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Direct behavior rating as a school-based behavior screener for elementary and middle grades
Sandra M Chafouleas1, Stephen P Kilgus, Rose Jaffery
1University of Connecticut, USA. sandra.chafouleas@uconn.edu
Journal of School Psychology
|July 3, 2013
Summary
Direct Behavior Rating Single Item Scales (DBR-SIS) show varying effectiveness for school screening based on grade level. Disruptive and academically engaged behaviors are key, while respectful behavior targets were less effective.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- School Psychology
- Behavioral Assessment
Background:
- School-based screening assessments are crucial for identifying students needing support.
- Direct Behavior Rating Single Item Scales (DBR-SIS) offer a brief method for behavior assessment.
- Understanding the optimal use of DBR-SIS across different grade levels is essential for effective screening.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functional performance of DBR-SIS for academically engaged, disruptive, and respectful behaviors in school-based screening.
- To determine optimal cut scores and behavior target combinations for DBR-SIS across elementary and middle school grades.
- To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy indices of DBR-SIS in a large student sample.
Main Methods:
- Utilized DBR-SIS, Behavioral and Emotional Screening System, and Student Risk Screening Scale with 831 K-8 students.
- Conducted separate analyses for elementary and middle school grade level groupings due to rating procedure variations.
- Examined cut scores, behavior target combinations, and conditional probability indices for screening accuracy.
Main Results:
- Optimal DBR-SIS cut scores and behavior target combinations varied by grade level grouping (lower elementary, upper elementary, middle).
- Disruptive and academically engaged behaviors showed better screening performance than respectful behavior targets.
- DBR-SIS performance was generally better in elementary than middle school groups, with sensitivity ranging from .51-.90 and specificity from .47-.83.
Conclusions:
- DBR-SIS can be a valuable tool for school-based screening when considering grade-level specific cut scores and behavior targets.
- Disruptive behavior is critical for risk assessment in lower grades, while academic engagement becomes more important in higher grades.
- Respectful behavior targets were not effective for screening, and further research is needed to refine DBR-SIS implementation, especially for middle school.
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