Individuals with high functioning autism (HFA) or Asperger Syndrome (AS) exhibit difficulties in the knowledge or correct performance of social skills. This subgroup's social difficulties appear to be associated with deficits in three social cognition processes: theory of mind, emotion recognition and executive functioning. The current study outlines the development and initial administration of the group-based Social Competence Intervention (SCI), which targeted these deficits using cognitive behavioral principles. Across 27 students age 11-14 with a HFA/AS diagnosis, results indicated significant improvement on parent reports of social skills and executive functioning. Participants evidenced significant growth on direct assessments measuring facial expression recognition, theory of mind and problem solving. SCI appears promising, however, larger samples and application in naturalistic settings are warranted.

Of the myriad practices currently utilized for students with disabilities, particularly students with or at risk for emotional and/or behavioral disorder (EBD), functional behavior assessment (FBA) is a practice with an emerging solid research base. However, the FBA research base relies on single-subject design (SSD) and synthesis has relied on literature review or analyses using nonparametric effect size calculations. This study was designed to examine the omnibus effect that FBA-based interventions have on problem behaviors for students with or at risk for EBD in schools using a hierarchical linear modeling meta-analytic approach to SSD synthesis. Based on a sample of 69 FBA studies, 146 subjects, and 206 outcome graphs, results indicated that, overall, FBA-based interventions reduced problem behavior by an average of 70.5% and that the procedure was effective across all student characteristics. Differences of effectiveness were evident between functional analysis and descriptive assessment procedures. Findings of this study suggest that FBA-based interventions for students with or at risk for EBD are an effective approach for the reduction of problem behaviors.

Although a variety of factors influence student success in school, teachers have a major impact on the probability of that success (Stronge, Ward, & Grant, 2011). For example, Rockoff (2004) reported that a 1 SD increase in teacher quality raises test scores by approximately 0.20 SDs in reading and 0.24 SDs in math. Furthermore, Chetty, Friedman, and Rockoff (2011) found that raising the quality of teaching, based on value-added scores, from the bottom 5% to just average raises predicted student lifetime income by US$250,000. Considered within these analyses are a broad array of teacher and classroom characteristics ranging from teacher enthusiasm and caring to the use of classroom management. Across studies, control of the classroom environment in terms of clearly stated expectations, consistent routines, and efficient use of time, which are critical components of effective classroom management (Conroy, Alter, & Sutherland, 2014), significantly predict higher student achievement (Fidler, 2002; Stronge et al., 2011; Stronge, Ward, Tucker, & Hindman, 2008). Clearly, classroom management is positively associated with student outcomes. What is not so clear is the degree to which specific teacher classroom management practices impact student success. Predicting Student Success An analysis of teacher behaviors is best initiated with consideration of those student behaviors that are known to be associated with success and then working backward in terms of identifying teacher behaviors that provide high probabilities for those student behaviors. Any such analysis leads quickly to student engagement, perhaps the sin qua non of successful students (e.g., Berliner, 1990; Greenwood, Horton, & Utley, 2002). As David Berliner (1990) put it, the relationship between academic engaged time and student achievement "has the same scientific status as the concept of homeostasis in biology, reinforcement in psychology, and gravity in physics" (p. 3). As such, more engagement is 714809B HDXXX10.

School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) is a systems approach to supporting the social and emotional needs of all children utilized by more than 21,000 schools across the nation. Data from numerous studies and state projects' evaluation reports point to the impact of SWPBIS on student outcomes (office discipline referrals [ODRs], in-school suspensions [ISSs], out-of-school suspensions [OSSs]) and the possible relationship between implementation fidelity and those student outcomes. With data from 1,122 Florida schools, this study used a longitudinal design to examine the associations between the total score and 10 subscale scores on the Benchmarks of Quality (BoQ), a validated SWPBIS implementation fidelity measure, and school-level behavioral outcomes: ODRs, ISSs, and OSSs. Results of these analyses found a decreasing trend across all three behavioral outcomes, and schools having higher BoQ total scores realized lower ODRs and had corresponding fewer ISSs and OSSs. Of the 10 subscales, the Classroom was negatively and significantly associated with ODRs and OSSs, whereas the BoQ Data Entry Plan was positively and significantly associated with ODRs at initial status and across time after controlling for school-level characteristics (e.g., size, number of years of implementation). The implications of the findings for SWPBIS assessment and intervention in the classroom are discussed.

Researchers investigating school-level approaches for bullying prevention are beginning to discuss and target school climate as a construct that (a) may predict prevalence and (b) be an avenue for school-wide intervention efforts (i.e., increasing positive school climate). Although promising, research has not fully examined and established the social-ecological link between school climate factors and bullying/peer aggression. To address this gap, we examined the association between school climate factors and bullying victimization for 4,742 students in Grades 3-12 across 3 school years in a large, very diverse urban school district using latent class growth modeling. Across 3 different models (elementary, secondary, and transition to middle school), a 3-class model was identified, which included students at high-risk for bullying victimization. Results indicated that, for all students, respect for diversity and student differences (e.g., racial diversity) predicted within-class decreases in reports of bullying. High-risk elementary students reported that adult support in school was a significant predictor of within-class reduction of bullying, and high-risk secondary students report peer support as a significant predictor of within-class reduction of bullying.