The Instruments

The Social-Emotional Assets and Resilience Scales (SEARS) were developed at the University of Oregon and are sold by Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR). They measure responsibility, self regulation, social competence, and empathy, and contain both long and short forms for K-12 students, parents, and teachers. The forms are often used for progress monitoring and program evaluations. PAR sells the forms in English and Spanish, and they have also been translated into Chinese and Portuguese.

The Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R; D’Zurilla et al., 2002) is a 52-item, Likert-type inventory consisting of five major scales that measure the five different dimensions in the D’Zurilla et al. social problem-solving model. These scales are the Positive Problem Orientation (PPO) scale (5 items), the Negative Problem Orientation (NPO) scale (10 items), the Rational Problem Solving (RPS) scale (20 items), the Impulsivity/Carelessness Style (ICS) scale (10 items), and the Avoidance Style (AS)scale (7 items).

The Social Skills Q-Sort (SSQ) is an instrument quantifying a child’s comprehensive social skills profile using 100 descriptive cards. Observers sort the SSQ cards into 9 piles (from least characteristic in pile 1 to most characteristic in pile 9).

ThinkReady is an instrument measuring the development of cognitive competencies that students need for college success. Previously known as College-Readiness Performance Assessment System (C-PAS), ThinkReady focuses on David Conley’s Key Cognitive Strategies for college and career readiness: problem formulation, research, interpretation, communication, and precision/accuracy. These cognitive strategies are measured via a series of performance tasks.

Year developed: 2009 as College-Readiness Performance Assessment System (C-PAS).

The Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI) is an instrument measuring to what extent school personnel use (or need) school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS). The three tiers in TFI are 1) universal SWPBIS features, 2) targeted SWPBIS features, and 3) intensive SWPBIS features. The scoring of each item in TFI ranges from 0 to 2 (0 not implemented, 1 partially implemented, 2 fully implemented.)

The Tool to Measure Parenting Self-Efficacy (TOPSE) is a UK-developed instrument that assesses six parenting domains: emotion and affection, play and enjoyment, empathy and understanding, control, discipline and boundary setting, pressures of parenting self-acceptance and learning and knowledge. The instrument is designed to be completed on the first session and last session of a parenting program.

The TEIQue is a scientific measurement instrument based exclusively on trait EI theory and providing a comprehensive assessment of the emotional world of the individual. The TEIQue is predicated on trait EI theory, which conceptualises emotional intelligence as a personality trait, located at the lower levels of personality hierarchies. Several version of the TEIQue are available.

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) math assessment is an international standardized test that measures math reasoning and problem solving in algebra, geometry, data analysis, and probability. TIMSS is in the process of transitioning to a digitally-based assessment called eTIMSS.

The Tripod School Climate Index is comprised of seven question items across two commonly accepted dimensions of school climate, safety and relationships. Each question item is answered on a 5-point Likert scale by students in grade 6 though grade 12.

The EDSCLS national benchmark study questionnaires designed for students, instructional staff, and non-instructional staff/principal cover 3 domains and 13 topics. The ED School Climate Surveys (EDSCLS) are a suite of survey instruments that were developed for schools, districts, and states by NCES. This NCES effort extends activities to measure and support school climate by ED’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students (OSHS). Through the EDSCLS, schools nationwide have access to survey instruments and a survey platform that allows for the collection and reporting of school climate data across stakeholders at the local level. The surveys can be used to produce school-, district-, and state-level scores on various indicators of school climate from the perspectives of students, teachers, non-instructional school staff, principals, and parents/guardians. NCES has also developed psychometric benchmarks to enable meaningful comparisons between student subgroups, and between schools.

The 5Essentials Survey from the University of Chicago's Consortium on School Research is an improvement framework and diagnostic survey tool used to assess a school's strengths while highlighting areas and opportunities for improvement across five essential factors for school improvement (Effective Leaders, Collaborative Teachers, Involved Families, Supportive Environment, and Ambitious Instruction).

UCLA Loneliness Scale-3 is an instrument measuring self-reported subjective feelings of loneliness and social isolation. Its 20 items use a Likert-type rating scale ranging from 1 (never) to 4 (always).

The University of Idaho Survey of Parenting Practice (UISPP) is a self-reporting instrument that parents can complete to measure the effect of a parenting education program. The UISPP was created for the purpose of the "Parents as Teachers" program and assesses the knowledge, confidence, skills, and behaviors of parents. The instrument is available in both English and Spanish.

The civics portion of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Naturalization Test consists of 100 potential items (typically 10 randomly drawn in USCIS practice) and assesses those applying for citizenship on their knowledge of U.S. history and government. Numerous states also utilize some form of this test as a graduation requirement for high school students. 

The Values in Action Youth Survey (VIA Youth Survey) is an open-access Likert survey for children ages 10-17 measuring 24 character strengths within the broad categories Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance, Transcendence, and Wisdom. It has both a 96- and 198- item version, and it has been adapted into many other languages and shorter forms.

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).

The Virginia Secondary School Climate Survey also known as the Authoritative School Climate Survey is administered to students and teachers/staff to assess disciplinary structure and student support, two school climate factors that are thought to inlfluence school climate outcomes such as student engagement and prevalence of testing and bullying in school.

The Washoe County School District Social and Emotional Competency Assessments (WCSD-SECAs) are free, open-source instruments that measure the self-reported social and emotional competencies of students in grades 5-12. The WCSD-SECA instruments were developed through a collaboration among WCSD, the Collaborative for Academic and Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), and the University of Illinois at Chicago through an Institute of Education Sciences Research-Practitioner Partnership grant. 

Wechsler Individual Achievement Test - Fourth Edition (WIAT-4) is an individually administered achievement test sold by Pearson for use in a variety of clinical, education, and research settings.

WIAT-4 is an achievement test that can be used in a multitude of settings by a wide range of professionals. It assesses individual's academic achievement (or ability to apply cognitive skills and learned knowledge to grade-level expectations) in reading, math, and written and oral language. It can also be used to support diagnoses of specific learning disabilities, academic program placement, and Dyslexia screening and evaluation. 

The What's Happening in This School Questionnaire (WHITS) is a six scale survey measuring school climate designed for use with students ranging from grades 8 through grade 12. The six scales comprising this survey include, teacher support, peer connectedness, school connectedness, affirming diversity, rule clarity, and reporting and seeking help. Respondents answer all 48 items within this survey on a five-point Likert scale.

The Wide Range Achievement Test Fifth Edition (WRAT5) assess students in several areas including reading and spelling, as well as assessment of math skills. These assessments can also be used to identify possible learning disabilities.

The Wide Range Achievement Test, Fifth Edition (WRAT5) is an assessment sold by Pearson that measures math skills, in addition to reading and spelling, and helps identify possible learning disabilities.

The Woodcock-Johnson IV contains three co-normed batteries that measure strengths and weaknesses and diagnose learning abilities. The WJ IV is an individually-administered comprehensive assessment suite that can identify patterns of strength and weaknesses in cognitive, language, and academic abilities. In addition to oral language, reading, and writing, the WJ IV also assesses mathematics.

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

The WRMT-III are individually administered assessments of reading readiness and reading achievement.

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.

The Youth Connections Scale (YCS), developed by the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare at the University of Minnesota in partnership with Anu Family Services, was created to help child welfare agencies and organizations work more effectively alongside youth to create and sustain a safety net for all youth in foster care. More specifically, the Youth Connections Scale is a tool used to measure relational permeance in youth. The scale is scored on a scale ranging from 0 to 100.

This scale measures three dimensions of purpose: goal directedness, personal meaning, and beyond-the-self orientation. Purpose is operationalized by the developers of the scale as a long-term, forward looking intention to accomplish meaningful aims. Each of the 12 items has a Likert style response, but the scale items are unique to each question causing a slower response time which can lead to a more accurate measure. 

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.