A descriptive study of school discipline referrals in first grade

Abstract

School discipline referrals (SDRs) may be useful in the early detection and monitoring of disruptive behavior problems to inform prevention efforts in the school setting, yet little is known about the nature and validity of SDRs in the early grades. For this descriptive study, SDR data were collected on a sample of first grade students who were at risk for developing disruptive behavior problems (n = 186) and a universal sample (n = 531) from 20 schools. Most SDRs were given for physical aggression and the predominant consequence was time out. As expected, boys and at-risk students were more likely to receive an SDR and to have more SDRs than were girls and the universal sample. A large difference between schools regarding the delivery of SDRs was found. A zero-inflated Poisson model clustered by school tested the prediction of school-level variables. Students in schools that had a systematic way of tracking SDRs were more likely to receive one. Also, schools with more low-income students and larger class sizes gave fewer SDRs. SDRs predicted teacher ratings, and to a lesser extent, parent ratings of disruptive behavior at the end of first grade. Practitioners and researchers must examine school-level influences whenever first grade discipline referrals are used to measure problem behavior for the purpose of planning and evaluating interventions. A Descriptive Study of School Discipline Referrals in First GradeSchools commonly collect information on office referrals for student discipline problems, yet do not always do so in a systematic way that offers useful information for understanding and ameliorating individual student and school-wide disruptive behavior problems. School discipline referrals (SDRs) are typically used as an indicator of how individual students are behaving and how well a school as a whole is doing in managing student behavior. Practitioners in the school setting may utilize discipline referrals to help determine when and how to intervene with a student. School personnel also can utilize discipline referrals to examine trends for discipline problems (e.g., location or time of day) to gain a better understanding of the problems in their school, work towards reducing them, and to evaluate school-wide behavior intervention efforts (Irvin, Tobin, Sprague, Sugai, & Vincent, 2004). There is a large variation regarding the extent to which schools and teachers deliver discipline referrals, complicating the interpretation and utility of school discipline referral information. This descriptive study was performed to inform early intervention and prevention efforts by investigating the salience and nature of discipline referrals for students in first grade, the variance between schools and school-level predictors of this variance, and the extent to which discipline referrals predict teacher-and parent-reported disruptive behavior.Direct all correspondence and send offprints to: Julie C. Rusby, Ph.D., Associate Scientist, Oregon Research Institute, 1715 Franklin Blvd., Eugene, OR 97403-1983 541-...

Unmasking the Inequitable Discipline Experiences of Urban Black Girls: Implications for Urban Educational Stakeholders

“…The reporting of Black females' discipline sanctions in the literature seems to serve as a means to further highlight the inequitable discipline experiences of Black males rather than to demonstrate how disproportionate discipline practices might also negatively impact the school experiences of Black girls. The lack of emphasis on the discipline experiences of Black girls may in part be due to the perception that girls in general pose less risk for behavior problems given their greater academic achievement and to gendered racial bias, in favor of Black boys, in discipline referrals and sanctions (Gregory 1995;Myhill and Jones 2006;Olser 2006;Rusby et al 2007;Skiba et al 2002). However, Black males' greater risk for receiving exclusionary discipline practices does not preclude Black females from experiencing inequitable discipline practices.…”

The Emotional Correlates to Callous–Unemotional Traits in Children

“…For instance, Tobin and Sugai (1999) found that office discipline referral (ODRs) and suspensions received in 6th grade predicted later chronic discipline problems, such as violent behavior and school failure. Rusby et al (2007) found that ODRs in kindergarten served as a significant predictor of problem behavior in 1st grade and that ODRs in 1st grade predicted parent-and teacher-reported problem behavior at the end of the school year. Also, several studies have further supported the validity of school discipline records as an ecologically important measure of externalizing problem behavior in school settings because they are relatively stable across elementary, middle, and high schools (Irvin et al 2004;McIntosh et al 2008;McIntosh et al 2006;McIntosh et al 2010;March and Horner 2002;Nelson et al 2002;Tobin and Sugai 1999).…”

Partnership in Integrated Early Childhood Services: An Analysis of Policy Framings in Education and Human Services

“…Policies of this kind are generally not considered in discussions about early childhood. However, there has been evidence of increased discipline referrals in the early grades (Rusby et al, 2007) and a corresponding increase in the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Loughran, 2003). For affected families, discipline policies can have a significant impact on parents' interactions with schools.…”