Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD)

The Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD) (Walker & Severson, in press) procedure was further evaluated. Two studies are reported in which validation, replication, and normative questions were addressed. Study I was conducted in a suburban Oregon school district in which 15 elementary schools and their teachers participated. Study 2 was conducted in two school districts, one urban and one suburban, in the state of Washington. The primary focus of Study I was upon normative and validity questions (factorial, criterion-related, and discriminant): the primary focus of Study 2 was upon replication and reliability questions. The results of Study I produced evidence of the SSBD's validity, as indicated by powerful subject group differences and criterion-related validity coefficients between SSBD measures and archival school record profiles. The results of Study 2 closely replicated those of Study I and extended the results of Study 1 in two respects. Study 2 included test-retest estimates of SSBD Stage 1 and 2 measures for 40 participating teachers, and an empirical verification of the SSBD system's sensitivity to the behavioral characteristics of previously certified severely emotionally disturbed (SED) students who were main-streamed into the participating teachers' classrooms. Future research plans and school applications of the SSBD system and the measures it comprises are also discussed.