Examining the validity of office discipline referrals as an indicator of student behavior problems

Abstract

Office discipline referral (ODR) data are increasingly used to monitor student behavior problems and the impact of interventions, but there has been limited research examining their validity. The current study examined the concordance of ODRs with teacher ratings of student behavior using data on 8,645 children in 335 classrooms at 21 elementary schools. The results of a variety of analyses (e.g., correlations, multivariate analysis of variance, receiver operating characteristics) suggested that ODRs are moderately valid and reliable. Multilevel analyses revealed that teacher ratings of disruptive behaviors were significantly associated with ODRs, even after controlling for other student-, classroom-, and school-level factors. These findings suggest that ODRs are moderately valid indicators of student behavior problems and may be an efficient source of information for use in school-based research and data-based decision-making. C 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Examining classroom influences on student perceptions of school climate: The role of classroom management and exclusionary discipline strategies

“…Specifically, during the last month of the school year, the teachers completed a brief checklist in reference to each student in their classroom, on which they indicated whether the child had had been "sent to the principal's office" for disciplinary reasons during the current school year. Previous research from this project on this teacher-report variable in conjunction with administrative data from the School-wide Information System (SWIS; Irvin et al, 2004) regarding student-specific receipt of ODRs indicated that teacher reports are a valid and reliable source of information on ODRs (Pas et al, 2011). Specifically, Pas et al (2011) used a variety of methods, including ROC curves, to demonstrate an adequate level of sensitivity and specificity of the teacher-reported exclusionary discipline strategy; they also provided evidence of a moderate level of convergence between teacher-report and administrative (i.e., SWIS) data on the use of these practices.…”

“…A common disciplinary strategy employed by teachers is the use of exclusionary discipline strategies, such as office discipline referrals (ODRs) or suspensions. ODRs are events in which a staff member observes a student violating a school rule and submits documentation to the administrative leadership, who then delivers a consequence (Irvin, Tobin, Sprague, Sugai, & Vincent, 2004;Pas, Bradshaw, & Mitchell, 2011). Exclusionary discipline strategies typically include the immediate removal of the student from the classroom, as the student is typically sent to the principal's office in an effort to try to stem the problem behavior.…”

Teacher bias in elementary school and the factors that aid it.

“…Teachers can have set, preconceived notions and beliefs regarding the level of possible educational attainment for their African American students including their possible level of performance (Rosenthal and Jacobson 1968). For example, these biases can manifest as higher rates of school discipline for African American students (Pas, Bradshaw and Mitchell 2011), higher rates of diagnosed learning disorders for African American students (Skiba, Poloni-Staudinger, Simmons et al 2005), or other forms of discrimination towards the students (Mickelson 2003). Thus, although the current public school system that exists in American society is shaped around the theme that each student has equal opportunity and access to the same education, a prevalent gap still exists regarding the educational level students are able to achieve even within the same school (Begeny, Eckert, Montarello et al 2008, Clayton 2011, Halvorsen et al 2008, Michael-Luna and Marri 2010, Posey-Maddox 2014, Tyson 2011.…”

“…The analysis presented in this section is not focused on whether there is a legitimate need for disciplinary actions, but rather on how disciplinary actions are handed out to the students. The disparities in discipline originate with the individuals who are able to refer students for disciplinary actions (Bates and Glick 2013, McIntosh et al 2015, Okonofua and Eberhardt 2015, Pas et al 2011. It is believed many of such individuals hold in their minds a preconceived concept regarding the identity of students who are likely to be disruptive and whose actions warrant disciplinary intervention.…”

“…Researchers also form that teachers discipline African American students at a higher rate based on their assumptions regarding their behavior. Although such behavior may be the same as their white counterparts, the behavior of African American students is viewed differently, handled harsher, and the student is judged as requiring school disciplinary action more often (Bates and Glick 2013, McIntosh et al 2015, Okonofua and Eberhardt 2015, Pas et al 2011 For example, while white students may be disruptive or talk loud in class, their behavior is not seen in the same light as the behavior of African American students (McIntosh et al 2015). African American students who may be subject to discipline are seen not only for their actions in front of the disciplining teacher, they are also gauged by the actions that teacher sees being displayed by African Americans elsewhere -whether those actions have been viewed directly by the teacher first hand or merely seen through a media outlet.…”