Students with internalizing behavior patterns are often overlooked and underserved in schools, which is problematic in that they are at risk for a host of negative outcomes. As a result, there is a need for universal screening procedures to proactively detect students with these behavior patterns and to provide them with early, ongoing supports. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability, validity, and classification accuracy of the Student Internalizing Behavior Screener using a sample of elementary-age students. The results indicated that the screener demonstrated adequate evidence of reliability and validity. Results also revealed an optimal cutoff score to maximize accurate hits and minimize diagnostic errors, and they demonstrated that the screener was able to identify a unique group of behaviorally and emotionally at-risk students. The implications of the results are discussed, as well as the directions for future research on screening practices for students with internalizing behavior patterns.
Achenbach, T.M. ( 1991). Manual for the Child Behavior Check-list/4-18. Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT.
2.
Achenbach, T.M., & Edelbrock, C.S. (1978). The classification of child psychopathology: A review and analysis of empirical efforts. Psychological Bulletin, 85, 1275-1301.
3.
Achenbach, T.M., & Rescorla, L.A. (2001). Manual for the ASEBA school-age forms and profiles: An integrated system of multi-informant assessment. Burlington, VT: Research Center for Children, Youth, and Families.
4.
Albers, C.A., Glover, T.A., & Kratochwill, T.R. (2007). Introduction to the special series: How can universal screening enhance educational and mental health outcomes?Journal of School Psychology, 45, 113-116.
5.
American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, & National Council on Measurement in Education. (1999). Standards for educational and psychological testing. Washington, DC: AERA Publications.
6.
Ardoin, S.P., Witt, J.C., Suldo, S.M., Connell, J.E., Koenig, J.L., Resetar, J.L., et al. (2004). Examining the incremental benefits of administering a maze and three vs. one curriculum-based measurement reading probes when conducting universal screening. School Psychology Review, 33, 218-233.
7.
Bradshaw, C.P., Buckley, J.A., & Ialongo, N.S. ( 2008). School-based service utilization among urban children with early onset educational and mental health problems: The squeaky wheel phenomenon. School Psychology Quarterly, 23, 169-186.
8.
Cicchetti, D., & Toth, S.L. ( 1995). A developmental psychopathology perspective on child abuse and neglect. Journal of American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 34, 541-565.
9.
Crews, S.D., Bender, H., Gresham, F.M., Kern, L., Vanderwood, M., & Cook, C.R. ( 2007). Risk and protective factors of emotional and/or behavioral disorders in children and adolescents: A "mega"-analytic synthesis. Behavioral Disorders, 32, 64-77.
10.
Drummond, T. ( 1994). The Student Risk Screening Scale (SRSS). Grants Pass, OR: Oregon Social Learning Center.
11.
Elliott, S.N., Huai, N., & Roach, A.T. ( 2007). Universal and early screening for educational difficulties: Current and future approaches. Journal of School Psychology , 45, 137-161.
12.
Fawcett, T. ( 2006). An introduction to ROC analysis. Pattern Recognition Letters, 27, 861-874.
13.
Filter, K.J., McKenna, M.K., Benedict, E.A., Horner, R.H., Todd, A.W., & Watson, J. ( 2007). Check in/check out: A post-hoc evaluation of an efficient, secondary-level targeted intervention for reducing problem behaviors in schools . Education & Treatment of Children, 30, 69-84.
14.
Flook, L., Repetti, R.L., & Ullman, J.B. ( 2005). Classroom social experiences as predictors of academic performance. Developmental Psychology, 41(2), 319-327.
15.
Geisinger, K.F., Spies, R.A., Carlson, J.F., & Plake, B.S. ( 2007). The seventeenth mental measurement yearbook. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
16.
Glover, T.A., & Albers, C.A. ( 2007). Considerations for evaluating universal screening assessments . Journal of School Psychology, 45, 117-135.
17.
Gonen, M. ( 2007). Analyzing receiver operating characteristic curves with SAS. Cary, NC: SAS Institute.
18.
Gresham, F.M., & Kern, L. ( 2004). Internalizing behavior problems in children and adolescents . In R. Rutherford, M. Quinn, & S. Mathur (Eds.), Handbook of research in behavior disorders (pp. 262-281). New York: Guilford Press.
19.
Hersch, R., & Walker, H.M., (1983). Great expectations: Making schools effective for all students. Policy Studies Review, 2, 147-188.
20.
Hoge, R.D., Meginbir, L., Khan, Y., & Weatherall, D. (1985). A multitrait-multimethod analysis of the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 13, 119-127.
21.
Kauffman, J.M. ( 1999). How we prevent the preventions of emotional and behavioral disorders. Exceptional Children, 65, 448-468.
22.
Kauffman, J.M. ( 2001). Characteristics of emotional and behavioral disorders in children and youth (7th ed.). Upper Saddle, NJ: Merrill / Prentice Hall.
23.
Lane, K.L., Kalberg, J.R., Parks, R.J., & Carter, E.W. ( 2008). Student Risk Screening Scale: Initial evidence for score reliability and validity at the high school level. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 16, 178-190.
24.
Lane, K.L., Little, M.A., Casey, A.M., Wehby, J., Weisenbach, J.L., & Phillips, A. ( 2009). A comparison of systematic screening tools for emotional and behavioral disorders. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 17, 93-105.
25.
Merrell, K.W. ( 2008). Helping students overcome depression and anxiety: A practical guide (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
26.
Metz, C.E. ( 1978). Basic principles of ROC analysis. Seminars in Nuclear Medicine, 8, 283-298.
27.
Severson, H.H., Walker, H.M., Hope-Doolittle, J., Kratochwill, T.R., & Gresham, F.M. ( 2007). Proactive, early screening to detect behaviorally at-risk students: Issues, approaches, emerging innovations, and professional practices . Journal of School Psychology, 45, 193-223.
28.
Sprague, J., Cook, C.R., Browning-Wright, D., & Sadler, C. ( 2008). Response to intervention for behavior: Integrating academic and behavior supports. Palm Beach, FL: LRP.
29.
Wagner, M., Kutash, K., Duchnowski, A.J., & Epstein, M.H. ( 2005). The special education elementary longitudinal study and the national longitudinal transition study: Study designs and implications for children and youth with emotional disturbance. Journal of Emotional & Behavioral Disorders, 13, 25-41.
Walker, H.M., Reavis, K., Rhode, G., & Jenson, W. ( 1985). A conceptual model for delivery of behavioral services to behavior disordered children in education settings. In P. Bornstein & A. E. Kazdin (Eds.), Handbook of clinical behavior therapy with children (pp. 700-741). Homewood, IL: Dorsey.
32.
Walker, H.M., Seeley, J.R., Small, J., Severson, H.H., Graham, B.A., Feil, E.G., et al. (2009). A randomized controlled trial of the First Step to Success early intervention: Demonstration of program efficacy outcomes in a diverse, urban school district. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 17, 197-212.
Winett, R.A., & Winkler, R.C. ( 1972). Current behavior modification in the classroom: Be still, be quiet, and be docile. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis , 5, 499-504.
35.
Zweig, M.H., & Campbell, G. ( 1993). Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) plots: A fundamental evaluation tool in clinical medicine. Clinical Chemistry, 39, 561-577.
