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The authors examine dimensions of the home literacy environment relative to oral language outcomes for high-risk Hispanic children. They also illustrate the use of commonality analysis for understanding the contribution of home literacy to oral language outcomes. Forty-eight children and their families participated in the study. Commonality analysis was used to determine what percentage of the explained variance in both English and Spanish oral language was associated with variance uniquely and commonly accounted for by five subscales of the Familia Inventory, a questionnaire that examines home literacy environments. Library Use accounted for the greatest amount of unique variance in English oral language proficiency, and Extended Family accounted for the greatest amount of unique variance in Spanish oral language proficiency. Significant positive relationships were also noted between several of the Familia Inventory subscales. A discussion on the use of commonality analysis is followed by limitations and suggestions for future research.

Edition (BERS-2;Epstein, 2004). The BERS-2 is a standardized rating scale system that assesses the emotional and behavioral strengths of children and youth. Separate studies compared the perceptions of youth and parents of youth with emotional disturbance (ED) to youth and parents of youth without ED. Participants in Study 1 included 71 children verified with ED according to state special education guidelines and 386 children without ED.Participants in Study 2 included 82 parents of children with ED and 411 parents of children without ED. Results of Study 1 indicated statistically significant differences in the scores of youth with and without ED on four of five BERS-2 Youth Rating Scale subscales and the overall strength index. Results of Study 2 indicated statistically significant differences in the scores of parents of youth with and without ED on all five of BERS-2 Parent Rating Scale subscales and the strength index.The limitations, future research, and implications of the studies are discussed.The purpose of assessment in fields such as education, child welfare, and mental health has almost always been to inform decision making (Salvia & Ysseldyke, 2004). Choices made on behalf of individuals or groups have generally been related to eligibility or programming concerns. Consequently, assessmentrelated questions have been both varied and complex. This is particularly true in the assessment of individuals with challenging behaviors. In the domain of eligibility determination, questions range from qualification for special education services to diagnosis of psychiatric disorders. In the area of educational and mental health programming, questions range from what type of behavioral, social, academic, and vocational supports might best serve an individual child to what kind of treatment program might best meet a youth's mental health needs. Moreover, once established, there are a host of ongoing questions related to program effectiveness over the short and long term. As a result, it is critical that the decisions made on behalf of youth with ED be based on accurate assessment data.Accurately assessing youth with ED is a challenging endeavor (Cullinan, 2002;Kauffman, 2005). First, best practices assessment in ED must be comprehensive and multifaceted. Behaviors should be observed directly and across multiple settings. Available records should be reviewed. Many individuals with direct knowledge of a youth's behavior, including parents or caregivers, teachers, and peers, should be interviewed. These persons should also be administered standardized behavior rating scales, informal checklists, and, possibly, measures of adaptive behavior. Moreover, the targeted child or adolescent should be interviewed directly, and rating scales; standardized tests of intelligence and academic achievement; and informal, curriculum-based achievement measures should be administered. Furthermore, comprehensive, multifaceted assessment must also examine the youth's learning and living environments to ascertain whether there are anteceden...

In the present study, we sought to extend instrument validation research for a strength-based emotional and behavior rating scale, the Teacher Rating Scale of the Behavior and Emotional Rating Scale-Second Edition (BERS-2; Epstein, M. H. (2004). Behavioral and emotional rating scale (2nd ed.). Austin, TX: PRO-ED) through the use of convergent validation techniques. The associations between the strength-based domains of the BERS-2 were examined in relation to problem syndrome subscales of the Teacher's Report Form (TRF; Achenbach, T. M. (1991b). Manual for the teacher's report form and 1991 profile. Burlington: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry). Both measures were conducted with 58 students with emotional disturbance in grades 2 through 12. The overall convergent validity of the BERS-2 and the TRF was strong, particularly for TRF externalizing problems and associated syndromes. However, less evidence emerged for the convergence of domain subscales characterized by behaviors of an internalizing nature. These results provide further support for the use of the BERS-2 in the assessment of the social and behavioral functioning of students with emotional disturbance.

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