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Multistudy Report

Multi-Informant and Multicultural


Advances in Evidence-Based
Assessment of Students’
Behavioral/Emotional/Social
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

Difficulties
Thomas M. Achenbach

Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA

Abstract: This article presents practical tools for evidence-based assessment of students’ behavioral/emotional/social difficulties and
strengths in culturally sensitive ways. The assessment instruments obtain teacher, parent, and student ratings, plus observations in
classrooms and other group settings, in interviews, and in testing sessions. To document differences in students’ functioning in school and
other contexts, plus differences between teacher, parent, and student perspectives, users can display cross-informant comparisons of ratings
of specific difficulties items. Users can also display cross-informant comparisons between bar graphs of scores on empirically derived
syndromes, DSM-oriented scales, Internalizing, Externalizing, and Total Problems. Scale scores are standardized according to norms for
students’ gender and age, type of informant (teacher, parent, student), and multicultural norms. Multicultural norms are based on teacher,
parent, and student ratings of population samples of students in many societies. The ratings were used to construct gender-, age-, and
informant-specific norms for societies having relatively low difficulties scores, medium scores, or high scores. The assessment instruments
can be used to identify students who need help and to tailor interventions to students’ needs. The same instruments can be used to measure
changes by comparing pre- versus post-intervention scores. Brief instruments assess progress over short periods.

Keywords: evidence-based assessment, multicultural, multi-informant, students, schools

School personnel in many countries must deal with students’ The Need for Multi-Informant
behavioral difficulties. Concerns about these difficulties
are increasing, because schools are increasingly expected Assessment
to take responsibility for difficulties that might previously
have prevented youths from attending school. Whether Students often function differently in different contexts
or not such difficulties are actually increasing in the youth and are perceived differently by different people. For
population as a whole, school personnel need to assess example, a student’s mathematics teacher may report
them because of increasing obligations to educate students difficulties indicative of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
despite such difficulties. Moreover, assessment of students’ Disorder (ADHD). However, one of the student’s parents
difficulties must be sensitive to cultural differences among may feel that the student does not have ADHD, because
students. the student concentrates intensely on videogames at home.
This article presents practical tools for assessing Discrepancies between teacher and parent reports are
students’ behavioral difficulties from multiple perspectives. common, as revealed by a mean Pearson correlation (r)
Because behavioral difficulties are so often intertwined with of only .27 between teacher and parent ratings of students’
emotional and social difficulties, I refer to behavioral/ difficulties in a meta-analysis of many studies (Achenbach,
emotional/social difficulties. McConaughy, & Howell, 1987). Discrepancies between

Ó 2017 Hogrefe Publishing European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2018), 34(2), 127–140
https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000448
128 T. M. Achenbach, Assessment of Students’ Difficulties

teacher and parent reports may be caused partly by differ- as teachers, parents, and the students themselves.
ences between students’ behavior at school versus home. To advance evidence-based assessment of students’ diffi-
Discrepancies may also be caused by differences between culties, it is necessary to use instruments that reliably and
teacher and parent perspectives, opportunities to observe validly document both the differences and similarities in
students, and tendencies to notice, remember, and report how students function and in how they are perceived in
different aspects of what is observed. Consequently, the different contexts. It is equally necessary to help school
r of only .27 between teacher and parent ratings is not and mental health professionals understand the value of
surprising. documenting informant discrepancies in order to obtain
The same meta-analytic study found a mean r of .60 more comprehensive understanding of individual students
between ratings by pairs of adults who play similar roles than afforded by diagnostic constructs such as ADHD.
and who observe students in similar contexts, including Discrepancies between teacher, parent, and student
pairs of teachers, pairs of parents, pairs of mental health reports indicate that different informants often provide
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

workers, and pairs of direct observers (Achenbach et al., potentially valuable information about different aspects of
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

1987). Although the mean r of .60 indicates substantially students’ functioning. Consequently, assessment of stu-
better agreement between pairs of similar informants than dents’ difficulties should include data from multiple infor-
between teachers and parents, the mean r of .60 neverthe- mants whenever possible. In addition to teacher, parent,
less indicates that reports by similar informants may also be and student reports, it is also helpful to obtain direct obser-
discrepant. For example, unlike the mathematics teacher vations of students’ functioning in settings such as class-
who reported ADHD difficulties, the student’s history rooms, group activities, interviews, and administration of
teacher may report no ADHD difficulties. And, unlike the individual ability and achievement tests. The following
parent who reported intense concentration on videogames, sections present multi-informant instruments collectively
the student’s other parent may report ADHD difficulties known as the Achenbach System of Empirically Based
because the student fails to attend to homework. Assessment (ASEBA). Subsequent sections present methods
The 1987 meta-analyses obtained a mean r of .20 between for obtaining, displaying, and comparing data from differ-
teachers’ ratings and students’ self-ratings and a mean r of ent informants, multicultural findings and norms, and
.25 between parents’ ratings and students’ self-ratings, indi- practical applications to initial assessments of students,
cating that students’ self-ratings also tend to differ from brief assessments of responses to interventions, and out-
both teachers’ and parents’ ratings of the students. Since come assessments.
the meta-analytic findings were published three decades
ago, hundreds of studies have found similarly modest
correlations between teacher, parent, and self-ratings
(De Los Reyes et al., 2015). Comparisons of teacher ratings, Multi-Informant Assessment
parent ratings, and student self-ratings on parallel assess-
ment instruments have found similar patterns of cross-
Instruments
informant discrepancies in dozens of societies (Rescorla
ASEBA instruments are designed to assess difficulties
et al., 2013, 2014).
and strengths in developmentally appropriate ways for ages
1½ to 90+ years (Achenbach, 2009). This section focuses on
instruments for assessing students’ difficulties and strengths
Documenting Informant Discrepancies on the basis of data obtained from teachers, parents,
Does Not Threaten Validity students, observers, interviewers, and test administrators.

Informant discrepancies might be viewed as threats to valid


assessment. However, as documented in the cited articles,
Theoretical Framework
the reliability and validity of many instruments completed
by different informants are well established for assessing The ASEBA’s theoretical framework stems from a
students’ difficulties, as seen by the different informants. developmental approach to psychopathology (Achenbach,
Consequently, informant discrepancies should not be dis- 2009). The theoretical framework embodies certain episte-
missed as reflecting measurement error, unreliability, or mological tenets regarding how to advance knowledge of
poor validity (De Los Reyes, 2011). Instead, as found in psychopathology in relation to the course of human develop-
multiple meta-analyses, widely replicated informant dis- ment. One tenet is that conceptualizations of psychopathol-
crepancies validly document potentially important differ- ogy can be derived from systematic aggregations of data
ences in how students function in different contexts, as obtained from standardized, developmentally appropriate
reported by people relevant to helping the students, such assessments of large samples of individuals within particular

European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2018), 34(2), 127–140 Ó 2017 Hogrefe Publishing
T. M. Achenbach, Assessment of Students’ Difficulties 129

age ranges. Another tenet is that well-supported patterns and to delete items that are rarely endorsed, that are not
of co-occurring characteristics can serve as taxonomic understood by informants, or that fail to discriminate
constructs for modeling psychopathology within particular between referred versus nonreferred students.
age periods. Implementation of the theoretical framework Ratings of the surviving items for large samples of
involves: students are subjected to exploratory factor analyses (EFAs)
1. Construction of standardized developmentally appro- and then to confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) to derive
priate instruments for assessing large samples of indi- and validate syndromes of co-occurring difficulties. Each
viduals on the basis of data from different kinds of syndrome is given a descriptive label that summarizes the
informants. difficulties comprising the syndrome.
2. Multivariate statistical analyses of the assessment data
to identify sets of difficulties that tend to co-occur.
3. Multi-level analyses from which to derive hierarchical Instrument Contents
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

models spanning from assessment of many specific


This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

The complete contents of each instrument can be freely


difficulties – at the most molecular level – to narrow-
viewed at www.aseba.org. Each instrument contains
band syndromes comprising sets of mutually associ-
instructions tailored to the kinds of informants for whom
ated difficulties and then to broad-band groupings of
the instrument is designed. As detailed in the following
mutually associated syndromes, culminating in a
sections, instructions for teacher, parent, and self-report
general psychopathology dimension.
instruments specify a period of months on which infor-
mants are asked to base their responses. Instructions for
The theoretical framework is applied via iterative processes
instruments completed by observers, interviewers, and test
of developing, pilot testing, and refining assessment instru-
administrators specify how data are to be recorded on the
ments; using the instruments to assess large clinical and
basis of observations of students in specific contexts during
population samples of individuals; deriving taxonomic con-
specified time samples.
structs from the assessment data; comparing and refining
The instruments contain difficulties and strengths items
constructs across multiple samples and informants; testing
tailored to the student characteristics reportable by the
the constructs with new data; further refining the con-
informants for whom the instrument is designed. Examples
structs; further refining instruments for operationalizing
of difficulties items are provided for each instrument in the
the constructs; assessing population samples of individuals
following sections. In addition to rating items on Likert
on which to base norms; and assessing clinical samples on
scales, informants are invited to write in descriptions of
which to test validity. The assessment instruments and
students’ functioning and other information that communi-
taxonomic constructs are then tested in many ways in many
cates informants’ views of the students.
different populations.

Development of Assessment Instruments Teacher, Parent, and Self-Report


Instruments
The portion of each instrument for assessing difficulties
has been developed according to an empirically based, To assess students’ functioning over periods of months,
“bottom-up” strategy that starts by generating numerous parallel assessment instruments have been constructed
descriptors of difficulties that can be rated by particular for completion in 15–20 min by teachers and other school
kinds of informants. The descriptors are formulated in staff (Teacher’s Report Form, TRF), by parents (Child
terms of items that can be rated on Likert scales with a min- Behavior Checklist for Ages 6–18, CBCL/6–18), and by
imum of inference. The items are tested by having large youths (Youth Self-Report, YSR; Achenbach & Rescorla,
samples of informants – including teachers, parents, and 2001). Parents and students are asked to base their ratings
students – rate the items for students who have been on the preceding 6 months, whereas teachers are asked to
independently determined to need help for behavioral/ base their ratings on the preceding 2 months to allow for
emotional/social difficulties versus students who are not the shorter periods during which teachers may know
judged to need help for such difficulties. Informants are students before they rate them (users can reduce the
invited to evaluate the items, to suggest additional items, 6-month and 2-month periods if desired, e.g., for purposes
and to provide open-ended comments. The items are also of reassessments over shorter periods). Difficulties items
tested for their ability to discriminate between students are rated 0 = not true (as far as you know), 1 = somewhat
who have been referred for help versus students who have or sometimes true, and 2 = very true or often true. Each instru-
not been referred for help. This process continues ment also includes strengths items that have been validated
iteratively in order to add new items, to refine the items, for assessing students according to ratings by the intended

Ó 2017 Hogrefe Publishing European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2018), 34(2), 127–140
130 T. M. Achenbach, Assessment of Students’ Difficulties

kind of informant. Many items have counterparts on all during the preceding minute. At the end of a 10-min
three instruments, whereas some items are specific to the sample, the observer rates 88 difficulties items. Some items
TRF, CBCL/6–18, or YSR. For example, Unhappy, sad, or – such as Unhappy, sad, or depressed – have counterparts on
depressed is on all three instruments, whereas Disrupts class the TRF, CBCL/6–18, and TRF, whereas other items – such
discipline is on only the TRF. Disobedient at home is on the as Physically isolates self from others – do not.
CBCL/6–18 and YSR, but not on the TRF. All three instru- To obtain a more representative sample of a student’s
ments have open-ended items for describing the best things functioning than afforded by any single time sample,
about the student, plus concerns about the student. multiple 10-min samples should be observed during
EFAs and CFAs of ratings of difficulties items have yielded mornings and afternoons on different days. The DOF aver-
syndromes of covarying difficulties that have been given the ages item, scale, and on-task scores obtained for up to six
following descriptive labels: Anxious/Depressed, Withdrawn/ 10-min samples. The difficulties scales include factor-
Depressed, Somatic Complaints, Social Problems, Thought analytically derived syndromes, DSM-oriented scales, and
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

Problems, Attention Problems, Rule-Breaking Behavior, and Total Problems.


This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

Aggressive Behavior. Dimensional scores are computed by To provide comparisons with other students in the same
summing an informant’s ratings of the items comprising a environment, the DOF should be used to rate observations
syndrome. Second-order factor analyses have yielded a of one randomly selected student of the same gender as the
broad group of covarying syndromes designated as Internal- identified student during the 10 min before the identified
izing, which comprises the Anxious/Depressed, Withdrawn/ student is observed and one during the 10 min after the
Depressed, and Somatic Complaints syndromes. The sec- identified student is observed. The DOF displays the com-
ond-order factor analyses have also yielded a broad group parison students’ scores on profiles next to the identified
of covarying difficulties designated as Externalizing, which student’s scores in relation to gender-specific norms based
comprises the Rule-Breaking Behavior and Aggressive on large samples of students observed in many different
Behavior syndromes. Broad-band Internalizing and Exter- schools.
nalizing scales are scored by summing the scores of their
constituent syndromes. A general psychopathology dimen- Semistructured Clinical Interview for Children
sion – designated as Total Problems – is scored by summing and Adolescents (SCICA)
ratings on all difficulties items. The SCICA assesses more subtle characteristics of students’
Difficulties are also scored on scales corresponding to functioning than can be assessed by observations in group
diagnostic categories of the American Psychiatric Associa- settings or by teacher, parent, or self-ratings (McConaughy
tion’s (2013) “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth & Achenbach, 2001). These characteristics can be elicited
Edition” (DSM-5). Strengths are scored on scales desig- during interactions with an experienced interviewer and
nated as Activities, Social, School, Total Competence, can help in evaluating a student’s amenability to counseling
Academic Performance, Adaptive Functioning, and Positive and talking therapies.
Qualities. The SCICA’s protocol of open-ended questions guides the
interviewer, who can then follow up with more specific
Observer, Interviewer, and Test questions regarding difficulties reported by the student’s
teachers and/or parents. The student is encouraged to talk
Administrator Instruments about his/her activities, likes and dislikes, feelings, difficul-
In addition to instruments for obtaining teacher, parent, ties, relationships, stresses, and wishes. The SCICA can
and self-ratings, the ASEBA includes instruments for include whatever is brought up by the student or interviewer.
assessing students on the basis of observations in specific With the student’s permission, the SCICA session is
contexts during specified time samples, as outlined in the audio- or video-recorded to provide documentation that
following sections. the interviewer can check following the interview. The inter-
viewer also writes notes in spaces provided on the SCICA
Direct Observation Form (DOF) protocol. Following the interview, the interviewer rates the
The DOF uses time samples of observations to assess stu- student on 120 observational items (e.g., Acts too young for
dents’ functioning during school classes and during group age; Argues; Avoids eye contact) and 126 self-report items
activities, such as recess (McConaughy & Achenbach, (e.g., Reports being confused; Reports being treated unfairly;
2009). Using the DOF, an observer (e.g., teacher aide, Reports being unhappy, sad, or depressed). The SCICA item
paraprofessional, counselor, etc.) writes a narrative descrip- ratings are summed to yield scores for syndromes,
tion of a student’s difficulties and on-task behavior during a DSM-oriented scales, Internalizing, Externalizing, and Total
10-min observational sample. At the end of each 1-min Problems in relation to norms based on large samples of
interval, the observer rates whether the student was on-task students assessed with the SCICA.

European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2018), 34(2), 127–140 Ó 2017 Hogrefe Publishing
T. M. Achenbach, Assessment of Students’ Difficulties 131

Test Observation Form (TOF) it is important to obtain data from more than one informant
When concerns about a student warrant individual ability whenever possible. To make full use of data from multiple
or achievement testing, the test situation provides excep- informants, it is essential to display the data in ways that
tional opportunities for test administrators to observe reveal both discrepancies and agreements between difficul-
students’ reactions to academic tasks and challenges. ties reported by different informants. Ratings of difficulties
The TOF assesses behavioral/emotional/social difficulties items by up to 10 informants can be displayed in side-by-
manifested by students while they are being tested side comparisons. As an example, if a teacher, a parent,
(McConaughy & Achenbach, 2004). During the test, the and a student rate the student, the user can compare
administrator writes brief observational notes on the TOF. ratings by each informant on items that have counterparts
Following the test, the administrator rates 124 difficulties on the TRF, CBCL/6–18, and YSR. The user can then iden-
that are potentially observable in the test situation. Exam- tify items on which ratings by the different informants
ples include: Difficulty following directions; Tremors in hands agree and items on which they disagree. The user can also
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

or fingers; Flat affect; and Unhappy, sad, or depressed. display bar graphs of scores for each syndrome and DSM-
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

The TOF item ratings are summed to yield scores for oriented scale scored from the TRF, CBCL/6–18, and
syndromes, DSM-oriented scales, Internalizing, Externaliz- YSR. Each bar is standardized on the basis of norms for
ing, and Total Problems in relation to norms for the the student’s gender and age, the type of informant
student’s gender and age. The TOF results can help test (teacher, parent, student), and the appropriate multicultural
administrators evaluate whether ability and/or achieve- norm group (explained later).
ment test scores are valid estimates of the student’s abilities
and achievement, as well as whether particular behavioral/
emotional/social difficulties may interfere with the Case Illustration
student’s academic functioning. The results can be placed To illustrate cross-informant comparisons of scale scores,
in the student’s record to provide much more detailed Figure 1 displays bar graphs scored for the eight factor-
and explicit documentation of a student’s test behavior than analytically derived syndromes scored from TRFs com-
test administrators would typically have time to provide. pleted by two teachers, CBCL/6–18 forms completed by
both parents, and the YSR completed by 12-year-old Sandra
to describe herself (names have been changed to English
Normative Samples, Test-Retest language versions and personal details are fictitious). Scores
Reliabilities, and Cronbach’s α that are below the bottom broken line on each graph are in
the normal range (< 93rd percentile; T scores < 65 for
Table 1 summarizes ASEBA instruments for assessing
12-year-old girls). Scores that are between the two broken
students, the normative sample sizes, test-retest reliabili-
lines are in the borderline clinical range (93rd–97th
ties, and Cronbach’s α. Extensive validity data have been
percentiles; T scores 65–69 for 12-year-old girls). And
published for all the instruments, including discrimination
scores that are above the top broken line are in the clinical
between students referred for special education and/or
range (> 97th percentile; T scores > 69 for 12-year-old girls).
mental health services versus demographically similar non-
By looking at the right-hand box in the middle row of
referred students. These data are detailed in the instru-
Figure 1, you can see that ratings by both teachers yielded
ments’ manuals, which also detail correlations between
scores in the borderline clinical range for the Attention
the instruments’ scores and scores from other instruments,
Problems syndrome. However, ratings by both parents
plus the normative and reliability findings that are summa-
yielded scores well down in the normal range for the Atten-
rized in Table 1 (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001, 2007;
tion Problems syndrome. The higher scores yielded by the
McConaughy & Achenbach, 2001, 2004, 2009). Hundreds
teachers’ ratings indicate that Sandra manifests attentional
of peer-reviewed publications report reliability and validity
difficulties in school that are not evident to her parents.
data obtained in other ways (Bérubé & Achenbach, 2017).
These findings suggest that interventions to help Sandra
should especially focus on her attentional problems in
school. By contrast, Sandra’s parents but not her teacher
Cross-Informant Comparisons rated her in the clinical or borderline clinical range on the
Aggressive Behavior syndrome shown in the middle of
As mentioned earlier, students often function differently in the bottom row of boxes in Figure 1. These findings suggest
different contexts and may be perceived differently by that Sandra needs help with aggressive behavior that occurs
teachers, parents, and the students themselves (De Los more with her parents than with her teachers. Elevations in
Reyes, 2011; De Los Reyes et al., 2015). Because each the Somatic Complaints and Social Problems scores
informant may provide different but valid information, obtained from ratings by some informants suggest that

Ó 2017 Hogrefe Publishing European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2018), 34(2), 127–140
132 T. M. Achenbach, Assessment of Students’ Difficulties

Table 1. ASEBA instruments for assessing students’ Behavioral/Emotional/Social Difficulties


N for normative
Instrument Ages Completed by Scales samples Test-retest rs Cronbach’s α
CBCL/6–18 6–18 Parent Competence, Syndromes, 59,804a .80–.94 Mean = .88 .53–.97 Mean = .79
DSM-oriented, Obsessive-
compulsive, Stress,
Sluggish Cognitive Tempo,
Internalizing, Externalizing,
Total Problems
TRF 6–18 Teacher, School staff Same as CBCL/6–18, except 32,349a .60–.95 Mean = .85 .58–.97 Mean = .85
has Academic Performance
& Adaptive Functioning
instead of Competence
YSR 11–18 Student Same as CBCL/6–18, except 31,300a .67–.91 Mean = .81 .55–.95 Mean = .77
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has Positive Qualities, but


This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

not Sluggish Cognitive


Tempo
BPM 6–18 Parents, Teachers, Attention Problems, 5,125 .83–.90 Mean = .85 .78–.86 Mean = .83
School staff, Students Internalizing, Externalizing,
Total Problems
DOF 6–11 Trained observer On-task, Syndromes, 667 .25–.77 Mean = .54 .49–.81 Mean = .70
DSM-oriented
SCICA 6–18 Trained interviewer Syndromes, DSM-oriented, 686 .57–.86 Mean = .78 .32–.90 Mean = .73
Internalizing, Externalizing,
Total Observed & Total Self-
Reported Problems
TOF 2–18 Test administrator Syndromes, DSM-oriented, 3,943 .53–.87 Mean = .80 .74–.94 Mean = .84
Internalizing, Externalizing,
Total Problems
Notes. ASEBA = Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment; CBCL/6–18 = Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6–18; TRF = Teacher’s Report Form;
YSR = Youth Self-Report; BPM = Brief Problem Monitor; DOF = Direct Observation Form; SCICA = Semistructured Interview for Children and Adolescents;
TOF = Test Observation Form. All forms can be viewed at www.aseba.org
a
Samples that included many societies, as detailed by Achenbach and Rescorla (2007). Other samples included only students living in the US.

Sandra also needs help in these areas. The comparisons of comprehensive assessment and case formulation needed
teacher, parent, and self-ratings of specific items may for effective help.
additionally reveal specific difficulties that are rated higher
by Sandra’s teachers than by her parents or herself, and
vice versa. These difficulties may therefore warrant being
targeted for help in one context but not another. Multicultural Findings
The different difficulties reported by different infor-
mants reflect the fact that students such as Sandra often The increasing cultural diversity of students in many
function differently in different contexts and with differ- schools must be taken into account when assessing
ent interaction partners. Consequently, efforts to help behavioral/emotional/social difficulties. To obtain data
Sandra may require different methods to ameliorate her from students and their parents, translations of assessment
attentional difficulties in school than to ameliorate her instruments may be needed in languages other than the
aggressive behavior at home, as well to ameliorate dominant language of the school personnel. Assessment
her somatic complaints and social difficulties. Help for instruments should be empirically supported for use in
Sandra’s attentional difficulties in school is likely to require multiple societies and cultural groups. ASEBA instruments
collaboration with her teachers to alter contingencies that are available in some 100 languages including 37 European
affect her attention and to assess changes in her school languages (listed at www.aseba.org). Published studies
functioning. Analogously, help for Sandra’s aggressive report use of ASEBA instruments in over 100 societies
behavior, somatic complaints, and social difficulties is and cultural groups (Bérubé & Achenbach, 2017). Indige-
likely to require collaboration with her parents to alter nous researchers have used ASEBA instruments to assess
family dynamics and to assess changes. The essential population samples in over 50 societies where CFAs have
point is that both similarities and differences between supported ASEBA syndromes (Ivanova et al., 2010, 2011;
reports by different informants contribute to the kind of Ivanova, Achenbach, Rescorla, Turner, Ahmeti-Pronaj,

European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2018), 34(2), 127–140 Ó 2017 Hogrefe Publishing
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

Cross-Informant Comparison - Syndrome Scale T Scores CBCL/TRF/YSR


ID: 0010000250 Name: Sandra J. Remy Gender: Female Birth Date: 04/02/1989 Comparison date: 11/09/2001
Form Eval ID Age Informant Name Relationship Date Form Eval ID Age Informant Name Relationship Date
CBC1 101 12 Theresa Remy Biological Mother 10/29/2001 YSR5 105 12 Self Self 11/08/2001
CBC2 102 12 Keith Remy Biological Father 10/29/2001
TRF3 103 12 Maria Fernandez Classroom Teacher {F} 11/07/2001
TRF4 104 12 Janet Holden Classroom Teacher {F} 11/06/2001

Anxious/ Depressed Withdrawn/ Depressed Somatic Complaints

Ó 2017 Hogrefe Publishing


100

90
T
S 80
C
O 70
R
E 60

50
57 55 62 61 59 54 54 59 59 61 68-B 62 64 66-B 57
CBC1 CBC2 TRF3 TRF4 YSR5 CBC1 CBC2 TRF3 TRF4 YSR5 CBC1 CBC2 TRF3 TRF4 YSR5
T. M. Achenbach, Assessment of Students’ Difficulties

Social Problems Thought Problems Attention Problems


100

90
T
S 80
C
O 70
R
E 60

50
61 64 62 68-B 66-B 60 56 62 57 51 54 59 67-B 67-B 63
CBC1 CBC2 TRF3 TRF4 YSR5 CBC1 CBC2 TRF3 TRF4 YSR5 CBC1 CBC2 TRF3 TRF4 YSR5

Rule-Breaking Behavior Aggressive Behavior


100
B = Borderline clinical range; C = Clinical range
90 Broken lines = Borderline clinical range
T {F}=Female {M}=Male
S 80 nc = not calculated due to insufficient data
C
O 70
R
E 60

50
51 57 50 50 54 77-C 65-B 62 64 59
CBC1 CBC2 TRF3 TRF4 YSR5 CBC1 CBC2 TRF3 TRF4 YSR5

Figure 1. Cross-informant comparisons of syndrome scale scores for 12-year-old Sandra (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2015a; Reproduced by permission).

European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2018), 34(2), 127–140


133
134 T. M. Achenbach, Assessment of Students’ Difficulties

et al., 2015; Ivanova, Achenbach, Rescorla, Turner, students have been reported from the Zuid Holland
Árnadottir, et al., 2015; Rescorla, Ivanova, et al., 2012). longitudinal study, the Tracking Adolescents’ Individ-
ual Lives Survey (TRAILS), the Generation R Project
(R = Rotterdam), and many studies generated by the
Multicultural Correlations Between Mean Netherlands Twin Registry (Boomsma, van Beijsterveldt, &
Item Ratings Hudziak, 2005; Ormel et al., 2012; Reef, Diamantopoulou,
van Meurs, Verhulst, & van der Ende, 2009; Tiemeier
The CFA results indicate similar patterns of covariation
et al., 2012). Articles also report use of ASEBA instru-
among difficulties items rated by parents, by teachers,
ments in 36 other European societies (Bérubé & Achenbach,
and by youths in many societies. Additional tests of
2017).
multicultural similarities in patterns of item ratings were
performed as follows: for each society that provided a
population-based sample for a particular instrument (e.g., Hierarchical Linear Modeling of Societal,
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

the CBCL/6–18), the mean of the 0–1–2 ratings of each dif-


This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

ficulties item was computed for that instrument. For each


Cultural, and Individual Differences
pair of societies, a Q correlation was then computed Hierarchical linear models have shown that much more
between the mean ratings for all items in one society and variance in difficulties scores is accounted for by indi-
the mean ratings for all items in the other society (Q corre- vidual differences within societies than by differences
lations measure the covariation between two sets of scores between societies or between culture clusters (Anglo,
on many variables, e.g., the mean ratings on many CBCL/ Confucian, Eastern Europe, Germanic Europe, Latin
6–18 items from Society A and from Society B). After the Q Europe, Middle Eastern, Nordic Europe, Southern Asia;
correlation was computed between each pair of societies, Rescorla, Althoff, Achenbach, Ivanova, & the Interna-
the mean of all these Q correlations was computed. The tional ASEBA Consortium, 2017). This means that – after
mean Q correlation was .74 for the CBCL/6–18, .72 for using multicultural norms (explained in the next sections)
the TRF, and .70 for the YSR (Rescorla, Ivanova, et al., to take account of societal and cultural differences – users
2012). As these mean correlations were large according to can base decisions about individual students’ needs on the
Cohen’s (1988) criteria, they indicate considerable similar- students’ standardized scale scores for difficulties such as
ity in the rank ordering of item ratings across societies. aggressive behavior, attention problems, and depression.
In other words, there was considerable cross-society consis-
tency with respect to the difficulties items that tended to
receive low ratings, those that received medium ratings, Why Use Multicultural Norms?
and those that received high ratings.
The purpose of multicultural norms is to provide metrics for
evaluating individuals’ scale scores in relation to distribu-
Multicultural Comparisons Between tions of scores from population samples for societies rele-
Scale Scores vant to those individuals. The use of population-based
norms for evaluating behavioral/emotional/social problems
Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) that compared the magni- is analogous to the use of population-based norms for eval-
tudes of difficulties scale scores across many societies have uating variables such as height. Because height does not
yielded small to medium effects of societal differences on have identical distributions for both genders at all ages in
the scores, with similar gender and age effects in the all societies, norms for height are constructed on the basis
different societies. Published peer-reviewed journal articles of population samples for each gender at different ages
provide details of these findings and of the samples, includ- from different societies. Data from societies found to have
ing sampling procedures, sample composition, and sample similar distributions for height can be aggregated to provide
N for each society (Rescorla, Achenbach, et al., 2012; a single set of norms for those societies. Data from other
Rescorla, Achenbach, Ginzburg, et al., 2007; Rescorla societies found to have similar distributions for height can
et al., 2007a, 2007b; Rescorla et al., 2011; Rescorla, be aggregated to provide other sets of norms for height.
Ivanova, et al., 2012). Table 1 reports Ns for the total Different sets of norms can thus provide metrics that are
multicultural normative samples for each instrument. more appropriate for judging whether individuals in partic-
ular societies need help than if the same metric were
applied to individuals in all societies. For example, because
Applications in Europe
the mean height of Dutch people has been found to exceed
Hundreds of articles report use of ASEBA instruments in the mean height of people in most other societies, applica-
Europe. For example, findings for thousands of Dutch tion of Dutch norms to individuals in a society having a

European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2018), 34(2), 127–140 Ó 2017 Hogrefe Publishing
T. M. Achenbach, Assessment of Students’ Difficulties 135

lower mean height would cause too many individuals in mean of the “Group 2” societies (whose mean Total Prob-
that society to be identified as candidates for help for lems scores ranged from 1 SD to +1 SD around the omni-
stunted growth. cultural mean) and because the US norms had already been
used in many research and clinical applications, the US
norms were adopted for Group 2. Similar procedures were
Construction of Multicultural Norms followed for constructing multicultural Group 1, 2, and 3
Because it is important to take account of societal differ- norms for the CBCL/6–18 and YSR (Achenbach & Rescorla,
ences in difficulties scale scores, three sets of multicultural 2007). Multicultural norm groups for societies from which
norms have been constructed for the TRF, CBCL/6–18, and indigenous researchers have provided population samples
YSR. The multicultural norms were constructed as follows, are listed at www.aseba.org, including 25 European
using the TRF as an example: the TRF Total Problems societies.
score (sum of 0–1–2 ratings on all TRF difficulties items)
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

was used as a metric that indicates the degree to which


This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

Applications of Multicultural Norms


societies had relatively low, medium, or high TRF difficul-
ties scores (because the Total Problems score is the sum To compare a student’s difficulties scale scores with
of ratings for all difficulties items, the mean Total Problems appropriate norms, options are provided for displaying scale
score is a good omnibus metric for the central tendency of scores on profiles in relation to Group 1, 2, and 3 norms.
difficulties scores obtained by students in each society). For example, if an immigrant student attends school in a
Across all the societies in which population samples were host society for which TRF scores are in Group 1, the user
assessed, the distribution of mean TRF Total Problems can display TRF scale scores from a TRF completed by a
scores formed a normal, bell-shaped curve, with about host society teacher in relation to Group 1 norms. This
two-thirds of the societies having mean Total Problems would show the user whether difficulties reported by the
scores within 1 SD of the “omnicultural” mean (the mean teacher are in the normal range, borderline clinical range,
of all the mean Total Problems scores). Approximately or clinical range, compared to students in the host society.
one-sixth of the societies had mean Total Problems scores If the Group 2 YSR norms are appropriate for the
> 1 SD below the omnicultural mean, while approximately student’s home society or for a host society to which the
one-sixth had mean Total Problems > 1 SD above the student is well acculturated, the user can display the youth’s
omnicultural mean (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2007). YSR scale scores in relation to Group 2 YSR norms. And if a
Because the distribution of mean TRF Total Problems parent came from a society for which CBCL/6–18 Group 3
scores was continuous and normal, with no extreme out- norms are appropriate, the user can display scale scores
liers, three sets of multicultural norms sufficed to take from the parent’s CBCL/6–18 in relation to Group 3 norms.
account of societal differences in difficulties ratings. The The CBCL/6–18, TRF, and YSR are in different norm
three sets of multicultural norms were constructed as groups for some societies. For example, Japanese and Main-
follows: separately for each gender at ages 6–11 and 12–18 land Chinese parents’ CBCL/6–18 scores are in Group 1,
in each society whose mean TRF Total Problems score whereas Japanese and Mainland Chinese students’ YSR
was > 1 SD below the omnicultural mean (called “Group ratings are in Group 2. Findings that parent, teacher, and
1”), a cumulative frequency distribution of Total Problems self-ratings from a particular society may qualify for differ-
scores was computed. The cumulative frequency distribu- ent norm groups reflect the fact that assessment of
tions for all the Group 1 societies were then averaged to students’ difficulties depends on data from informants
create a Group 1 cumulative frequency distribution, sepa- who differ with respect to their knowledge of the student,
rately for each gender at ages 6–11 and 12–18. Normalized attention to various aspects of the student’s functioning,
T scores were assigned to each TRF raw scale score on judgments of that functioning, and ability and willingness
the basis of the percentile occupied by the raw scale score to report the student’s difficulties. These and other charac-
in the Group 1 Total Problems cumulative frequency distri- teristics of informants and of the students themselves can
bution for each gender at ages 6–11 and 12–18. The same affect ratings, as well as affecting other kinds of assessment
procedure was followed for assigning normalized T scores data. Comparisons of CBCL/6–18 and YSR difficulties
to TRF raw scores for each difficulties scale, separately scores (on corresponding items) for 27,861 students in
for each gender at ages 6–11 and 12–18. 25 societies showed that students reported more difficulties
Normalized T scores were assigned in the same way to than their parents did in all societies (Rescorla et al., 2013).
societies whose mean Total Problems scores were > 1 SD However, the magnitude of the parent-student discrepan-
above the omnicultural mean (“Group 3” societies). Because cies varied widely. The largest discrepancy was in Japan,
the US mean Total Problems score corresponded to the where the CBCL/6–18 difficulties scores were the lowest

Ó 2017 Hogrefe Publishing European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2018), 34(2), 127–140
136 T. M. Achenbach, Assessment of Students’ Difficulties

of all the societies but the YSR scores were among the high- counselor to ask Jack’s mother to fill out the CBCL/6–18
est. The reasons for the low parents’ ratings of the same and to consent to asking Jack to fill out the YSR. Because
items rated by their daughters and sons might include lack Jack’s mother was not sufficiently fluent in the language
of awareness of the students’ difficulties and/or a desire to of host Society F, she completed the Society E translation
“save face” by not endorsing difficulties, although very few of the CBCL/6–18. When given a choice of the Society E
Japanese parents gave ratings of 0 to all difficulties items. or Society F version of the YSR, Jack chose the Society F
Comparisons of CBCL/6–18 and TRF ratings (on corre- version.
sponding items) for 27,962 students in 21 societies showed The graphs in Figure 2 show that the teacher’s concern
that CBCL/6–18 scores were higher than TRF scores in all about attention difficulties was corroborated by TRF and
societies except Thailand (Rescorla et al., 2014). Discrepan- CBCL/6–18 scores in the clinical range for the Attention
cies between parent and teacher ratings are not surprising Deficit/Hyperactivity scale. However, the graphs also show
in view of parents’ and teachers’ different roles and the that Jack’s mother and teacher additionally reported
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

different conditions under which they see students. The lar- enough difficulties on the Oppositional Defiant and
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

gest discrepancy was in Portugal, where CBCL/6–18 diffi- Conduct scales to be of concern, while Jack reported
culties scores were considerably higher than TRF scores. enough difficulties on the Depressive and Somatic scales
Other European countries manifested various patterns of to be of concern. Interventions to help Jack should there-
similarities and differences between the norm groups for fore focus not only on difficulties with attention but on
which ratings by parents, teachers, and students qualified. other difficulties as well.
For example, in Greece, Italy, and Lithuania, CBCL/6–18 The bars in Figure 2 show T scores that are based on
and TRF scores qualified for Group 2, whereas YSR scores norms for 14-year-old boys rated by parents (designated
qualified for Group 3. For Norway, CBCL and YSR scores as CBC1), teachers (designated as TRF2), and youths
qualified for Group 1, whereas TRF scores qualified for (designated as YSR3). The T scores for Jack’s mother’s
Group 2. ratings are based on Group 1 norms, because the CBCL/
Cultural variations related to schooling, parent-child rela- 6–18 normative sample in her home Society E met criteria
tionships, attitudes toward students’ difficulties, and will- for Group 1. The T scores for ratings by Jack and his teacher
ingness to report difficulties, plus differences in social are based on Group 2 norms, because the TRF and YSR
structures, political systems, economic conditions, religion, normative samples in Society F met criteria for Group 2.
and actual rates of students’ difficulties could potentially The school counselor also displayed Jack’s T scores in rela-
affect ratings of students’ difficulties. Considering the tion to YSR Group 1 norms (appropriate for Jack’s home
multitude of potentially relevant variables, interpretations society). By displaying a student’s scale scores in relation
of the precise reasons for societal differences in mean scale to two or even three sets of norms that might be relevant
scores would be speculative. Despite the impossibility of to that student and to the informants, users can see whether
pinpointing all reasons for differences in ratings of students’ different norms would yield different conclusions about
difficulties, population-based norms provide metrics for whether a student’s difficulties are in the normal, border-
evaluating the magnitude of difficulties scores, just as they line, or clinical range. In Jack’s case, use of the Group 1
do for variables such as height. YSR norms did not reveal any important differences from
what is shown for the Group 2 norms in Figure 2.
Case Illustration Note that users can select one or more sets of norms that
To illustrate applications of the multicultural norms, they deem relevant to ratings by a particular informant.
Figure 2 displays graphs of scores for DSM-oriented scales Even though Jack was well acculturated, the user initially
from CBCL/6–18, TRF, and YSR forms completed for selected Group 1 norms for ratings by Jack’s less-accultu-
14-year-old Jack (not his real name). Jack’s family had rated mother to provide a normative metric appropriate
emigrated from Society E to host Society F when Jack for ratings by parents from her home society.
was 4 years old. Jack attended Society F schools, was well As Figure 2 shows, the Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity,
acculturated in Society F, and was fluent in the language Oppositional Defiant, and Conduct scales were in the
of Society F. Several of Jack’s earlier teachers had clinical range according to CBCL/6–18 ratings by Jack’s
mentioned his inattentiveness, but, when Jack was 14, his mother and TRF ratings by Jack’s teacher. However, all
mathematics teacher became so concerned about his three scales were in the normal range when scored from
inattentiveness that she consulted a school counselor. Jack’s YSR. These results indicate that similar difficulties
With the consent of Jack’s mother, the counselor asked were observed at home and school but that Jack denied
Jack’s teacher to fill out the TRF. Scores in the clinical range the difficulties or was unaware of them. On the other hand,
on the DSM-oriented Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity, the Depressive and Somatic (e.g., headaches without
Oppositional Defiant, and Conduct scales prompted the known medical cause) scales were in the clinical range

European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2018), 34(2), 127–140 Ó 2017 Hogrefe Publishing
T. M. Achenbach, Assessment of Students’ Difficulties 137
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

Figure 2. Cross-informant comparisons of Jack’s scores on DSM-oriented scales in relation to CBCL norms for Society E, TRF norms for Society F,
and YSR norms that are the same for Societies E and F (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2015b; Reproduced by permission).

when scored from Jack’s YSR but in the normal range when levels of depressive and somatic difficulties, which his
scored from Jack’s mother’s and teacher’s ratings. This mother and teacher did not report.
indicates that Jack’s depressive and somatic difficulties
were not evident to his mother or teacher but should be
considered in efforts to help Jack. Baseline Assessments
Decisions about interventions depend on many factors that
differ from one society and school to another, as well as
Assessments to Guide Interventions depending on the student’s age, difficulties, strengths, recep-
tiveness to help, and parents’ inclinations. Whether interven-
Figure 2 illustrates how multi-informant, multicultural tions are feasible in school or whether outside mental health
assessments can reveal different aspects of students’ diffi- services are warranted, the TRF, CBCL/6–18, and YSR
culties. Although Jack’s teacher was initially concerned provide baseline assessments for determining whether help
about Jack’s inattentiveness, her TRF ratings and Jack’s is needed and, if so, what difficulties should be targeted.
mother’s CBCL/6–18 ratings revealed that – compared to To provide detailed documentation of a student’s function-
norms based on gender, age, informant, and multicultural ing in class and/or group activities, observations by a school
norm group – Jack manifested high levels of oppositional counselor, school psychologist, or paraprofessional can be
and conduct difficulties, as well as attentional difficulties. recorded and scored on the DOF, which was described
The consistencies between the CBCL/6–18 and TRF scores earlier. If individual ability and/or achievement tests are
indicate that Jack’s behavioral difficulties were not confined administered, the test administrator can complete the TOF
to school. Jack’s YSR ratings, by contrast, revealed high to document and score the student’s functioning in the test

Ó 2017 Hogrefe Publishing European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2018), 34(2), 127–140
138 T. M. Achenbach, Assessment of Students’ Difficulties

situation. And if the SCICA is administered, it can document scores in order to determine how much improvement has
more subtle aspects of the student’s functioning, as well as occurred. The Progress & Outcomes App (P&O App;
evaluating the student’s amenability to counseling and Achenbach, 2017) displays bar graph comparisons of scale
talking therapies. scores obtained at different times, such as baseline, during
Because the DOF and TOF assess functioning during the course of interventions, and following interventions.
specific time samples, they can be considered assessments The P&O App uses standard errors of measurement to
of the student’s state during the time samples. The SCICA determine whether changes in scale scores exceed chance
assesses state aspects of a student’s functioning on the basis expectations. To make findings easy to understand without
of observations during the interview, plus trait aspects on the requiring statistical training, the P&O App displays text
basis of the student’s self-reports of functioning over longer statements regarding whether changes in scale scores
periods outside the interview. The TRF, CBCL/6–18, and exceed chance expectations. For users who are familiar
YSR measure traits over the periods on which ratings are with basic statistics and who wish to compare effects of dif-
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

based (2 months for the TRF; 6 months for the CBCL/6–18 ferent interventions, the P&O App can also provide statisti-
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

and YSR). cal comparisons between changes in scores from baseline


to subsequent assessments for students who receive differ-
ent intervention conditions.
Assessment of Progress
If interventions are implemented, changes in students’
functioning can be assessed over user-selected periods of
days, weeks, or months with the Brief Problem Monitor
Summary and Conclusions
(BPM; Achenbach, McConaughy, Ivanova, & Rescorla,
School personnel must increasingly deal with students’
2011). Parallel versions of the BPM are designed for com-
behavioral difficulties, while also being sensitive to cultural
pletion in 1–2 min by teachers (BPM-T), parents (BPM-P),
differences among students. This article presents evidence-
and students (BPM-Y). Each version includes items
based tools for assessing students’ difficulties, designated
from the TRF, CBCL/6–18, or YSR that are rated on 0–1–2
here as behavioral/emotional/social difficulties, because
Likert scales, based on the period of days, weeks, or months
behavioral difficulties are so often intertwined with emo-
specified by the user. The standard sets of BPM items
tional and social difficulties.
are scored on Internalizing, Attention Problems, Exter-
The assessment tools include parallel forms for comple-
nalizing, and Total Problems scales, which have norms
tion by teachers, parents, and students to assess a broad
based on gender, age, type of informant (teacher, parent,
spectrum of problems and strengths. The forms are scored
student), and multicultural norm group. Respondents and
on empirically derived syndromes, DSM-oriented scales,
users can add comments, plus difficulties and strengths
Internalizing, Externalizing, Total Problems, strengths,
items, if desired.
and other scales. To take account of differences between
The BPM displays cross-informant comparisons of item
informants’ ratings of students’ difficulties, users can dis-
ratings and scale scores. It also provides line graphs of scale
play side-by-side comparisons of each informant’s ratings
scores across the time points when students are rated. The
of each difficulties item. They can also display bar graphs
line graphs make it easy to see changes in students’ difficul-
of scale scores obtained from each informant’s ratings.
ties over time and in relation to norms based on gender,
The scale scores are standardized on the basis of norms
age, informant, and multicultural norm group. BPM results
for the student’s gender and age, the type of informant,
can be used to determine whether interventions should be
and the appropriate multicultural norm group.
changed or ended. The BPM can be considered more of a
The multicultural norm groups are based on teacher,
state than trait measure, as it assesses functioning over
parent, and student ratings of difficulties for population
relatively short periods.
samples of students in many societies. Gender-, age-, and
informant-specific norms have been constructed from dis-
tributions of difficulties scores in societies having relatively
Assessment of Outcomes
low scores (Group 1 societies), medium scores (Group 2
To determine whether students improve significantly, the societies), or high scores (Group 3 societies). Users can dis-
initial assessment instruments should be completed again play scale scores standardized for the Group 1, 2, or 3
after interventions have been implemented. For example, norms that are appropriate for the student and informants.
if the TRF, CBCL/6–18, and/or YSR were completed before Additional instruments are designed to assess students’
an intervention began, completion of the same form(s) functioning on the basis of observations in class and other
again will enable users to make comparisons with baseline group settings, in interviews, and in test sessions.

European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2018), 34(2), 127–140 Ó 2017 Hogrefe Publishing
T. M. Achenbach, Assessment of Students’ Difficulties 139

The instruments completed by informants and by Achenbach, T. M., & Rescorla, L. A. (2015b). Multicultural guide for
observers provide data for determining whether students’ the ASEBA forms & profiles for ages 1½–59. Burlington, VT:
University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, and
difficulties warrant interventions and for guiding interven- Families.
tions in school and in other settings, such as mental health American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statisti-
services. The instruments can be used to assess students cal manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC:
again after interventions are implemented in order to Author.
Bérubé, R. L., & Achenbach, T. M. (2017). Bibliography of published
evaluate changes in students’ functioning by comparing studies using the Achenbach System of Empirically Based
pre- versus post-intervention scores. During the course of Assessment (ASEBA). Burlington, VT: University of Vermont,
interventions, progress can be monitored by having teach- Research Center for Children, Youth, and Families.
ers, parents, and/or students complete the BPM, which Boomsma, D. I., van Beijsterveldt, T. C. E. M., & Hudziak, J. J.
(2005). Genetic and environmental influences on Anxious/
assesses students’ functioning over user-selected periods Depression during childhood: A study from the Netherlands
of days, weeks, or months. Twin Registry. Genes, Brain, and Behavior, 4, 466–481.
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The evidence-based tools described in this article enable Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral
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users to take account of cross-informant and multicultural sciences (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Academic Press.
De Los Reyes, A. (2011). Introduction to the special section:
variations in assessment of students’ difficulties. The More than measurement error: Discovering meaning behind
assessment data provide a basis for deciding on interven- informant discrepancies in clinical assessments of children
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Thomas M. Achenbach
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Department of Psychiatry
Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 40, 456–467.
University of Vermont
https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2011.563472
1 South Prospect Street
Rescorla, L. A., Althoff, R. R., Achenbach, T. M., & Ivanova, M. Y.,
Burlington, VT 05401
the International ASEBA Consortium. (2017). Effects of society,
USA
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thomas.achenbach@uvm.edu
problems. Manuscript submitted for publication.

European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2018), 34(2), 127–140 Ó 2017 Hogrefe Publishing

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