Identifying and Supporting Students At Risk for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders within Multi-level Models: Data Driven Approaches to Conducting Secondary Interventions with an Academic Emphasis

Abstract Three-tiered models have been embraced by many schools to prevent and respond to antisocial behavior. However, many of these three-tiered models are incomplete or underdeveloped. Specifically, little attention has been devoted to studying how to (a) systematically identify students who require more focused secondary interventions and (b) build empirically-validated approaches to meet the behavioral and academic needs of students with or at risk for EBD. This paper provides two illustrations, one at the elementary level and a second at the middle school level, of how to address this void in the literature. ********** Between 2 and 20% of the school age population demonstrate behavior patterns indicative of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD; Walker, Ramsey, & Gresham, 2004). Students with EBD have externalizing and internalizing behavior patterns that, by definition, impede social, behavioral, and academic progress and create challenges for society as a whole. In the school environment, their lack of decorum and limited social skills often demand teachers' attention, interfere with the instruction, lead to impaired social relationships, and negatively influence the educational experiences of all students in the classroom. Further, students with EBD have poorer attendance, are more likely to be retained in grade, and have higher school drop out rates than any other disability category (Wagner & Davis, 2006). Beyond the school setting, students with EBD are characterized by high rates of unemployment and under-employment; negative employment experiences; impaired personal relationships; and a greater need for mental health services (Bullis & Yovanoff, 2006; Walker, Ramsey, & Gresham, 2004; Zigmond, 2006). These pejorative outcomes pose tremendous costs, financially and otherwise, to families and society as a whole (Kauffman, 2005; Quinn & Poirier, 2004), with the most extreme consequences exemplified in the recent school shootings that occurred in Colorado, Missouri, and Wisconsin during this past year. It is imperative that schools and society take heed and address the multiple needs of students with and at risk for EBD--particularly during the early elementary years when behaviors are more amenable to intervention efforts (Bullis & Walker, 1994; Kazdin, 1987). Social and Behavioral Domains Historically, social skills and behavioral deficits (e.g., impaired social skills; aggression and coercion; noncompliance; anxiety and depression) typical of these students have most often captured attention from the teaching and research communities (Coie & Jacobs, 1993; Walker, Irvin, Noell, & Singer, 1992). Consequently, the field has developed clear descriptions of these youngsters' student-teacher interaction patterns (Shores, Jack, Gunter, Ellis, DeBriere, & Wehby, 1993); psychometrically sound assessment tools such as the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS; Gresham & Elliott, 1990), the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991), the Walker-McConnell Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment (Walker & McConnell, 1995), and the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS; Epstein & Sharma, 1998); and validated systematic screening tools such as the Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (SSBD; Walker & Severson, 1992), the Student Risk Screening Scale (SRSS; Drummond, 1994), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997). During this time, teacher preparation programs focused predominantly on social and behavioral competencies by addressing topics such as classroom management, social skills instruction, conflict resolution, and anger management (Lane, Gresham, & O'Shaughnessy, 2002). While these competencies are essential, instruction in strategies for teaching core academic skills (e.g., reading, writing, and mathematics) is important as well. Yet, academic competencies were tangential in most programs as evidenced by the scope and sequence of most university level text books. …