Development and Validation of the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener–Student Rating Scale

Abstract

School systems are the primary providers for the increasing number of children with mental health needs. School-based universal screening offers a valuable way to identify children that would benefit from school-based mental health services. However, many existing screening systems rely on teacher ratings alone and do not incorporate student self-ratings. The current study evaluates the psychometric properties of the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener–Student Rating Scale (SAEBRS-SRS), a new 20-item multidimensional universal screener intended to provide assessment data on students’ social, academic, and emotional functioning. The SAEBRS-SRS complements the SAEBRS Teacher Rating Scale (TRS), which has previously demonstrated robust psychometric evidence. In the current study, data were collected from a racially and ethnically diverse sample of middle school students. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a bifactor structure consistent with the SAEBRS-TRS, with items corresponding to internally consistent Social, Academic, and Emotional Behaviors subscales, as well as an overall Total Behavior scale. The current analyses yield promising initial support for the development of the SAEBRS-SRS. Implications and the need for future research to provide additional psychometric evidence are discussed.