Because autistic youth experience increased suicide risk and there are no suicide risk screening tools for this population, existing measures need to be evaluated and then modified with input from the autism community. This pilot study obtained feedback from autistic youth, caregivers, and autism specialist clinicians (N = 14) on the applicability…

With an increasing number of U.S. states implementing multi-tiered systems of reading support in schools, educators require validated screening measures to identify students at risk for reading difficulties and inform reading instructional practices. This study evaluates the utility and validity of a new measure developed as part of the Dynamic…

Background: One contributor to the health inequalities that people with an intellectual disability face is failure to identify their intellectual disability. The Learning Disability Screening Questionnaire (LDSQ) can identify adults who are likely to have an intellectual disability, but little is known about its impact. Methods: A modified Delphi…

There are many available screeners for reading and other education or social-emotional outcomes. This brief outlines important things to consider when choosing and using a screener.

Language proficiency is assumed to play a role in achievement in tertiary education. When requirements for university entrance are low or demographic changes in the population take place, universities often employ post-admission language assessments to screen all incoming students. In this study, we will look at the predictive validity of a…

We are developing the Equitable Screening to Support Youth (ESSY) Whole Child Screener to address concerns prevalent in existing school-based screenings that impede goals to advance educational equity using universal screeners. Traditional assessment development does not include end users in the early development phases, instead relying on a…

Beginning with the 2020/21 school year, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) began an ongoing effort to collect and analyze literacy screening assessment data from schools and districts participating in certain state grants to inform improvement efforts. Grantee schools and districts that provide literacy…

Despite the call for an argument-based approach to validity over 25 years ago, few examples exist in the published literature. One possible explanation for this outcome is that the complexity of the argument-based approach makes implementation difficult. To counter this claim, we propose that the Assessment Triangle can serve as the overarching…

Detecting mental illness in school students may prevent poor school outcomes. Clinicians often use universal behavioral screeners to identify students at risk for mental illness. This study examined the applicability of Kane's interpretation and use argument (IUA) to the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener--Teacher Rating Scale…

We are developing the Equitable Screening to Support Youth (ESSY) Whole Child Screener to address concerns prevalent in existing school-based screenings that impede goals to advance educational equity using universal screeners. Traditional assessment development does not include end users in the early development phases, instead relying on a…

The town motto, "people of pride and purpose," is evident throughout Panhandle, Texas. In a town of 2,000, one-third of the population is school-age children, and all attend Panhandle elementary (pre-K-5), junior high (6-8), or high school. The Panhandle Panthers have a lot of school pride, which stems in large part from the Panhandle…

The Maine Legislature requested the Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) to conduct an assessment of standardized testing in Maine schools to understand the amount, cost, and usefulness of it. This report summarizes the resulting effort, which included a literature scan, document analysis, and surveys of two groups of school…