Examining the Classification Accuracy of the Social, Academic, Emotional Behavior Risk Screener and Its Relationship with Writing Performance

This study examined the relationship between two school-wide screening measures, one examining classroom behaviors (the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener; SAEBRS; Kilgus, Chafouleas, & Riley-Tillman, 2013) and another evaluating writing fluency (Curriculum-Based Measurement in Written Expression; CBM-WE). This study also evaluated the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the SAEBRS and CBM-WE for identifying students at-risk for writing achievement deficits. A convenience sample of 147 third-grade general education students across two schools, who were determined to not have any significant impairment impacting their writing performance, participated in this study. The index tests (i.e., SAEBRS, CBM-WE) and reference standard (i.e., Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, III Essay Composition subtest; Pearson, 2009) were identified a priori. Of 147 participants, 18 students were identified as at-risk for writing achievement deficits and 129 students were identified as not at-risk. Results indicated a statistically significant relationship between the SAEBRS and CBM-WE for female and male students. In the identification of writing achievement deficits, the area under the ROC curve for CBM-WE revealed fair accuracy (AUC = .761; 95% Confidence Interval [.644, .878]) and poor accuracy was noted for the SAEBRS (AUC = .653; 95% Confidence Interval [.528, .778]). Although there was no statistically significant difference between the independent AUC values, the difference in the qualitative indicator suggest that CBM-WE is a superior screening measure for identifying at-risk students in comparison to the SAEBRS. The findings from this study highlight the contribution of classroom behaviors to the writing process of elementary-aged students and offers support for the use of CBM-WE to identify students at-risk for writing achievement deficits

The Impact of Classroom Behaviors and Student Attention on Written Expression

This study sought to examine classroom behaviors and attention as predictors of writing performance among third-grade students receiving a Tier 1 performance feedback intervention. Information about the classroom behavior of 80 third grade students (39 males, 41 females) was collected before intervention began through use of two teacher report measures: the Academic Performance Rating Scale (APRS; DuPaul, Rapport, & Perriello, 1991) and the inattention factor on the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behavior Rating Scale (SWAN; Swanson et al., 2006). Results indicated that the APRS and SWAN were significant predictors of writing fluency in the combined sample of participants. When examining gender differences between these predictors, the APRS and SWAN were identified to be significant predictors for writing fluency among female students. No behavioral predictors were found to be significantly associated with any of the writing measures for male students, and no behavioral predictors were found to be significantly associated with writing productivity for any of the participants. Results from this study offer some guidance regarding the underlying factors that contribute to writing performance within the context of academic interventions

General Education Teachers' Perceptions of Autism, Inclusive Practices, and Relationship Building Strategies.

To identify target areas for professional development, this mixed-methods study examined general education teachers' perceptions of autism and pedagogical practices in early elementary classrooms in the United States. In focus groups, teachers (N = 18) identified terms they associated with autism and strategies they used for inclusion and relationship building. Participants systematically free-listed and ranked their responses to three prompts. Using ranked responses, saliency scores were calculated to assess the perceived importance and frequency of responses. Teachers' most salient perceptions of autism (e.g., social difficulties, focused/fixed interests) revealed an awareness of core symptoms. Salient inclusion practices included assigning special classroom responsibilities and showcasing student talents; salient relationship-building strategies included embracing students' special interests and engaging in one-on-one time. Implications for teacher trainings are discussed