Influence of Knowledge of Students and Student Demographics on Teacher Ratings of Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of teachers’ length of time spent with students on teacher ratings on the Behavioral Intervention Monitoring and Assessment System (BIMAS; McDougal et al., 2011). The BIMAS is a comprehensive measure of behavioral concerns related to conduct, negative affect, and cognitive processing/attention domains as well as strengths in the areas of social and academic functioning. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) of the BIMAS normative database (N = 1938) which included both non-clinical (n = 1400) and clinical samples (n = 538) revealed significant differences in teacher ratings of students between the ages of 5 and 18 across groups of teachers having known their students for varying amounts of time on all five domains measured on the BIMAS, with small to medium effect sizes. Post hoc tests revealed that in general, teachers who had known their students longer reported fewer behavioral problems in relation to conduct, negative emotions, and cognitive processing/attention as well as more strengths related to social skills and learning. These significant differences across all five BIMAS scales remained even when student demographic variables such as gender, age, ethnicity, and clinical status were controlled for. For African American and Hispanic students, behavioral concerns and deficits in adaptive skills in teacher ratings were more pronounced for groups with the least time spent with the student, compared to ratings completed by teachers with the most time spent with students. Discussion addresses potential explanations for these findings as well as implications for universal screening and progress monitoring in a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSSs).