School mental health programs are an important component of the national response to the current student mental health crisis. However, evidence-based programs often face numerous barriers to their selection, scale-up, and sustainability in real-world settings. In this study, we interviewed 15 educational stakeholders to examine what influences…

The federal definition of emotional disturbance (ED) has been heavily criticized as vaguely defined and poorly operationalized yet there has not been a formal analysis of the reliability of the ED criteria. This study examined the reliability of the federal criteria for a special education designation of ED. A total of 179 school psychologists…

This study is intended to enhance our understanding of the dramatic increase in autism prevalence rates across the United States. A robust national and multistate sample of children and youth (5-22 years of age) was gathered and analyzed, using visual and statistical analysis of autism eligibility over a 15- to 17-year period. Although the impact…

A fundamental assumption of multi-tiered systems of support is the bidirectional movement of students between tiers. In comparison to research on when to intensify instruction, less attention has been paid to the validity of decisions to exit students from supplemental supports. We used data from 554 third-grade students who met the criteria to be…

A recent focus within professional psychology training has been the definition of universal or core competencies deemed important for mastery by all individuals training as health service providers at key transition points in their doctoral programs (e.g., program entry, pre-practicum, pre-internship, and pre-independent practice). A related…

Since the mid-1990s, an imbalance between the number of available American Psychological Association (APA)-accredited internships and applicants has existed. In 2014, 14% of predoctoral psychology students who applied for internships accredited by the APA or members of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) did…

The ratio of internship applicants to internship positions listed in the online directory of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) is estimated at 1.23:1. In 2014a, approximately 14% of all students who participated in the match were not placed. Although the internship crisis impacts students in clinical,…

This study examined how specific guidelines and heuristics have been used to identify methodological rigor associated with single-case research designs based on quality indicators developed by Horner et al. Specifically, this article describes how literature reviews have applied Horner et al.'s quality indicators and evidence-based criteria.…

In this article, we discuss conflict between law and science relative to the presumption in special education law that multidisciplinary teams and others identify the causes of problems giving rise to special education needs. First, we explain eligibility criteria, highlighting ambiguities therein and why criteria constitute a mandate for causal…

This article addresses measurement issues in the examination of resiliency within school settings. The Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents is described as an example of an instrument developed specifically for this purpose. This description identifies developmentally sound factors of personal resiliency that are relevant for youth in…

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of scores from six early literacy probes developed for use with preschool-age children. The literacy probes were administered to 84 preschoolers at three time points over a 6-month period. Also, a criterion measure of early literacy skills was administered to a subset of…

Examines the relationships between intelligence, creativity, and the performance of EMR pupils as rated by their teachers. For this group of 217 subjects, equally distributed among black, white, male, and female, creativity appears to be as important as intelligence, or more so, in determining their rated performance scores. (Author)

This article reviews the results of a survey of the Fellows of the American Academy of School Psychology (Academy; AASP) regarding the independent educational evaluation (IEE) for a specific learning disability (SLD). Academy Fellows were asked about important components of the IEE, desirable evaluator qualifications, and recommended criteria for…

This paper presents behavioral objectives as a means to further professional growth for all educational personnel. The direct implications of this approach for the school psychologist are presented in the form of specific behavioral objectives. (Author)

In efforts to clarify ambiguity in the scoring directions for part of the WISC, 100 children were given the test which was scored by two sets of criteria. Four sets of data were analyzed, with significant discrepancies apparent only between Verbal-Performance correlations secured by Wechsler in his standardization of the WISC and those secured in…