Students with internalizing behavioral concerns are an overlooked and underserved segment within education. The trend unfortunately results in poor academic and societal outcomes. In response, early prevention and identification through universal screening practices has become an important method for combating internalizing problems in education. However, additional research in the field is needed, including better psychometric understanding of the instruments available and what types of informants provide the best evidence for proper identification. Therefore, the purpose of the following study was to investigate how student and teacher informants of internalizing behaviors influence outcomes in the context of universal screening. Comparison of these two informants were done by analyzing the relationship between a teacher completed screener, the Student Internalizing Behavioral Screener (SIBS) and a student completed behavior rating scale, the Behavioral Assessment System for Children – 2nd edition (BASC-2). In addition to exploration of informant agreement, discrepancies in test score outcomes for different student age groups were investigated along with criterion relatedness of the SIBS when using student self-report as a criterion measure. Results included low agreement between teacher and student informant, as well as poor discriminate ability of the SIBS when using student self-report as a criterion. Findings also revealed a small but significant age discrepancy in the total score for the SIBS when comparing a child vs. adolescent sample. Implications of the findings suggest teachers as a sole informant about internalizing behaviors of students may not be sufficient for desired outcomes of proper identification with internalizing behaviors. Moreover, age may be a factor in monitoring internalizing problems across development and current psychometric evaluation of screeners (e.g., type of validity) should also include other informants. Based on the findings, future directions of research are also proposed. This includes exploration of the impact teachers and teacher training as well as considerations for multi-informant screening procedures.

acase@tulane.edu / 1 / Kathryn M. Jones

No description available.

Studies have consistently shown that teachers’ ratings of behavior were predictive of academic difficulties. While research has clearly indicated that behavior has a reciprocal relationship with academic achievement, there is a scarcity of research on the relationship between outcomes on high stakes tests and student behavior. Early identification of children at risk for academic difficulties is vital for successful intervention and remediation. Therefore, this researcher investigated use of a brief behavior screener as a predictor of students at risk for failing a high stakes test. Results from the Behavior Assessment System for Children–Teacher Rating Scale–Child Screener (BASC-TRS-C Screener) provided an assessment of behavior. Georgia’s Criterion Referenced Test – Reading and Math scores provided achievement in reading and math. An analysis of data on 636 second through fifth grade participants revealed a significant inverse relationship between teacher ratings of student behavior and achievement. Thirteen of the fifteen models suggested that teachers’ ratings of behavior indicated with greater accuracy students at risk for academic difficulties than did the model without the behavior ratings. While two models were not significant, they clearly suggested an inverse relationship between behavior and achievement. Logistic Regression analyses suggested that the BASC-TRS-C Screener predicted with 90% accuracy the pass fail classification group associated with the score. The odds ratio suggested that with each point decrease on the BASC-TRS-C Screener score, (in which high scores equal greater behavior concerns) the chances of passing the Criterion Referenced Competency Test reading high stakes test increased by 5%. In the area of math, the odds of passing increased by 6% with each point decrease on the BASC-TRS-C Screener. Other findings suggested that minorities have a significantly greater risk (p < .05) of failing the Criterion Reference Competency Test in the areas of reading, math, or both reading and math than do their same age peers.

No description available.

acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

This study investigated potential ways in which student-reported stress and support levels, represented by the Ecomap stress-support index (SSI), could inform school-based universal screening efforts. Participants included 260 students in grades K to 3 attending an urban elementary charter school in New Orleans, Louisiana, during the academic year of 2011-2012, for whom specific data relevant to the study's variables were available in school records. Child self-report of stress and support (SSI), measured by the Ecomap, was hypothesized to enhance the prediction of school academic and behavioral outcomes, measured by achievement and behavior reports, beyond teacher report of social emotional functioning and school functioning, as reported on the Behavioral Assessment System for Children: Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) 1. Step-wise regression analyses were conducted. Results indicated that the BESS and Ecomap SSI together predicted variance in behavior reports and academic scores; however, the SSI did not account for significant additional variance. The Ecomap SSI also was hypothesized to explain variances in student self-reports of internalizing difficulties, whereas teacher reports of student functioning on the (BESS) were hypothesized to explain variances in reports of externalizing difficulties. Multiple regression analyses were used to explore this relationship. The Ecomap SSI was found to predict Attention Difficulties reported by students on the Behavioral Assessment System for Children: Self-Report Protocol C (BASC-2, SRP), with higher reports of stress corresponding to higher reports of attention problems. Findings indicate that data on student stress can be useful in the mental health screening process and provide important information that could inform intervention. / acase@tulane.edu

Statement of the problem: Methicillin-resistant Staphyloccocus aureus (MRSA) is a pathogen of increasing concern and is associated with higher hospital readmission rates, poorer prognosis, and increased mortality resulting in increasing costs to the Canadian healthcare system.1-13 Institutions have been challenged with developing effective infection control programs to prevent the spread of MRSA. The purpose of this thesis was to examine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a universal MRSA screening intervention within a large tertiary care facility. Methods of investigation: The retrospective population-based observational study consisted of two periods. In the first period (24 months), patients admitted to the Ottawa Hospital underwent risk factor-based screening. In the second period (20 months), universal MRSA screening was implemented in which all patients were screened for MRSA upon admission. Results: The regression analysis demonstrated that the universal MRSA screening intervention was not effective in reducing the number of nosocomial MRSA cases. The economic analysis estimated that the universal MRSA screening intervention incurred an additional cost of $1.16 million/year with an estimated additional cost per patient screened of $17.76. Conclusions: The universal MRSA screening intervention was not clinically or economically effective. Further research is required to verify/dispute these findings in other settings.

Statement of the problem: Methicillin-resistant Staphyloccocus aureus (MRSA) is a pathogen of increasing concern and is associated with higher hospital readmission rates, poorer prognosis, and increased mortality resulting in increasing costs to the Canadian healthcare system.1-13 Institutions have been challenged with developing effective infection control programs to prevent the spread of MRSA. The purpose of this thesis was to examine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a universal MRSA screening intervention within a large tertiary care facility. Methods of investigation: The retrospective population-based observational study consisted of two periods. In the first period (24 months), patients admitted to the Ottawa Hospital underwent risk factor-based screening. In the second period (20 months), universal MRSA screening was implemented in which all patients were screened for MRSA upon admission. Results: The regression analysis demonstrated that the universal MRSA screening intervention was not effective in reducing the number of nosocomial MRSA cases. The economic analysis estimated that the universal MRSA screening intervention incurred an additional cost of $1.16 million/year with an estimated additional cost per patient screened of $17.76. Conclusions: The universal MRSA screening intervention was not clinically or economically effective. Further research is required to verify/dispute these findings in other settings.