Project Activities
: To answer these research questions, the research team will use a mixed- method research design. First, they will examine state and district websites to identify whether education policies address student behavioral outcomes, including specific reference to assessment and curricular practices. Researchers will also conduct large scale surveys of nationally representative samples of key stakeholders (district administrators, building administrators, school-based mental health professional, teachers, and parents) to answer research questions 2-4. Short-term outcomes are to provide information to direct future policy development and research direction in the area of school-based behavioral assessment, and long- term objectives are to use information gained to develop and test a defensible and usable school-based screening model as well as influencing policy that facilitates wide-spread implementation.
Structured Abstract
Setting
The researchers will collect information from 2,000 public school districts nationwide.
Sample
Sampling for survey participants will employ a multistage cluster sample and proportional sampling that closely resembles the general U.S. population.
Research design and methods
Researchers will employ a mixed-methods design. First, they will review state and district school websites to identify whether mission statements, policies, and initiatives address student behavioral outcomes and/or references to assessment and curricular practices. Researchers will conduct interviews with randomly selected district administrators and mental health professionals within the sample. Then, researchers will randomly select 1,600 individual schools within the participating districts and conduct interviews with building administrators and mental health professionals. Researchers will conduct surveys of teachers and parents within the previously selected schools. In all cases, researchers will employ methods such as follow-up contacts and incentives to maximize participation.
Control condition
Due to the nature of this research design, there is no control condition.
Key measures
Researchers will code information related to student behavioral outcomes found in the website search. Researchers will use the Common Core of Data Public Elementary/ Secondary School Universe Survey to collect context information about all participating districts. Academic performance measures will be collected, including special education identification rates for emotional disabilities, expulsion incidents, suspensions, violent incidents, and the percentage of students meeting Annual Yearly Progress. To assess perceptions of school climate, researchers will use a shortened version of the California School Climate Survey. The project-specific survey questions will be formally developed during Year One of this project.
Data analytic strategy
Researchers will compute bivariate correlations among behavioral assessment practices, district curriculum, perceived usability, district characteristics, and district behavioral outcomes. The research team will use structural equation modeling to model the relationships between constructs of interest taken from the district-level interviews. Researchers will also analyze the effects of mediators and moderators, specifically behavior assessment practices, by creating the product of the two latent variables (behavior assessment practices and district characteristics) and testing for interaction.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
Products and publications
Products: The products will be preliminary evidence of potentially promising school-based behavioral assessment practices. Peer reviewed publications will also be produced.
ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.
Book chapters
McCoach, D. B., Dineen, J. N., Chafouleas, S. M., & Briesch, A. B (2020). Reproducibility in the era of big data: Lessons for developing robust data management and data analysis procedures. In C. Hill, P. Biemer, T. Buskirk, L. Japec, A. Kirchner, & L. Lyberg (Eds.) Big Data Meet Survey Science: A Collection of Innovative Methods. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Journal articles
Auerbach, A., Chafouleas, S. M., & Briesch, A. M. (2018). State-level guidance on screening for social, emotional, and behavioral risk: A follow-up study. School Mental Health. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s12310-018-9278-z. Full text
Auerbach, E.R., Chafouleas, S.M., Briesch, A.M., & Long, S.J. (2020). Exploring the alignment of behavior screening policies and practices in US public school districts. Journal of School Health, 90: 264-270. doi:10.1111/josh.12872 Full text
Briesch, A.M., Chafouleas, S.M., & Chaffee, R.K. (2017). Analysis of state-level guidance regarding school-based, universal screening for social, emotional, and behavioral risk. School Mental Health, 1-16. Full text
Briesch, A. M., Chafouleas, S. M., Cintron, D., & McCoach, D. B. (2019). Factorial invariance of the usage rating profile for supporting students' behavioral needs (URP-NEEDS). School Psychology Quarterly, 35,51-60. Full text
Briesch, A. M., Chafouleas, S. M., Dineen, J. N., McCoach, D. B., & Donaldson, A. (2021). School building administrator reports of screening practices across academic, behavioral, and health domains. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. doi/10.1177/10983007211003335. Full text
Briesch, A. M., Chafouleas, S. M., Nissen, K., & Long, S. (2019). A review of state-level procedural guidance for implementing Multi-Tiered Systems of Behavioral Support (MTSS-B). Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. doi.org/10.1177/1098300719884707. Full text
Briesch, A. M., Cintron, D. W., Dineen, J. N., Chafouleas, S. M., McCoach, D. B., & Auerbach, E. (2020). Comparing stakeholders' knowledge and beliefs about supporting students' social, emotional, and behavioral health in schools. School Mental Health. 12(2), 222-238. Doi: 10.1007/s12310-019-09355-9. Full text
Chafouleas, S.M., Johnson, A.H., Overstreet, S., & Santos, N.M. (2016). Toward a blueprint for trauma-informed service delivery in schools. School Mental Health, 8(1): 144-162. Full text
Dineen, J. N., Chafouleas, S. M., Briesch, A. M., McCoach, D. B., Newton, S. D., & Cintron, D. W. (2021). Exploring Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Screening Approaches in U.S. Public School Districts. American Education Research Journal. DOI: 10.3102/00028312211000043. Full text
Koriakin, T. A., Connolly, K., Auerbach, E., & Chafouleas, S. M. (2019). Summary of state policies related to school readiness assessment practices. Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education 4(2), 39-66. Full text
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