Culturally Informed Approaches to Behavioral and Educational Assessment

Grounded in state-of-the-art research, this book provides comprehensive guidance for equitable behavioral and educational assessment of children and adolescents across school and clinical settings. Noted scholars weave an emphasis on ecological context, diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice into each chapter. Key assessment strategies, methods, and measures are discussed and best practices reviewed for culturally responsive evaluation of high-incidence mental health, behavioral, and developmental disorders. Practical pointers and examples throughout the volume illustrate effective ways to improve the fairness of assessment procedures and interpretations. 

Jennifer M. Twyford, PhD, NCSP, is Associate Professor in the School Psychology Program at Lewis & Clark College, where she serves as Codirector of the Hybrid Track and as Assessment Coordinator. Dr. Twyford serves on the board of directors of the Oregon School Psychologists Association and on the editorial boards of several school psychology journals. She maintains a small private practice and has provided clinical services across the spectrum of school, juvenile justice, outpatient, and inpatient settings. Dr. Twyford’s research interests include systemic response and culturally responsible identification and prevention of mental health disorders. She serves as Co-Principal Investigator for Project AMPLIFY, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, to support the training of multilingual and culturally responsible school psychologists. 

Katie Eklund, PhD, NCSP, is Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Prior to entering academia, Dr. Eklund worked in public education for 10 years as a school administrator, school psychologist, and school social worker. Her research focuses on school mental health, including universal screening and intervention for children with behavioral and social–emotional concerns, culturally responsive mental health interventions, social–emotional learning, and school safety. Dr. Eklund is Codirector of METRICS, a national school mental health technical assistance center funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and is also Codirector of the School Mental Health Collaborative.

Erin Dowdy, PhD, NCSP, is Professor in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She previously worked as a school psychologist. Dr. Dowdy’s research and publications have focused on assessment for social and emotional health and risk. She regularly supervises doctoral school psychology students in their clinical and research work and teaches courses in school based mental health. Dr. Dowdy is committed to training the next generation of school psychologists and diversifying the school mental health care workforce. 

Randy W. Kamphaus, PhD, is Research Professor at the Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health at the University of Oregon, where he previously served as acting Executive Director. He previously served as Dean of the Colleges of Education at both the University of Oregon and Georgia State University, and as Distinguished Research Professor at the University of Georgia. Dr. Kamphaus’s research has focused on improving the measurement of psychological and educational constructs and advancing assessment practice. He has authored or coauthored books, scientific journal articles, and book chapters on these topics and has created psychological and educational tests. With Cecil R. Reynolds, Dr. Kamphaus developed the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC). A Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), he has served as editor of School Psychology, as a member of the APA’s Council of Representatives and Board of Professional Affairs, and as President of the APA Division of School Psychology.

Cecil R. Reynolds, PhD, ABN, ABPdN, is Emeritus Professor of Educational Psychology, Professor of Neuroscience, and Distinguished Research Scholar at Texas A&M University. Dr. Reynolds is the author of more than 300 scholarly publications and author or editor of over 50 books and more than 50 commercially published tests, including the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC; with Randy W. Kamphaus), the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales, and the Test of Memory and Learning. For 25 years, Dr. Reynolds maintained a clinical practice treating trauma victims and also served as Chief of the Neuropsychology Service at Sandstone Psychiatric Hospital. He has held leadership roles in national professional organizations, and is currently editor of the Journal of Pediatric Neuropsychology. Dr. Reynolds is an elected Distinguished Practitioner and Fellow of the National Academies of Practice and a recipient of the Lightner Witmer Award and the Nadine Murphy Lambert Award from Division 16 (School Psychology) of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Samuel J. Messick Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions from APA Division 5 (Quantitative and Qualitative Methods), and the President’s Gold Medal Award from the National Academy of Neuropsychology. Dr. Reynolds continues to write and practice forensic neuroscience in Austin, Texas.