Screening For Social-Emotional and Behavioral Aspects of Kindergarten Readiness: A Systematic Review of Screeners and Validation of Basc-3 Bess Teacher For Somali Students

Abstract

Best practices in universal screening procedures entail the use of teacher-reported screening measures for the identification of students who may benefit from social-emotional and behavioral (SEB) supports. Few studies have systematically identified available screening measures, or examined their use with diverse populations. Therefore, this project aimed to (a) examine the current landscape of teacher-reported universal screening measures for assessing the SEB components of kindergarten readiness, and (b) fill a gap in the literature on bias evaluation evidence of SEB screening measures for kindergarten students. This project, then, included two studies: Study 1 systematically identified 11 SEB screening measures and reviewed the psychometric properties of each measure. This study also included a review of bias evaluation evidence provided for each scale. Results of this study demonstrated adequate to strong reliability evidence overall; however, validity and bias evaluation evidence were severely lacking. Study 2 aimed to expand on the current research landscape for bias evaluation by examining the internal structure of the Behavioral Assessment Scale for Children, Third Edition, Behavioral and Emotional Screening Scale (BASC-3 BESS) teacher form for a Somali kindergarten student population by seeking to replicate the factor structure of the BASC-3 BESS identified for the norming population with a Somali student sample. Results of this study demonstrated similar internal structure findings between a Somali student sample and the BASC-3 BESS norming sample, providing preliminary support for its use within a Somali kindergarten student population. Future research efforts should continue exploring the remaining psychometric properties of the BASC-3 BESS Teacher in a Somali student sample to provide further evidence for its use with this student population.