Graduation Year
2026
Document Type
Ed. Specalist
Degree
*Ed.S.
Degree Name
Education Specialist (Ed.S.)
Degree Granting Department
Educational and Psychological Studies
Major Professor
Nathaniel von der Embse, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Eunsook Kim, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Kahlila Lawrence, Ph.D.
Keywords
Behavioral risk, Identity matching, Informant Discrepancy, Multi-informant universal screening
Abstract
Multi-informant universal screening tools leverage insights from multiple perspectives to paint a comprehensive picture of student risk across a variety of domains. However, many barriers exist to the appropriate and effective implementation of multi-informant universal screening within the school. When such screening tools are utilized without intentional consideration of students’ unique backgrounds and lived experiences, harmful outcomes may disproportionally impact marginalized and minoritized students. To address this, context-sensitive, identity-conscious approaches may improve the accuracy and equity of identifying students in need of support. This study investigated the role of identity concordance (i.e., alignment of teacher and student gender and race/ethnicity) on inter-rater agreement when using a multi-informant universal screener to assess for social, academic, and emotional behavior risk at the middle school level. Hierarchical linear modeling was employed to estimate the extent of identity factor-related variance in SAEBRS screening scores between teachers and students. Results indicated that teacher-student identity-matching had marginal effects on inter-rater agreement. For Total Behavior, the Race/Ethnicity & Gender Match condition was significant (b = .170, p = .05) and for Academic Behavior domain, both Gender Match (b = .170, p = .04) and Race/Ethnicity & Gender Match (b = .247, p = .03) were significant. This showed that teachers may have systematically rated students as having less behavioral risk than students rated themselves when they shared identity factors, namely race/ethnicity and gender identity. The findings from this study provide insight for schools to inform multi-informant universal screening procedures and data-interpretation. Limitations of the study are discussed.
Scholar Commons Citation
Brown, Melissa L., "The Role of Teacher-Student Identity-Matching in Multi-Informant Universal Screening for Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk among Middle School Students" (2026). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/11251
