agreement, however, has not been examined with most strength-based scales. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the cross-informant agreement between parents and youth on the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale-2 (BERS-2), a standardized instrument that assesses children's emotional and behavioral strengths. The results of this study suggest that the BERS-2 possesses moderate to high cross-informant agreement with coefficients ranging from .50 to .63.

Identification of strengths is considered an important part of school psychological practice. However, few instruments are available to school psychologists that allow for systematic and comprehensive evaluation of a student's emotional and behavioral strengths. School psychologists must be provided with psychometrically sound instruments that will measure students' emotional and behavioral skills and competencies. The Behavioral and Emotional Ratings Scale (BERS) was developed in response to the need for a valid and reliable instrument for assessing and evaluating strengths, but it became evident that the single instrument was not comprehensive. The BERS has now been restandardized to create two additional scales: a parent rating scale and a youth self-report scale. The Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale-2nd Edition (BERS-2) scales now provide school psychologists with a comprehensive set of standardized instruments to assess children's emotional and behavioral strengths. The purpose of this article is threefold: (a) to provide a brief overview of strength-based assessment in school psychological practice, (b) to discuss the development of the BERS-2, and (c) to discuss the use of the BERS-2 in school psychological practice.