Abstract
An essential task of diagnosticians is the accurate assessment of behavioral skills. Traditionally, deficit-based behavioral assessments have underscored student social skill deficits. Strength-based assessments delineate student competencies and are useful for individualized education program (IEP) and behavioral intervention plan (BIP) formulation, but few of them have been explicated. Assessment that incorporates both deficit-based and strength-based information provides a comprehensive view of student abilities and disabilities. This study examined the concurrent validity of a strength-based instrument, the Behavioral Objective Sequence(BOS), by comparing it to a widely-used deficit-based measure, the Child Behavior Checklist-Teacher Report Form(CBCL-TRF); we also examined differences in rating scores across placements for students with emotional and behavioral problems. Reasonable evidence of concurrent validity was obtained and placement scores differed on the BOS but not the CBCL-TRF. Implications of this research suggest that developmental and competency-based behavioral rating scale assessments, like the BOS, offer value over more commonly-used deficit-based measures in determining present levels of functioning and in establishing individual goals and objectives.