Technical Adequacy of the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener - Teacher Rating Scale: A Systematic Review, Quantitative Synthesis, & Measurement Invariance Study

Abstract

Universal screening in educational settings provides an opportunity to identify students who may benefit from targeted support. In recent years, there has been an increased awareness of the need for universal screening in the social, emotional, and behavioral domains. Yet, the research base for these screening tools is scarce given its relative novelty, particularly in comparison to universal screening tools within academic domains. Therefore, this dissertation was guided and conceptualized by a need to begin filling this gap in the literature. Specifically, these studies examined the technical adequacy of one widely used measure, the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener - Teacher Rating Scale (SAEBRS-TRS). Broadly, the purpose of this multi-study dissertation was two-fold: (a) systematically review and quantitatively synthesize the existing evidence of validity related to the SAEBRS-TRS; and (b) examine the extent of potential measurement invariance of the tool across the student characteristics of racial and ethnic identity, sex assigned at birth, and eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch. Results of the systematic review provide preliminary evidence of the SAEBRS-TRS technical adequacy across sources of validity evidence. Yet, more research is needed to gather a stronger research base for using and interpreting the SAEBRS-TRS scores across a variety of student characteristics. Results of the measurement invariance study provide initial support for the use of the SAEBRS-TRS across broad student characteristics of racial and ethnic identity, sex assigned at birth, and eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch. Inherent limitations of these studies, such as the categorization and homogenization of student identities, are presented. Future research must continue to move this work forward, further examining the SAEBRS-TRS and similar universal screening tools for the social, emotional, and behavioral domains.