Today’s Webinar:Social Emotional Assessments for
Student Wellbeing
Social Emotional Assessments for Student Wellbeing
Resiliency Scales for Children & AdolescentsA Profile of Personal Strengths
Author: Sandra Prince-Embury
Presented by: Valorie O’Keefe
Consultant Psychologist
Pearson Clinical Assessment
What is Resiliency?
“…I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquillity will return again.”
• Anne Frank• July 15, 1944
• Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl
Resilience
• ………is the ability to weather adversity or to bounce back from a
negative experience.
• ………can help explain why some children overcome overwhelming
obstacles while other become victims of their early experiences and
environments
• …………is an aspect of normal development – not just applicable in
adverse circumstances only
Emerging evidence suggests that some youth possess
resilience processes innately
• …….but for others they may need to be taught
What do Resilient Youth look like?
• Appear capable of dealing with stress and pressure
• Can cope with every day challenges and bounce back from
disappointments
• Develop clear and realistic goals
• Solve problems
• Relate comfortably with others
• Treat themselves and others with respect
• Sam Goldstein
• Power of Resilience: Sam Goldstein, at TEDx
Why formalise the assessment of resiliency? Purpose of RSCA:
1. To move away from solely focusing on the evaluation of
symptoms and impairment.
2. To provide a theoretically and empirically sound assessment of core
characteristics of personal resiliency for the purpose of
• Education
• Screening
• Prevention
• Counselling
RSCA Basics
• Three stand-alone scales of 19-24 questions
• Administered together or separately (5 minutes per scale)
• For ages 9-18
• Self Report
• Year 3 Reading Level
• Individual or group administration
• User level ‘B’
Co-normed with the Beck Youth II
The Resiliency Scales:
Data collected: 950 children and adolescents (community and clinical)
Norms based on both age and gender
Raw scores convert to T Scores for each scale:
T Score Descriptor
>60 High
56-59 Above Average
46-55 Average
41-45 Below Average
<40 Low
Sense of Mastery Scale
(3 subscales)
Sense of Relatedness Scale
(4 subscales)
Emotional Reactivity Scale
(3 subscales)
1. Sense of Mastery Scale
A Core characteristic of resiliency, driven by an innate curiosity to learn about the world and our place in it.
3 Subscales (mean = 10, SD = 3)
Optimism Self-Efficacy Adaptability
A positive attitude about our world and about our life currently and in the future
Our approach to obstacles or problems, and a sense that we can master our environment
Flexibility in problem solving, being receptive to criticism, and learning from our mistakes
2. Sense of Relatedness Scale
One of the basic human needs, feeling connected, the capacity to be in a relationship
4 Subscales (mean = 10, SD = 3)
Sense of Trust Perceived Access to Support
Comfort with others
Tolerance of differences
Perceiving others as reliable and accepting. The degree of being able to be authentic in a relationship.
The belief that there are others to whom we can turn to when dealing with adversity
Ability to be in the presence of others without discomfort or anxiety. Seeing others as a buffer to stressors in life
The belief that we can safely express difference within a relationship
3. Emotional Reactivity Scale
Emotional self-regulation, a set of tools that allow children and adolescents to regulate their own attention, emotions, and behaviour.
3 Subscales (mean = 10, SD = 3)
Sensitivity Recovery Impairment
The threshold for reaction and the intensity of the reaction: “how easy it is to get upset”
The ability to bounce back from emotional arousal or disturbance: “how long it takes to recover when angry or upset”
The degree to which one can maintain an emotional equilibrium when aroused
Group administration: Two Additional Index Scores
1. The Resource Index
2. The Vulnerability Index
• Used for screening purposes when RSCA is
administered to larger groups.
• Allows for the quick identification of those who
warrant further examination and possible
follow-up.
The Resource Index
The Resource Index (mean = 50, SD = 10)
A way of summarising the positive strengths
available to the individual.
• The standardised average of the Sense of Mastery T score and the
Sense of Relatedness T score, which is derived by gender and age.
• <45 is below average, whereas <41 is low
The Vulnerability Index
The Vulnerability Index (mean = 50, SD = 10)
A discrepancy or imbalance between a person’s
emotional reactivity and perceived personal
resources.
• Is the standardised difference between the Resource Index T score
and the Emotional Reactivity T score, and is derived by gender and
age.
• >55 is above average, and >60 is high.
Case Example
Preston
Preston was seen by the Guidance Counsellor because his marks are
declining and he has been absent frequently. He reports a level of
Emotional Reactivity that is high, an average Sense of Relatedness,
and a low Sense of Mastery. There is a discrepancy between his
expressed Emotional Reactivity and his experience of personal
resources.
This profile may reflect feelings of inadequacy and a tendency toward
emotional reactivity. He has a relative strength in that he may draw
upon his relationships when coping with life circumstances. This
average level of Relatedness bodes well for his ability to benefit from a
counselling relationship.
Mastery Relatedness EmotionalReactivity
T Score: 40• Optimism: 6• Self-Efficacy: 7• Adaptability: 10
T Score: 50• Trust: 11• Support: 9• Comfort: 9• Tolerance: 11
T Score: 62• Sensitivity: 15• Recovery: 12• Impairment: 13
Case Example
Linda
Linda was seen by her Guidance Counsellor after a conflict with her
best friend who she believes talked about her behind her back. Linda’s
profile may suggest that she has resources to assist her in dealing
with her life circumstances, but she may also experience some degree
of emotional reactivity.
It is likely that one or two meetings with the counsellor to talk about
how she might approach the situation may be sufficient intervention. A
discussion might be warranted if Linda appears overly sensitive and
misinterprets actions of her friends on occasion.
Mastery Relatedness EmotionalReactivity
T Score: 50• Optimism: 10• Self-Efficacy: 10• Adaptability: 10
T Score: 60• Trust: 11• Support: 14• Comfort: 10• Tolerance: 9
T Score: 58• Sensitivity: 14• Recovery: 10• Impairment: 11
Case Example
Joe
Joe was seen by his Guidance Counsellor because his parents are
getting a divorce and he is transferring to another school. Joe’s profile
reflects an above average Sense of Mastery, a high Sense of
Relatedness, and average Emotional Reactivity.
This profile suggests that Joe has resources in several areas with
which to deal with the difficult circumstances of his life.
Mastery Relatedness EmotionalReactivity
58 62 48
Clinical Group Studies with the RSCA
Resiliency profiles for varying clinical groups have been researched:• Depressive Disorder• Anxiety Disorder• Conduct Disorder• Bipolar Disorder• Nonspecific Clinical
Sense of Mastery: Depressive disorder group lowest on Optimism, and lowest on Self-Efficacy of all clinical group. Bipolar group lowest on Adaptability of all clinical groups.
Sense of Relatedness: Depressive disorder group lowest in Trust, Support, Comfort, and Tolerance compared to other clinical groups. Conduct Disorder second lowest in all subscales. Conduct Disorder and Bipolar group tied on Tolerance.
Emotional Reactivity: Bipolar group highest in Sensitivity and Impairment. Depressive group highest in Recovery. Conduct Disorder second highest in Impairment.
Case Example: Jennifer, age 15Goal: identify strengths and manage vulnerabilities
Jennifer is in a residential treatment centre and has had previous
hospitalizations and failed treatment attempts for Bipolar and Conduct Disorder.
Her mother has completed Year 10 and lives in the family home. Her father is
absent from her life. Jennifer reports having experienced multiple negative life
events.
Her greatest RSCA strength is her sense of relatedness. Her levels of trust,
support, and comfort are all average.
Self-efficacy and adaptability are low, showing an inability to acknowledge
mistakes and accept help from others. She is vulnerable in her Emotional
Reactivity as she reports high sensitivity and high impairment when upset.
Mastery Relatedness EmotionalReactivity
T Score: 34• Optimism: 8• Self-Efficacy: 5• Adaptability: 3
T Score: 46• Trust: 9• Support: 10• Comfort: 12• Tolerance: 7
T Score: 58• Sensitivity: 15• Recovery: 9• Impairment: 13
Beck Youth II
Scale
T Score
Depression 65
Anxiety 70
Anger 60
Disruptive
Behaviour
72
Self-Concept 43
Case Example: Jennifer, age 15Goal: identify strengths and manage vulnerabilities
Intervention:
• Medication monitoring and maintenance
• Exploring what situations, people or events typically trigger her
emotional reactivity
• Identifying ways of anticipating and circumventing these triggers.
• Her Sense of Relatedness might indicate that group therapy might
be helpful.
• Low scores on Tolerance indicate a need for training in
assertiveness and conflict resolution as she does not tolerate
expressions of difference or conflict well.
• She will also need to identify goals to achieve to build a sense of
self-efficacy.
• Therapy to increase her ability to acknowledge her own errors and
to accept help from others will be integral.
Other topics covered in the RSCA Manual
1. Clinical Application: more on treatment planning and case studies
2. Resiliency Inquiry and Intervention
3. Exploring relationships resources
4. Identifying strengths
5. Group techniques for managing vulnerability
6. Creating Resilient Classrooms
Pricing
RSCA Complete Kit
• $278.00
• www.pearsonclinical.com.au
Reynolds Bully Victimization ScalesAuthor: William M Reynolds
www.pearsonclinical.com.au
Reynolds Bully Victimization Scales
Some facts: (Survey of 13,000 students in 2002)
•33.2% of students reported being in a physical fight 1 or more times in the last year at school
• In the last month, 1 in 10 males and 1 in 30 females carried a weapon to school (gun, knife, club)
• In the last 12 months, 1 in 11 students had been threatened or injured with a weapon at school
2001 longitudinal study in Australia of 2000 adolescents• In 30% of students suffering from anxiety and depression, the symptoms were related to being bullied at school
Reynolds Bully Victimization Scales
The RBVS helps school staff investigate the problem of school violence and the impact it has on students, so that they can better address the problem.
Reynolds Bully Victimization Scales
3 stand along assessments, which can be used alone or together:
•Bully Victimization Scale (BVS)•Bully-Victimization Distress Scale (BVDS)•School Violence Anxiety Scale (SVAS)
• Administer in small groups, school wide, or individually• BVS and BVDS for age 8-19, and 7 year olds if good readers• SVAS for ages 10-19• Admin time: 5-10 minutes per scale• Pg 17 manual: school wide screening models•Normed on 3000 students in years 3-12
Reynolds Bully Victimization Scales
Bully Victimization Scale (BVS): Measures bullying behaviour and victimization among peers in school settings.
• 46 items• 2 scales on this questionnaire:
1. Bullying Scale: Measures a range of bullying behaviours as well as relational aggression and harassment
2. Victimization Scale: Measures if the student is a victim of peer aggression
Scores:
Reynolds Bully Victimization Scales
Bully-Victimization Distress Scale (BVDS): evaluates dimensions of the student’s psychological distress specific to being bullied
1. Externalizing Distress Scale: symptoms are overt behavioural excesses or disturbance, ODD, Conduct Disorder, anger, acting out, violence, etc.
2. Internalizing Distress Scale: depression, anxiety, loneliness, hopelessness, sleep disorders, etc.
3. BVDS Total Scale
Reynolds Bully Victimization Scales
School Violence Anxiety Scale (SVAS): Measures student anxiety about school as an unsafe or threatening environment.
• 29 items
1. Cognitive anxiety: worry and fear
2. Physiological anxiety: increased sweating, sleep disturbance
3. Behavioural anxiety: avoidance of stressful or anxiety provoking situations
Score Examples
Case Example:
Pricing
RBVS Complete Kit
• $518.00
• www.pearsonclinical.com.au
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Authors: Stephen N. Elliott, PhDand
Frank M Gresham, PhD
www.pearsonclinical.com.au
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Quiz Question #1
• What percentage of a child’s life is spent breathing school air from Kinde through to Year 12 if he/she has perfect attendance?
? %
Source:
National Research Council (2001). Knowing what students know: The science and design of
educational assessments. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
48Social Skills & Academic Achievement 2009
13%
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Quiz Question #2
• From the list below, which indicator of Year 3 performance is the best predictor of Year 8 end of year achievement?a. Attendance
b. Teacher’s ratings of social skills
c. 3rd grade end of year achievement scores
d. Teacher’s ratings of aggressive behavior
Source: Caprara, Barbaranelli, Pastorelli, Bandura, & Zimbardo (2000).
Psychological Sciences, 11 (4), 302-306.
49Social Skills & Academic Achievement 2009
B
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Final Quiz Question
• It takes ____% of the typical school year to systematicaly teach social skills to 95% of all students.
? %
Source:
Elliott, S. N., & Gresham, F.M. (2008). SSiS Classwide Intervention Program. Minneapolis,
MN: Pearson Assessments
50Social Skills & Academic Achievement 2009
1.2%
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
CLASSWIDE TOOLS TARGETED TOOLSSSiS Performance Screening Guides SSiS Rating ScalesSSiS Classwide Intervention Program SSiS Intervention Guides
51
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
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SSiS Performance Screening Guide (PSG)
• 3 levels (PreK, Primary, & Secondary)
• Teacher rating of social skills, motivation, reading, & maths.
• 20-25 mins. to evaluated entire class
• Criterion-referenced
52Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
53
Convenient Step-down Booklet Design
Skill definition next to Performance Descriptor
Each level described is color coded for quick and easy
reference
Student names are visible with
alternating grey bars to guide evaluation
process
Column for circling evaluations next to Performance Descriptor
with matching color codes
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Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
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Performance Evaluation Guide
February 2010 54Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
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Interpretation andActions Guidelines
Students with a 1 in any area & suggested
action
Students with a 2 or 3 in any area &
suggested action
Columns to evaluate each
skill area
Class roster of student names
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Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
56
Classwide Intervention Program
• Designed for use by general education teachers
or school counselors in mainstream classrooms.
• Provides teachers with an easy-to-use,
effective, and efficient way to teach 10 of the
most important social skills.
• Three developmental levels in the one manual:
– Preschool/ Kindergarten
– Early Elementary
– Upper Elementary/Middle
February 2010 56Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
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Curriculum covers the Top 10 Social Skills All Students Need to be Successful!
1. Listens to Others2. Follows Directions3. Follows Classroom Rules4. Ignores Peer Distractions5. Asks for Help6. Takes Turns in Conversations7. Cooperates with Others8. Controls Temper in Conflict
Situations9. Acts Responsibly With Others10. Shows Kindness to Others
• 10 units with 3 lessons per week. A lesson is typically 25-30 minutes.
• Units and lesson plans are structured using a 6-phase instructional approach: (Tell->Show->Do->Practice->Monitor Progress->Generalize)
• Units are supported with Student Booklets, video vignettes, and a number of other resources to support student and parent involvement.
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Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
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Materials for Teaching Social Skills
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Social Skills Practice in Varied Settings
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60
Students Monitor Their Own Progress
Students evaluate
their progress
during each lesson
February 2010 60Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
61
Video Clips Provide Positive & Negative Models of Social Behavior
26 video clips to
facilitate discussion &
modeling of skills
February 2010 61
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
62
Intervention Resourcesprovided on CD
February 2010 62Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
63
Resources to Monitor Student Progress
February 2010 63
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
64
Resources to Monitor the Integrityof Intervention Implementation
• Intervention Integrity Forms
help teachers adhere to the
instructional plan and provide
a record of the overall quality
of the intervention.
• There are 3 different formats
available on the SSIS Resource
Disc.
February 2010 64Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
TARGETED TOOLSSSiS Rating Scales
SSiS Intervention Guides
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Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
SSiS Rating Scales Overview• The SSiS Rating Scales
– Teacher
– Parent
– student
• Measures: – social skills
– problem behaviors
– academic competence
• Norms:– Age
– gender
66Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Scoring and Reporting
• Hand-Score and Write your own report
• ASSIST Scoring & Reporting Software– Individual
– Multi-rater
– Progress
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Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
ASSIST Score Summary: Single Rater
February 2010 69Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Intervention Plans from SSIS RS Results
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Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
20 Behavioural Intervention Units for individual or small groups
Communication Behaviors• Takes turns in conversations
• Says please and thank you
• Pays attention to your instructions
Cooperation Behaviors• Follows your directions
• Follows classroom rules
• Ignores classmates when they are distracting
Assertion Behaviors• Expresses feelings when wronged
• Asks for help from adults
• Stands up for others who are treated unfairly
Responsibility Behaviors• Respects the property of others
• Acts responsibly when with others
• Takes responsibility for group activity
Empathy Behaviors
• Tries to comfort others
• Shows concern for others
Engagement Behaviors
• Invites others to join activities
• Joins activities that have already started
• Introduces himself/herself to others
Self-Control Behaviors
• Makes a compromise during a conflict
• Controls emotions when disagreeing with others
• Responds appropriately when pushed or hit
February 2010 71Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
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Video Clips Provide Positive & Negative Models of Social Behavior
26 video clips to
facilitate discussion &
modeling of skills
February 2010 72
Copyright © 2007 Pearson Education, inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
73
Intervention Resourcesprovided on CD
February 2010 73
Australian Study
� 9 primary schools in one district (Brisbane South) in
Queensland
� Three Grades
�2nd: 10 teachers, 176 students
�3rd: 11 teachers, 213 students
�5th: 9 teachers, 147 students
Total 360 students (179 female, 181 male)
� Teachers had 3-4 hours of group training in the use of the two
instruments in the SSiS- Performance Screening Guide and
Rating Scales
75
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Selection of students for Rating Scale
•Equal numbers of students by gender
and performance level (high, medium,
and low) were identified using
stratified random sampling
•178 students (6 per teacher) were
then comprehensively rated by
teacher on frequency of display of
•Prosocial behaviors (46 items)
•Problem Behaviors (29 items)
•Academic Competence (7 items)
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� Full paper on this research is currently under review with
the School Psychology Quarterly
� Please contact Mike Davies for more information at
Resources
http://www.pearson.com.au
Bounce Back! Workshops: Register at: www.pearsonacademy.com.au
http://andrewfuller.com.au/free-resources/
http://resilientyouth.org.au/ Contact Details
Client Services
1800 882 385
www.pearsonclinical.com.au
Valorie O’Keefe, BSc, EdS, MAPS (Ed/Dev)
Consultant Psychologist
D: 02 9454 2288
M: 0409 039 144
Thank you