Skip to main content
Log in

Screening for Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Problems at Kindergarten Entry: The Utility of Two Teacher Rating Scales

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
School Mental Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We examined (a) the utility of teacher ratings on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman in J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 40:1337–1345, 2001. doi:10.1097/00004583-200111000-00015) and BASC-2 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS; Kamphaus and Reynolds in Behavior assessment system for children-second edition: behavioral and emotional screening system. Pearson, Bloomington, 2007), completed at kindergarten entry, in identifying risk status as defined by important criterion variables (teacher ratings of impairment, daily behavioral performance, and quarterly grades in kindergarten and first grade), and (b) the incremental validity of scores on each of these rating scales in predicting criterion variables beyond that predicted by the school district’s academic screening tool. The participants were 248 kindergarten students (91 % response rate) from one school district. Receiver operating characteristic analyses and area under the curve values indicate that both measures have moderate to high utility (AUCs ≥ .78) in identifying children demonstrating at-risk academic performance, problematic classroom behavior, and impairment in social and emotional functioning. Regression analyses indicate that both measures account for incremental variance (between 6.69 and 45.84 %) in kindergarten outcomes beyond that accounted for by the school district’s academic screening tool. The BESS was a slightly stronger predictor of academic outcomes, and the SDQ was a slightly stronger predictor of peer outcomes. Implications for selecting a teacher measure for universal screening of social, emotional, and behavioral problems at kindergarten entry are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. We are pleased to report that, since the data collection procedures for this study Ohio has added a social emotional component to the KRAL, as this highlights the importance and relevance of the scientific question we are studying.

References

  • Bourdon, K. H., Goodman, R., Rae, D. S., Simpson, G., & Koretz, D. S. (2005). The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: US normative data and psychometric properties. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 44, 557–564.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Burt, K., & Roisman, G. (2010). Competence and psychopathology: Cascade effects in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Development and Psychopathology, 22, 557–567. doi:10.1017/S0954579410000271.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caemmerer, J. M., & Keith, T. Z. (2015). Longitudinal, reciprocal effects of social skills and achievement from kindergarten to eighth grade. Journal of School Psychology, 53, 265–281.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Conduct Problems Prevention Group, & Dodge, K. A. (2007). Fast track randomized controlled trial to prevent externalizing psychiatric disorders: Findings from grades 3 to 9. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 46, 1250–1262. doi:10.1097/chi.0b013e31813e5d39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dever, B. V., Mays, K. L., Kamphaus, R. W., & Dowdy, E. (2012). The factor structure of the BASC-2 behavioral and emotional screening system teacher form, child/adolescent. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 30, 488–495.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dowdy, E., Chin, J. K., & Quirk, M. P. (2013). Preschool screening an examination of the behavioral and emotional screening system preschool teacher form (BESS preschool). Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 31, 578–584.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dowdy, E., Ritchey, K., & Kamphaus, R. W. (2010). School-based screening: A population-based approach to inform and monitor children’s mental health needs. School Mental Health, 2, 166–176.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Duchesne, S., Vitaro, F., Larose, S., & Tremblay, R. E. (2008). Trajectories of anxiety during elementary-school years and the prediction of high school noncompletion. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39, 1134–1146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eklund, K., & Dowdy, E. (2014). Screening for behavioral and emotional risk versus traditional school identification methods. School Mental Health, 6, 40–49. doi:10.1007/s12310-013-9109-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fabiano, G. A., Pelham, W. E, Jr, Waschbusch, D. A., Gnagy, E. M., Lahey, B. B., Chronis, A. M., et al. (2006). A practical measure of impairment: psychometric properties of the impairment rating scale in samples of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and two school-based samples. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 35, 369–385.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feeney-Kettler, K. A., Kratochwill, T. R., Kaiser, A. P., Hemmeter, M. L., & Kettler, R. J. (2010). Screening young children’s risk for mental health problems: A review of four measures. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 35, 218–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Girio-Herrera, E., Dvorsky, M. R., & Owens, J. S. (2015). Mental health screening in Kindergarten youth: A multi-study examination of the concurrent and diagnostic validity of the impairment rating scale. Psychological Assessment, 27, 215–227.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Glascoe, F. P. (2001). Are overreferrals on developmental screening tests really a problem? Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 155, 54–59.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Glover, T., & Albers, C. (2007). Considerations for evaluating universal screening assessments. Journal of School Psychology, 45, 117–135. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2006.05.005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, R. (2001). Psychometric properties of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 1337–1345. doi:10.1097/00004583-200111000-00015.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, J. R., Vannest, K. J., & Reynolds, C. R. (2013). Social acceptability of five screening instruments for social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. Behavioral Disorders, 38, 171–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamphaus, R. W., DiStefano, C., Dowdy, E., Eklund, K., & Dunn, A. R. (2010). Determining the presence of a problem: Comparing two approaches for detecting youth behavioral risk. School Psychology Review, 39, 395–407.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamphaus, R., & Reynolds, C. (2007). Behavior assessment system for children-second edition: Behavioral and emotional screening system (BESS). Bloomington, MN: Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kasich, J. R. (2011). Executive order 2011-21K: Creating authority and accountability for early childhood education. Retrieved December 18, 2015, from http://www.earlychildhoodohio.org/files/elcg/Governors_Executive_Order.pdf

  • Keenan, K., & Wakschlag, L. S. (2002). Can a valid diagnosis of disruptive behavior disorder be made in preschool children? American Journal of Psychiatry, 159, 351–358.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • King, K., Reschly, A. L., & Appleton, J. J. (2012). An examination of the validity of the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System in a rural elementary school validity of the BESS. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 30, 527–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ladd, G. W., Birch, S. H., & Buhs, E. S. (1999). Children’s social and scholastic lives in kindergarten: Related spheres of influence? Child Development, 70, 1373–1400. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.00101.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loe, I. M., & Feldman, H. M. (2007). Academic and educational outcomes of children with ADHD. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 32, 643–654. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsl054.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mathiesen, K. S., & Sanson, A. (2000). Dimensions of early childhood behavior problems: Stability and predictors of change from 18 to 30 months. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 28, 15–31. doi:10.1023/A:1005165916906.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, F. G., Cohen, D., Chafouleas, S. M., Riley-Tillman, T. C., Welsh, M. E., & Fabiano, G. A. (2015). A comparison of measures to screen for social, emotional, and behavioral risk. School Psychology Quarterly, 30, 184.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moilanen, D. L., Shaw, D. S., & Maxwell, K. L. (2010). Developmental cascades: Externalizing, internalizing and academic competence from middle childhood to early adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 22, 635–653. doi:10.1017/S095457941000033.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • National Center on Response to Intervention. (2010). Essential components of RTI—A closer look at response to intervention. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, National Center on Response to Intervention.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Conference of State Legislatures. (2014). State approaches to school readiness assessment: 2014 update. Washington, DC: National Conference of State Legislatures.

    Google Scholar 

  • Owens, J. S., Holdaway, A. S., Zoromski, A. K., Evans, S. W., Himawan, L. K., Girio-Herrera, E., & Murphy, C. E. (2012). Incremental benefits of a daily report card intervention over time for youth with disruptive behavior. Behavior Therapy, 43, 848–861.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Owens, J. S., Storer, J., Holdaway, A. S., Serrano, V. J., Watabe, Y., Himawan, L. K., et al. (2015). Screening for social, emotional, and behavioral problems at Kindergarten entry: Utility and incremental validity of parent report. School Psychology Review, 44, 21–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pihlakoski, L., Sourander, A., Aromaa, M., Rautava, P., Heleius, H., & Sillanpaa, M. (2006). The continuity of psychopathology from early childhood to preadolescence: A perspective cohort study of 3–12-year-old children. European Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 15, 409–417. doi:10.1007/s00787-006-0548-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pintea, S., & Moldovan, R. (2009). The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis: Fundamentals and applications in clinical psychology. Journal of Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies, 9(1), 49–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramey, C. T., & Ramey, S. L. (2004). Early learning and school readiness: Can early intervention make a difference? Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 50, 471–491.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Renshaw, T. L., Eklund, K., Dowdy, E., Jimerson, S. R., Hart, S. R., Earhart, J, Jr, & Jones, C. N. (2009). Examining the relationship between scores on the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System and student academic, behavioral, and engagement outcomes: An investigation of concurrent validity in elementary school. The California School Psychologist, 14(1), 81–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stone, L. L., Janssens, J. M., Vermulst, A. A., Van Der Maten, M., Engels, R. C., & Otten, R. (2015). The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: psychometric properties of the parent and teacher version in children aged 4–7. BMC Psychology, 3, 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stone, L. L., Otten, R., Engels, R., Vermulst, A., & Janssen, J. (2010). Psychometric properties of the parent and teacher versions of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for 4- to 12-year-olds: A review. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 13, 254–274.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Suldo, S. M., Gormley, M. J., DuPaul, G. J., & Anderson-Butcher, D. (2014). The impact of school mental health on student and school-level academic outcomes: Current status of the research and future directions. School Mental Health, 6, 84–98. doi:10.1007/s12310-013-9116-2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swets, J. A. (1996). Signal detection theory and ROC analysis in psychology and diagnostics: Collected papers. Hillsdale, NJ, England: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Volpe, R. J., & Fabiano, G. A. (2013). Daily behavior report cards: An evidence-based system of assessment and intervention. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wagner, M., Kutash, K., Duchnowski, A. J., Epstein, M. H., & Sumi, W. C. (2005). The children and youth we serve a national picture of the characteristics of students with emotional disturbances receiving special education. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 13, 79–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wakschlag, L. S., Briggs-Gowan, M. J., Carter, A. S., Hill, C., Danis, B., Keenan, K., et al. (2007). A developmental framework for distinguishing disruptive behavior from normative misbehavior in preschool children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 48, 976–987. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01786.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, H. M., & Shinn, M. R. (2002). Structuring school-based interventions to achieve integrated primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention goals for safe and effective schools. In M. R. Shinn, H. M. Walker, & G. Stoner (Eds.), Interventions for academic and behavior problems II: Preventive and remedial approaches (pp. 1–25). Washington, DC: National Association of School Psychologists.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

During the preparation of this article, Julie S. Owens was supported by Grants from the Department of Education, Institute of Educational Sciences (R324A120003; R324A120272; R324C080006) and the Disability Research and Dissemination Center through its Grant (5U01DD001007-03) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We wish to extent our gratitude to the parents and teachers of the Logan Hocking School District who participated in the project, and the district administration for continued support and participation in our community-university partnership. We would also like to thank Steven W. Evans for providing feedback on the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julie Sarno Owens.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.

Ethical Standards

All procedures were performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. University and school district IRB approval were obtained prior to conducting the research, and informed consent was obtained from the caregivers of all participants included in the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Owens, J.S., Holdaway, A.S., Serrano, V.J. et al. Screening for Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Problems at Kindergarten Entry: The Utility of Two Teacher Rating Scales. School Mental Health 8, 319–331 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-016-9176-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-016-9176-1

Keywords

Navigation