http://www.nasponline.org/publications/spr/sprmain.aspx School Psychology Review en-us Copyright 2009 National Association of School Psychologists Fri, 25 Sept 2009 10:15:00 EDT http://www.nasponline.org/publications/spr/sprmain.aspx http://www.nasponline.org/publications/spr/spr383index.aspx The present study employed an alternating-treatments design to compare the differential effect of group contingencies on the improvement of homework completion and accuracy of students with disabilities in a self-contained fifth-grade classroom. Generally, past investigations have indicated a positive association between homework performance and academic achievement. Relative to their nondisabled peers, students with learning disabilities are more at risk for homework problems. Thus, homework assignments are particularly important for students with disabilities to reinforce learning and improve academic achievement. The results suggested that all group contingencies were effective in enhancing overall completion and accuracy, with no substantial differences evidenced by one contingency in particular. Fri, 25 Sept 2009 10:15:00 EDT http://www.nasponline.org/publications/spr/spr383index.aspx Students with attention and behavior problems oftentimes experience difficulty finishing academic work. On-task behavior is frequently cited as a primary reason for students’ failure to complete homework assignments. Researchers have identified self-monitoring and self-management of on-task behavior as effective tools for improving homework completion rates among students who experience difficulty attending to tasks. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a 30-min naturalistic, home-based, self-management intervention for students with attention problems and behavioral disorders. Specifically, the current study set out to investigate differences in on-task behavior between baseline and intervention when self-monitoring intervals were set at 3 and 10 min. For all participants, on-task behavior improved significantly over baseline. Furthermore, the improvements in on-task behavior were evident for both the 3- and 10-min intervals, suggesting that shorter intervals did not enhance the intervention’s effectiveness. Finally, based on school records, the frequency of completed homework assignments increased. Fri, 25 Sept 2009 10:15:00 EDT http://www.nasponline.org/publications/spr/spr383index.aspx The School Climate Bullying Survey (Cornell & Sheras, 2003) is a self-report survey used to measure attitudes and behaviors associated with school bullying. Two studies were conducted to examine the valid use of its three school climate scales: (a) Prevalence of Teasing and Bullying, (b) Aggressive Attitudes, and (c) Willingness to Seek Help. In Study 1, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed with a sample of 2,111 students from four middle schools and established reasonable fit for 20 items with their hypothesized scales. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses revealed good overall model fit. In Study 2, regression analyses using school-level measures aggregated from 7,318 ninth-grade students attending 291 Virginia public high schools indicated that the three scales were related to meaningful criteria for school disorder. Fri, 25 Sept 2009 10:15:00 EDT http://www.nasponline.org/publications/spr/spr383index.aspx Trained classroom observers used the Direct Observation Form (DOF; McConaughy & Achenbach, 2009) to rate observations of 163 6- to 11-year-old children in their school classrooms. Participants were assigned to four groups based on a parent diagnostic interview and parent and teacher rating scales: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)-Combined type (n = 64); ADHD—Inattentive type (n = 22); clinically referred without ADHD (n = 51); and nonreferred control children (n=26). The ADHD—Combined group scored significantly higher than the referred without ADHD group and controls on the DOF Intrusive and Oppositional syndromes, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Problems scale, Hyperactivity-Impulsivity subscale, and Total Problems; and significantly lower on the DOF On-Task score. The ADHD—Inattentive group scored significantly higher than controls on the DOF Sluggish Cognitive Tempo and Attention Problems syndromes, Inattention subscale, and Total Problems; and significantly lower on the DOF On-Task score. Implications are discussed regarding the discriminative validity of standardized classroom observations for identifying children with ADHD and differentiating between the two ADHD subtypes. Fri, 25 Sept 2009 10:15:00 EDT http://www.nasponline.org/publications/spr/spr383index.aspx The present study used generalizability theory to investigate the dependability of systematic observations of students’ problem behavior and on-task behavior in classrooms. The Direct Observation Form (McConaughy & Achenbach, 2009) was used with a sample of 24, 6- to-11-year-old children attending 18 different elementary schools. The participants were referred because of concerns about learning and behavioral problems. All students were observed on eight occasions in the morning and afternoon across four different days. Generalizability analyses revealed important differences in observed variance and the number of observations required to obtain acceptable dependability across different behavioral dimensions. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for future research and practice. Fri, 25 Sept 2009 10:15:00 EDT http://www.nasponline.org/publications/spr/spr383index.aspx There has been increased attention to the development of measures for assessing mathematical skill and knowledge in young children. Most of the evidence supporting these measures is consistent with Stage 1 research in the development of progress monitoring measures (Fuchs, 2004) and consists of investigation of technical features of performance at one point in time. The purpose of the current study was to move into Stage 2 research and examine sensitivity to growth over time of the Preschool Numeracy Indicators (PNIs; Floyd, Hojnoski, & Key, 2006) in a sample of Head Start preschoolers through a longitudinal design. Results indicated the PNI Oral Counting Fluency, One-to- One Correspondence Counting Fluency, Number Naming Fluency, and Quantity Comparison Fluency task scores are sensitive to growth over time and provide preliminary support for the promise of such measures in assessing early mathematical skill development. Consideration is given to implications for assessing early mathematical skill development in the context of general outcome measurement. Fri, 25 Sept 2009 10:15:00 EDT http://www.nasponline.org/publications/spr/spr383index.aspx The use of curriculum-based measures for the purpose of school-wide screening and progress monitoring of reading within school reform processes has been discussed extensively in the literature over the past several years. Little has been done, however, in terms of evaluating the predictive bias of these measures across ethnic groups, particularly with the American Indian student. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive validity of oral reading fluency on a state measure of adequate yearly progress between White and American Indian third-grade students. The results suggested oral reading fluency is a robust predictor of reading comprehension across both cohorts, although significant differences were noted within the separate predictive models. Discussion regarding the implications of these findings within school-based decision making is undertaken. Fri, 25 Sept 2009 10:15:00 EDT http://www.nasponline.org/publications/spr/spr383index.aspx Academic tasks that include easy responses increase the probability that less preferred and/or more challenging tasks will be performed. The current study applied the process of arranging easier stimuli within reading word lists with behavioral momentum and an interspersal technique. We hypothesized that the behavioral momentum condition, which placed a series of easier words at the beginning of a reading word list task, would result in greater reading fluency for word lists, and that the interspersal condition, which interspersed easier words into a word list, would result in higher fluency for the target words. Fourth-grade students (n = 97) were randomly assigned to the behavior momentum, interspersal, or control condition. The results indicated that the participants assigned to the behavioral momentum condition read significantly more words correctly per minute than the participants assigned to the control condition (d = .70). No statistically significant differences were observed between the remaining conditions. Fri, 25 Sept 2009 10:15:00 EDT