The Instruments

The MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CDI) is a parent-focused instrument measuring the communicative development of children aged 8-37 months. CDI allows professionals to screen and develop prognoses for language delays by tapping into parents‘ knowledge of their children‘s language skills, starting from early comprehension to early vocabulary and grammar expansion.

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The Maslach Burnout Inventory: Educators Survey (MBI-ES) is a version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory measuring professional burnout among educators (teachers, staff, and volunteers). It contains 22 items examining emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from "never" to "every day."

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

Dimensions (Subtests of the OCDQ-RE): Supportive principal behavior reflects a basic concern for teachers. The principal listens and is open to teacher suggestions. Praise is given genuinely and frequently, and criticism is handled constructively. The competence of the faculty is respected, and the principal exhibits both a personal and professional interest in teachers. Directive principal behavior is rigid, close supervision. The principal maintains constant monitoring and control over all teacher and school activities, down to the smallest detail.

Restrictive principal behavior is behavior that hinders rather than facilitates teacher work. The principal burdens teachers with paper work, committee requirements, routine duties, and other demands that interfere with their teaching responsibilities. Collegial teacher behavior supports open and professional interactions among teachers. Teachers are proud of their school, enjoy working with their colleagues, and are enthusiastic, accepting, and mutually respectful of their colleagues. Intimate teacher behavior is cohesive and strong social relations among teachers. Teachers know each other well, are close personal friends, socialize together regularly, and provide strong social support for each other. Disengaged teacher behavior signifies a lack of meaning and focus to professional activities. Teachers are simply putting in time in non-productive group efforts; they have no common goals. In fact, their behavior is often negative and critical of their colleagues and the school.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

Student: Skills and Competencies includes items on Social Awareness. How well students consider the perspectives of others and empathize with them. Student: Supports and Environment includes items on Diversity and Inclusion.  How diverse, integrated, and fair school is for students from different races, ethnicities, or cultures. (Only for students in grades 6-12.) Cultural Awareness and Action. How often students learn about, discuss, and confront issues of race, ethnicity, and culture in school. Student: Well-Being includes items on Supportive Relationships. How supported students feel through their relationships with friends, family, and adults at school. All surveys are built on the same matrix which measures school experience in the three broad areas of (1) engagement (2) safety and (3) environment. This allows for comparison among student, parent and teacher surveys for a school. School level data can be aggregated to develop district level reports.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

Play Interaction is an indication of children’s play strengths and includes such behaviors as comforting and helping other children, showing creativity in play, and encouraging others to join play. Play Disruption describes aggressive, antisocial behaviors that interfere with on-going peer play interactions. Play Disconnection reflects withdrawn behavior and nonparticipation in peer play. "Play is an important vehicle for children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development, as well as a reflection of their development” (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997 p. 6). Derives information on young children’s social competence, in context (Fantuzzo, Sutton‐Smith, Coolahan, Manz, Canning, & Debnam, 1995; McWayne, Sekino, Hampton, & Fantuzzo, 2002).

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Playground Observation of Peer Engagement (POPE) is an observation-based instrument measuring children‘s engagement in activities and with peers in naturalistic environments. It focuses on the time children spend in various engagement states and the frequency of their social engagement states and behaviors (games and conversations, parallel play, observing others, and solitary play). 

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

Teachers rate children’s approaches to learning using the PLBS (PLBS; McDermott, Leigh, & Perry, 2002). In general, content focuses on attentiveness, responses to novelty and correction, observed problem‐solving strategy, flexibility, reflectivity, initiative, self‐direction, and cooperative learning.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The current revision of the PQA includes two notable differences from earlier versions: 1) the number of content areas has increased from four to seven, and 2) the scoring system has been revised to adequately measure the full range of quality along each quality construct. As described by the authors: “The Preschool Program Quality Assessment (PQA), Second Edition, is a rating instrument designed to evaluate the quality of early childhood programs and identify staff training needs. Developed by High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, it isappropriate for use in all center‐based settings, not just those using the High/Scope educational approach. The Preschool PQA intentionally reflects “best practices” in early childhood education as a whole. The measure identifies the structural characteristics and dynamic relationships that effectively promote the development of young children, encourage the involvement of families and communities, and create supportive working environments for staff” (High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, 2003, p. 1).

The PQA can be used for a variety of purposes including both pre‐service and in‐service training initiatives, self‐assessment and monitoring. The PQA can also be used to conduct observations and provide feedback to staff. In addition, the Preschool PQA can be used as a research tool when administered by trained outside observers to document program practices, compare quality, examine the relationship between quality of care and children’s outcomes, and evaluate the effectiveness of staff development initiatives. Finally, the Preschool PQA can be used to explain research‐based practices to a variety of individuals and agencies including administrators, policymakers, and support staff in the preschool (High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, 2003).

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

Several observational tasks that show good value as denoting children’s ability to regulate emotions have been identified by Kochanska and colleagues. Radiah Smith‐Donald and Cybele Raver are now piloting a very clear, detailed use of such tasks, with specific measurement of the child’s performance both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

Designed for the evaluation of school‐based character education programs. Multiple choice measure of psychosocial maturity derived from developmental theory that identifies the capacity to differentiate and coordinate the social perspectives of self and other to be central to treating other people in respectful and ethical ways. Items in the measure pose dilemmas common social situations with peers or adults. Uses a model of relationship awareness that includes 3 social‐cognitive constructs which are: 1) interpersonal understanding or social reasoning 2) interpersonal negotiation strategies or conflict resolution in thought and action and 3) awareness of the personal meaning of relationships. Relationship framework, in describing how social‐cognitive capacities underlie social interaction and development, addresses a common critique of cognitive‐ developmental approaches to sociomoral research: that there is little relation between the development of social cognition and real‐world action.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

Three higher‐order temperament factors pertinent to the assessment of emotional expressiveness and regulation have been isolated: (a) negative affectivity, (b) surgency; and (c) effortful control (Rothbart et al, 1994). Taken together, they comprise a child's constitutional, individual pattern of self‐regulation and reactivity, relatively enduring biological predispositions that are influenced over time by maturation and experience. Negative affectivity items involve discomfort experienced in over‐stimulating situations, frustration, anger, and inability to soothe oneself, fearfulness, and sadness. The Surgency dimension includes active, approach, pleasure, and smiling scales. Use of Rothbart Temperament Questionnaires can add to knowledge of children’s expressiveness across many everyday contexts. Many children high on the temperament dimension of negative affectivity are easily angered in many situations. Others high on this dimension are anxious, fearful in new situations, and easily saddened. Thus, this factor can be divided into “externalizing negative emotions” and “internalizing negative emotions.” Effortful control, also assessed by the CBQ, is associated with sensitivity to the emotional experiences of peers, which can lead to empathic and other prosocial responses, as well as to inhibition of aggressive impulses (Kochanska, 1993; Rothbart et al., 1994). More specifically, regulatory abilities in attention, in particular the ability to focus and shift attention voluntarily, and the ability to disengage attention from one's own perspective to attend to another's, are hallmarks of prosocial development (Kochanska, 1993). Children higher on the effortful control dimension may be seen by teachers, observers, and peers alike as more socially competent. Effortful control encompasses scales measuring inhibitory control; maintenance of attentional focus during tasks; pleasure experienced during low intensity situations (e.g., looking at picture books); and perceptual sensitivity and awareness of external cues. Thus, the CBQ’s scales related to emotion regulation, or internally consistent abbreviations thereof, could be useful.

For regulation, four scales are used, as follows: (a) attention focusing (“will move from one task to another without completing them” (reversed); (b) attention shifting (“can easily shift from one activity to another”; (c) inhibition control (e.g., “can lower her voice when asked to do so; and (e) impulsivity (“rushes into new situations”).

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The SELA's content and internal structure were based on the CASEL five model and the existing SSIS Performance Screening Guide.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

Used by: School, after‐school, social services, mental health professionals. Versions: Teacher, parent and student versions of rating scale available (Student self‐report available for 8‐18). Rating procedure: Raters should be familiar with the SSIS and the rating forms. Teachers need to establish rapport with the student. Each form takes 15 – 20 minutes to complete. Subscore(s): Self‐Management, Relationship Skills, Responsible decision‐making, (Lack of Risky, Disruptive/Externalizing Behaviors and Internalizing Symptoms), Academic Competence

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The assessment tool, developed by Gresham & Eliot (1990), is designed to help professionals screen and classify children with potential social behavior issues and guide the creation of appropriate interventions. It includes scales for Social Skills (Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy, Self-Control), Problem Behaviors (Externalizing, Bullying, Hyperactivity/Inattention, Internalizing), and Academic Competence (Reading Achievement, Math Achievement, Motivation to Learn).

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a widely used checklist that includes questions about conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems, and prosocial behavior. The checklist style rating form is easy to complete with only about 5 items per subscale, and can be completed by parents or teachers. Although many studies use this or the CBCL (Achenbach Child Behavior Check List), the SDQ is generally more reliable for low-risk populations.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief behavioural screening questionnaire about 2-17 year olds. It exists in several versions to meet the needs of researchers, clinicians and educationalists

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

Pianta’s scales (Pianta, 1997; Pianta & Nimetz, 1991; Pianta, Steinberg, & Rollins, 1995), yield measures of the child's relationship with his/her teacher, regarding whether the relationship is conflicted, warm, troubled, open, or dependent.

Teachers were asked to complete one for each student in their class as a way to identify high-risk children. Teachers were asked to describe, among other things, whether the child completed assignments, was friendly, broke rules, was disobedient, fought, or yelled at others. Teachers used a Likert scale of 0 to 5, with responses including almost never (0), rarely (1), sometimes (2), often (3), very often (4), and almost always (5). The original measure was 16 items, later revised by discarding two and adding 21 more. The items are aggregated into four subscales (Overt Aggression Subscale, Oppositional Subscale, Covert Antisocial Subscale, Authority Acceptance Subscale). For those looking for a scale with less cost and time to administer than the structured interview session, the TOCA-C was been developed in 2009. The TOCA-Checklist is a written, checklist-based version of the TOCA-R.  Subscore(s): Aggression, Authority, Opposition

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The DECA is a newly developed standardized, norm‐referenced measure of resilience, completed by parents and teachers in a collaborative and supportive partnership. Subscales include initiative, attachment, self‐control, and behavioral concerns.

PSPCSAYC is a pictorial scale of perceived competence and social acceptance for young children, tapping 4 domains with 6 items each: cognitive competence, physical competence, peer acceptance, and maternal acceptance. Items differ somewhat for some scales across the two age levels. For the PSPCSAYC, factor analyses reveal a 2‐factor solution. The first factor, general competence, is defined by the cognitive and physical competence subscales. The second factor, social acceptance, comprises the peer and maternal acceptance subscales. It is urged that this instrument not be viewed as a general self‐concept scale but be treated as a measure of 2 separate constructs: perceived competence and social acceptance. However, the PCSC has factors of cognitive, social, physical, and general self‐worth.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales Third Edition (Vineland-3) is an instrument for diagnosing intellectual and developmental disabilities and planning treatment. Vineland-3 focuses on the following domains of adaptive behavior: 1) communication, 2) daily living skills, and 3) socialization. Vineland-3 offers the Survey Interview Form for conducting semi-structured interviews with parents or caregivers, the Parent/Caregiver Rating Forms questionnaire (can be used for all ages), and the Teacher Rating Form (can be used for ages 3-21).

Woodcock-Johnson IV, sold by Riverside Insights, includes individually-adminstered tests of achievement designedtomeasure strengths and weaknesses and diagnose learning abilities.In addition to mathematics, the WJ IV assesses oral language, reading, and writing.

The Young Children's Perception of School Climate Questionnaire was adapted from Habib, Anson, Cook, Clifford, and Antonio's (1993) School Climate Questionnaire which was originally designed for use in a study of middle school-aged children in Prince George County, Maryland. The resulting instrument, the Young Children's Perception of School Climate Questionnaire, assess younger students' perceptions of relationships with teachers and peers within the school and classroom setting.

Note: The overview provided for this instrument includes content that may have been sourced from the instrument publisher's or author’s website (or other site providing information about the instrument). This information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the content or its permitted uses, please contact annenberg@brown.edu.

The Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI) is a self-report instrument that measures the level of burden that principal caregivers experience. Originally developed for caregivers of persons with dementia, ZBI is now used with various types of caregivers, including parents of children with health, behavioral, and developmental problems. The current full version, ZBI-22, has 22 items, each using a 5-point Likert-type scale. Shorter versions exist; see Yu et al. (2019) in the psychometric references below.