Volume 45, Issue 4
(December 2016)

< Previous Next >



Current Issue
Available Issues

Alerts for the Journal

Click to get an email alert for every new issue of

School Psychology Review

Journal Information

Online ISSN:  
Frequency: Quarterly
RSS Feed:
(What is this?)
rrs icon

Register for a Profile

Not Yet Registered?

Benefits of Registration Include:

  • A Unique User Profile that will allow you to manage your current subscriptions (including online access)
  • The ability to create favorites lists down to the article level
  • The ability to customize email alerts to receive specific notifications about the topics you care most about and special offers

Register Now!

Previous Article
Volume 45, Issue 4
(December 2016)
Next Article
  • Add to Favorites
  • |
  • Share Article
  • |
  • Export Citations
  • |
  • Track Citations (RSS | Email)
  • |
  • Permissions

  • Full-text
  • PDF

Predictive Validity of a Student Self-Report Screener of Behavioral and Emotional Risk in an Urban High School

Erin Dowdy

University of California, Santa Barbara

Leigh Harrell-Williams

University of Memphis

Bridget V. Dever

Lehigh University

Michael J. Furlong

University of California, Santa Barbara

Stephanie Moore

University of California, Santa Barbara

Tara Raines

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Randy W. Kamphaus

University of Oregon

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Erin Dowdy,
Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
; e-mail:

Randy W. Kamphaus receives royalties on net sales of the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System.

Erin Dowdy, PhD, NCSP, is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a licensed psychologist and conducts research on early identification methods for behavioral and emotional strengths and risk. She is affiliated with the International Center for School-Based Youth Development at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Leigh M. Harrell-Williams, PhD, is an assistant professor of quantitative research methodology in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research at the University of Memphis. Her research interests include measurement and modeling issues regarding latent variables in educational research, such as preservice mathematics teacher efficacy to teach statistics and behavioral and emotional risk in K–12 students.

Bridget V. Dever, PhD, is an assistant professor of school psychology at Lehigh University. Her research interests include screening for behavioral and emotional risk, promoting educational resilience, and achievement motivation among at-risk students.

Stephanie Moore is a third-year doctoral student studying school psychology in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests include prevention, early identification, and intervention to support youth's positive development and mental health.

Michael J. Furlong, PhD, is a professor affiliated with the International Center for School-Based Youth Development at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American Educational Research Association and an elected a member of Society for the Study of School Psychology.

Tara C. Raines, PhD, NCSP, is an assistant professor of school psychology at the University of Denver. Her research interests include mechanisms that contribute to disproportionality in special education and juvenile justice referrals, social and emotional interventions for children of color, and promoting cultural competence in education professionals.

Randy W. Kamphaus, PhD, is Dean of the College of Education at the University of Oregon. He is a licensed psychologist and fellow of the American Psychological Association. He is best known for his work in child psychological assessment. He is coauthor, with Professor Cecil R. Reynolds, of the Behavior Assessment System for Children.

Associate Editor: Lisa Bowman-Perrott

Abstract

Increasingly, schools are implementing school-based screening for risk of behavioral and emotional problems; hence, foundational evidence supporting the predictive validity of screening instruments is important to assess. This study examined the predictive validity of the Behavior Assessment System for Children-2 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System Student Form (BESS Student) in the authentic context of an urban high school that conducted universal screening over 3 years. Multivariate regression, sensitivity, specificity, and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were used to examine the BESS Student scores' prediction of internalizing symptoms. BESS Student scores were able to explain a significant proportion of the variance in internalizing symptoms concurrently, but predictive validity estimates decreased over time. Significant gender differences were present; BESS Student scores were better able to predict internalizing symptoms for females. Implications for research and practice involving screening for behavioral and emotional problems are discussed.

Received: January 12, 2015; Accepted: December 27, 2015;

Copyright 2016 by the National Association of School Psychologists