The studies in this special series examine the effectiveness of direct behavior ratings (DBRs) for use as a progress monitoring tool. In this article, we comment on the findings of the studies in the context of the broader school-based assessment movement and discuss areas for future inquiry within this line of research.

The Initial development and psychometric properties of the Adolescent Perceptions of Parental Pro-Educational Attitudes and Behaviors Scale (APPEABS) are reviewed. Evidence of content convergent, and construct validity are reported. The APPEABS demonstrated usefulness as a scale of predicting the role of adolescents' perceptions of parents'…

Research in aggressive behavior development has distinguished between proactive (i.e., intended to achieve an instrumental goal) and reactive (i.e., emitted as an emotional response to provocation) subtypes of aggression. A similar distinction has not been made with regard to prosocial behavior. In this study, subtypes of both aggressive and…

A total of 192 high-risk infants and 85 full-term healthy newborn infants were administered the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. A principal component analysis was performed separately for the high-risk and control infants. Results suggest that the high-risk infant is similar to the normal infant in behavioral development, especially when…

Developmental growth of residents of a university operated institution was studied over an eight-year period of time. Long-term residents received decreasing benefits over time, although shorter term residents evidenced only linear growth. The ideal duration of services was estimated as approximately three to four years. (Author)

The Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI) was administered to 121 young children, and parents rated them with the Social Skills Rating System 2-3 years after entry into the study. Correlations between the two measures revealed very weak to modest relationships, providing limited support for the BDI as a predictive measure of future…

Tests the validity and reliability of a scale (Mental Development Scales: Birth to Three Years) designed to assess developmental levels of children from birth to three years. (HOD)

This article describes the development and validation of the Developmental Behavior Checklist for children with emotional and behavior problems along with mental retardation. The article discusses generating and refining the checklist items, results of a principal components analysis, establishing reliability and construct and criterion validity,…

Designed for use with individuals ages 3 months to 44 years, the Scales of Independent Behavior (SIB) measure adaptive behavior and problem behaviors in such areas as motor skills, social interaction, language, personal self-care, punctuality, destructiveness, and inattention. This paper describes the SIB's administration, scoring,…

The patterns of adaptive behavior in gifted and nongifted children (n=296, ages 2-16) were compared using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale. Results indicated a significant difference between gifted and nongifted groups in communication, social skills, and daily living skills, but not in motor skill development. (Author/JDD)

Evidence for the construct validity of Washington University's Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development is reviewed. The test has adequate validity for research purposes but is neither valid nor reliable enough to be used as a clinical instrument without further confirming data. (BH)

Describes the Vermont Community Adjustment Tracking System (VT-CATS), which utilizes four behavioral instruments to allow intensive, ongoing, and interpretable behavioral assessment of a service system's most challenging children and adolescents. Also explains the adjustment indicator checklists and the ability of VT-CATS to address agencies'…

Ten first grade teachers completed rating scales for 39 at-risk students. Analysis suggested that teacher recommendations for special needs placement were strongly related to student academic functioning, modestly related to student emotional development, and not significantly related to student social and behavioral competence. (Author/JDD)