Academic Behavior Risk Screener Research Articles

Measurement equivalence: A non-technical primer on categorical multi-group confirmatory factor analysis in school psychology

Evidence-based interventions (EBIs) have become a central component of school psychology research and practice, but EBIs are dependent upon the availability and use of evidence-based assessments (EBAs) with diverse student populations. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) is an analytical tool that can be used to examine the validity and measurement equivalence/invariance of scores across diverse groups. The objective of this article is to provide a conceptual and procedural overview of categorical MG-CFA, as well as an illustrated example based on data from the Social and Academic Behavior Risk Screener (SABRS) – a tool designed for use in school-based interventions. This article serves as a non-technical primer on the topic of MG-CFA with ordinal (rating scale) data and does so through the framework of examining equivalence of measures used for EBIs within multi-tiered models – an understudied topic. To go along with the illustrated example, we have provided supplementary files that include sample data, Mplus input code, and an annotated guide for understanding the input code (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2016.11.002). Data needed to reproduce analyses in this article are available as supplemental materials (online only) in the Appendix of this article.

Use of the Intervention Selection Profile–Social Skills to Identify Social Skill Acquisition Deficits

The purpose of this investigation was to develop and initially validate the Intervention Selection Profile–Social Skills (ISP-SS), a novel brief social skills assessment method intended for use at Tier 2. Participants included 54 elementary school teachers and their 243 randomly selected students. Teachers rated students on two rating scales, including the Social and Academic Behavior Risk Screener (SABRS) and the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS). Items corresponding to the SABRS Social Behavior scale were considered for inclusion in the ISP-SS, given the research supporting the scale’s reliability, validity, and diagnostic accuracy as a predictor of social skill performance. A clinimetric approach was used in selecting SABRS items for the ISP-SS based upon applied utility, which was defined as the accuracy with which items predicted the presence of social skill acquisition deficits within broad skill domains. Findings supported the selection of six items, which yielded acceptable levels of agreement and classification accuracy. ISP-SS items evidenced adequate internal consistency, with alpha coefficients falling within acceptable ranges. Taken together, findings yielded initial support for the use of the ISP-SS in identifying acquisition deficits to be targeted via Tier 2 social skills instruction. Implications for practice and future directions for research are presented.

Development and initial validation of the Social and Academic Behavior Risk Screener for Elementary Grades.

The purpose of the current investigation was to develop and provide initial validation of the Social and Academic Behavior Risk Screener (SABRS). Research was conducted in southeast elementary schools with 54 teacher and 243 student participants. An initial item pool was created through review of developmental research on the trajectory of behavior problems and competencies, as well as various models of social, emotional, and academic competence. A content validation process in addition to reliability and exploratory factor analyses resulted in development of a 12-item SABRS scale. Two factors emerged, with six items corresponding to "Social Behavior" and 6 items corresponding to "Academic Behavior." Subsequent correlational and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses revealed each scale, as well as an overall combined scale, to be a concurrently valid and diagnostically accurate predictor of the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) Teacher Rating Scales. The reader is provided a review of implications for practice and directions for future SABRS research.