Student Risk Screening Scale for Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors: Preliminary Cut Scores to Support Data-Informed Decision Making in Middle and High Schools.

Lane, Kathleen Lynne; Oakes, Wendy Peia; Cantwell, Emily Dawn; Schatschneider, Christopher; Menzies, Holly; Crittenden, Meredith; Messenger, Mallory

We report findings of a convergent validity study examining the internalizing subscale (SRSS-I6) of the Student Risk Screening Scale for Internalizing and Externalizing (SRSS-IE) with the internalizing subscale of the Teacher Report Form (TRF; Achenbach, 1991). Participants included 227 sixth-through 12th-grade students from nine schools across two states. Results of logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves suggest the following cut scores for the SRSS-I6 for middle and high school students: 0-3 (low risk), 4-5 (moderate risk), and 6-18 (high risk) for internalizing behavior patterns, relative to the internalizing subscale of the TRF subscale. We conclude with a discussion of the findings and illustrations of how to use screening scale scores for decision making in a tiered system of supports, offering limitations and future directions for consideration.

AFFECTIVE disorders; BEHAVIOR disorders in children; CONFIDENCE intervals; DECISION making; FACTOR analysis; HIGH school students; RESEARCH methodology; MIDDLE school students; PSYCHOLOGICAL tests; RELIABILITY (Personality trait); RESEARCH evaluation; RISK assessment; SURVEYS; TEACHERS; LOGISTIC regression analysis; RECEIVER operating characteristic curves; RESEARCH methodology evaluation; ODDS ratio; ADOLESCENCE; DIAGNOSIS; PREVENTION

Behavioral Disorders, 2016, Vol 42, Issue 1, p271

0198-7429

Academic Journal

10.17988/BD-16-115.1