Strength-Based Assessment and School Psychology: A Summary and Synthesis

Deviation scores: An innovative approach to interpreting cognitive test results for individuals with intellectual disabilities

BACKGROUND

Students with Intellectual Disability undergo frequent cognitive testing. Testing with this population is limited by insensitivity to relative strengths and weaknesses due to floor effects.

AIM

The study explored the utility of deviation scores via four case studies as a supplement to educational decision-making.

METHODS

Four students with Intellectual Disability completed cognitive testing. Deviation scores were calculated using age dependent raw z-score transformations to determine deviation from the standardization sample norms.

RESULTS

The application of deviation scores highlighted true relative strengths and weaknesses for students with Intellectual Disability rather than documenting previously known deficits. The four cases studies illustrated where deviation scores could, or could not, add value above and beyond traditional scoring.

DISCUSSION

Deviation scores can supplement placement and service decisions for students. Practical and psychometric considerations are reviewed.

CONCLUSION

The findings highlight the usefulness of deviation scores in providing meaningful information to school- and clinic-based practitioners.

Interactional quality in middle schools: Latent profiles and their associations with teacher, classroom, and school compositional factors

High quality teacher-student interactions are critical for the healthy social-emotional, behavioral, and academic development of middle school students. However, few studies have explored patterns of teacher-student interactions in middle school classrooms or the relation between teacher-, classroom-, and school-level factors and patterns of interaction. The current study employed latent profile analyses (LPA) to identify patterns of teacher-student interactional quality in a sample of 334 teachers from 41 schools serving middle school students within the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. Three distinct profiles of teacher-student interactional quality were identified that were characteristic of higher, lower, and intermediate quality and were differentially related to teacher, classroom, and school characteristics. Compared to classrooms with lower interactional quality, classrooms with "higher" or "intermediate" profiles were more likely to be taught by early career teachers, to have higher rates of observed student cooperation, and to be in schools in rural fringe areas. Classrooms with lower interactional quality were more likely to have larger student-to-teacher ratios and higher rates of student disruptive behaviors than classrooms with intermediate interactional quality and to be in schools with a higher percentage of out-of-school suspensions than classrooms with higher interactional quality. These findings suggest that interventions at the teacher, classroom, and school levels may promote positive teacher-student interactions, such as consultation to support teachers' effective classroom management, alternatives to out-of-school suspensions, and smaller student-to-teacher ratios.

Assessing school community needs during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic: Teacher, parent and student perceptions

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the lives of adults and children worldwide. Schools were among the first settings to be influenced by this crisis. Home confinement and school closure were implemented as necessary preventive measures creating a new way of living based on web-based communication. The aim of the study is to explore school community needs during the COVID-19 outbreak in Greece. The study followed a mixed methods design, consisting of a teacher, a parent and an adolescent survey. The sample entailed 1,157 participants (414 teachers, 487 parents and 256 adolescents). Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires. Qualitative data were collected using open-ended questions to explore participants’ adjustment and needs during the pandemic. Parents and teachers showed high propensity for anxiety and high levels of resilient coping. Health and adaptation concerns were evident in all samples. Teachers, parents and adolescents described helpful coping practices, primarily related to social support. The findings highlight the importance of supporting all school community members to cope with feelings of stress and anxiety during the pandemic and to identify and make use of helpful personal and social resources.

Challenges for Behavioral Assessment in Brazilian Schools

Abstract In this article we begin by providing an overview of the need to increase the frequency with which behavioral assessment is used in Brazilian schools. We then describe various methods of behavioral assessment. Next, we discuss various purposes for assessing behavior in school settings. We then discuss general challenges that impact the assessment of behavior. Finally, we conclude by discussing the importance of identifying psychological and social concerns early in childhood and call for the development of additional evidence-based assessment tools that are appropriate for use in Brazilian schools.

Facilitating Postsecondary Transition and Promoting Academic Success Through Language/Literacy-Based Self-Determination Strategies

Purpose

As noted by Powell (2018), speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are an integral part of the overarching curriculum for all students in schools, and this holds true for adolescents who require transition planning. The purpose of this tutorial is to focus on transition planning for secondary school students with a language-based learning disability (LLD) and provide a case illustration for how SLPs may use self-determination strategies to facilitate postsecondary transition while promoting academic success.

Method

As students with LLD enter secondary school, they are expected to write and think at more complex levels than ever before to meet post-graduation workforce demands, yet the provision of needed language–literacy intervention services drastically declines. Teaching students with LLD self-determination skills, such as awareness of their own strengths and limitations, self-advocacy strategies, and self-regulation, is found to be related to positive post-school outcomes and can be readily integrated into transition planning by the SLP.

Conclusion

SLPs may ideally support secondary school student language–literacy needs in transition planning by using self-determination strategies to help access the curriculum and experience postsecondary success.

Examining the Long-Term Stability of a Strengths-Based Screener Over 2 Years

The success of universal screening for effective school mental health programs is dependent on the availability of usable measures as well as empirically based recommendations for use. The current study examined the long-term stability of a strengths-based social-emotional screening tool, the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment-Mini (DESSA-Mini). Elementary teachers rated students ( N = 273; kindergarten and first grade at Time 1) 3 times per year over 2 years to identify students for early intervention. Stability coefficients were moderate to large for continuous and categorical data but lower between years, and a transition matrix demonstrated greater movement across categories compared with prior research. A latent profile analysis with all six time-point T-Scores indicated four stability profiles. Three patterns were stable across all times while one profile improved over time. Profile results were compared with covariates of free and reduced-price lunch, special education, and intervention status as well as outcomes of reading achievement and behavior referrals. Practice implications and areas for future research are discussed.

Health-related quality of life and mental health indicators in adolescents with HIV compared to a community sample in the Southeastern US

Although many studies have investigated the impact of HIV on cognitive, physical, academic, and psychosocial functioning, little is known about the self-perception of health-related quality of life (HRQOL), subjective well-being (SWB), social-emotional well-being, and psychopathology risks of adolescents with HIV. This study aimed to address gaps in the literature by exploring the psychosocial outcomes of adolescents with HIV from a strength-based assessment approach, as opposed to a traditional deficit-based approach. Specifically, we explored the relationship between HRQOL, SWB, social-emotional strengths, and psychopathology symptoms to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the physical and psychological well-being of adolescents with HIV (n = 42) compared to a community-based sample (n = 42) in the Southeastern US. Participants completed self-report measures, and data were analyzed for significant correlations, group differences between adolescents with HIV and a community-based sample, and social-emotional predictors of physical functioning and SWB. For adolescents with HIV, several HRQOL indicators were positively correlated with life satisfaction and social-emotional strengths indicators and negatively correlated with negative affect and psychopathology symptoms. Additionally, there was a significant main effect of parents' marital status on participants' perceptions of their social functioning and psychopathology symptoms. When differences in parents' marital status were controlled for, the overall mean ratings of participants' HRQOL, SWB, social-emotional strengths, and psychopathology risks did not significantly differ between groups. Furthermore, parents' marital status and self-rated empathy skills significantly predicted physical functioning of adolescents with HIV, but no significant or meaningful variables were found to predict their SWB. These findings highlight the need for further research on the use of a comprehensive assessment framework to enhance our understanding of the overall well-being of adolescents with HIV.

A Modified Content Analysis of Existing School Psychology Reports

Discrepancies between our university’s training program’s report-writing guidelines and common practice in Manitoba could not be resolved by reference to the literature. To inform the discussion, we collected a sample of local real world school psychology reports and undertook a modified content analysis to operationally define and measure relevant variables. In this article we present our qualitative and quantitative findings on organization, readability, length, and the nature of recommendations in detail with implications to improve the extent to which school psychology reports incorporate an evidence basis and contribute to real, beneficial, and demonstrable change in circumstances for children and families.

Assessing psychosocial well-being of adolescents: a systematic review of measuring instruments

BACKGROUND

The paradigm shift from the clinically deficit-oriented approach to that of educationally strength-based model in assessing adolescents' psychosocial well-being has brought about a recent increase in school-based health promotion and prevention initiatives. This prompted this systematic review of measuring instruments designed to assess psychosocial well-being of children and adolescents.

METHODS

Using electronic databases on Academic Search Premier, MEDLINE, PROQUEST, PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus and Psychosocial and Health Instrument, a systematic review of literature of measuring instruments was conducted from their inception to December 2009 using the keywords of child, emotion, assessment, scale and measure. Measuring instruments from selected articles were critically appraised using a predetermined set of quality indicators which guided the rating of the psychometric properties of the instruments into grades of A, B, and C. The constructs of psychosocial well-being from the measuring instruments were categorized into themes.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine out of the 908 articles met the inclusion criteria. Seventeen instruments identified from the selected articles were examined using preset quality indicators. In construct building, the themes identified from the strength-based instruments distinguished the construct of psychosocial well-being primarily into the dimensions of personal emotional competency and social functioning. In the ratings of psychometric properties, one instrument was rated 5A, five rated 4A and four rated 3A. For reliability testing, eight measures received grade A when their intraclass correlation is higher than 0.7; whereas only two instruments reported sensitivity and none investigated responsiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

Strength-based measures focusing on social emotional behavioural outcomes open up a possibility to link up assessment with promotion of psychosocial well-being, away from clinical settings and into adolescents' homes, schools and community. Future research should focus more on investigating the sensitivity and responsiveness of measuring instruments using longitudinal design in efficacy studies to assess change in adolescents' psychosocial status over extended time.

A Mixed-Method Evaluation of a Strength-Based Bullying Prevention Program

The goal of this study was to describe the strength-based bullying prevention program, Strengths in Motion, and to evaluate the program utilizing a mixed-method design. Participants included students in Grades 4 to 8 from an intervention ( n = 50) and a comparison ( n = 53) school in Northern Ontario. Measures of bullying, strengths, and classroom climate were completed at three time points: One month prior to the start of the program (baseline), and at 3 and 8 months after the program had started. Quantitative analyses revealed that there was a significant decrease in students’ bullying victimization over time, an increase in classroom climate, and students’ personal awareness of their strengths. Semistructured interviews conducted 20 months after the start of the program with various stakeholders, including parents and school staff, complemented these findings and provided additional information on the efficacy of the program and the strength-based approach. Study findings are discussed in terms of the implications for future research.

A C.L.E.A.R. Approach to Report Writing: A Framework for Improving the Efficacy of Psychoeducational Reports

Psychoeducational reports are the primary means for a school psychologist to communicate the results of an assessment. Although reports should be written in the most efficient and reader-friendly manner, this is not always the case. Additionally, problems in report writing have remained relatively consistent for several decades, despite recommendations on how reports should be improved. The focus of the current article is to provide an integrated and easily implemented framework for improving psychoeducational reports based on the evidence and broad recommendations currently available in the literature. Specifically, the C.L.E.A.R. Approach to report writing for practitioners is presented, with practical strategies and examples provided to illustrate the use of the model in a school-based setting.

Stability of Adolescents’ Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Reports

Eighty-four students were administered the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) on three occasions, 1 year apart (Grades 8, 9, and 10). The 1-year stability coefficients ranged from .29 to .59, whereas the 2-year stability coefficients ranged from .41 to .59. MSLSS mean scores were consistent across administrations, with the exception of satisfaction with living environment in which scores were lower in Grade 10 relative to the previous two grades. Although a fair degree of stability was observed across most MSLSS domains, differences in the magnitudes of the coefficients across domains and time intervals suggested the importance of contextual factors in understanding the nature of the life satisfaction construct among adolescents as well as implications for the use of total and domain-specific life satisfaction reports as outcomes measures.