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Test description · Social-emotional and behavior

BASC-3 in plain English.

Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition. Parent, teacher and student ratings in one place, each kept as its own set.

CategorySocial-emotional and behavior
Ages2 to 21 for parent and teacher forms; self-report from age 6 (interview form 6 to 7)

What it measures

The BASC-3 gathers ratings about behavior, emotions and everyday coping from parents, teachers and the student. Problem scales cover things like attention, hyperactivity, aggression, anxiety, depression and withdrawal. Adaptive scales cover things like social skills, leadership, adaptability and daily living.

Who it is for

Evaluators looking at emotional and behavioral concerns, ADHD questions, or how a student does at home versus school.

Scores it reports

  • T-scores (average 50). Higher is more concern on problem scales; lower is more concern on adaptive scales.
  • Percentile ranks as the publisher prints them (BASC-3 T-scores are not a bell curve)
  • 95% confidence intervals for composites
  • Composite and scale scores for each rater

What the score card looks like

The AUTOMATA score entry card for the BASC-3, filled in with made-up scores for a fictional student, showing each score with its percentile and descriptor.
The BASC-3 score card in AUTOMATA. Fictional student, made-up scores.

How AUTOMATA reads it

  • Three raters, three sets: Parent (PRS), Teacher (TRS), Self-Report (SRP).
  • Reads the Composite Score Summary and Scale Score Summary tables by printed name.
  • The T-score profile graph is the back-up and is used only when the row holds exactly the number of values that form plots. The Self-Report profile is never read by position.
  • Parent composites: Externalizing, Internalizing, Behavioral Symptoms Index, Adaptive Skills. Teacher adds School Problems. Self-Report composites: School Problems, Internalizing, Inattention/Hyperactivity, Emotional Symptoms Index, Personal Adjustment.
  • Reads the printed score report (PDF text layer, or a photo or scan of that printout).
  • Checks the student name and birth date on the page against the case before anything is filled in.
  • Leaves a box blank when a number cannot be read cleanly. It never guesses.
  • Marks every number it read in green so you can check it against the page; a number you type over turns back into a typed score.

What stays with the psychologist

The psychologist reviews and approves every score. Nothing is written into a report until you approve it.

In plain English for families

These are ratings, not tests the student takes. They show how a parent, a teacher and the student each see behavior and feelings. Differences between raters are normal and useful.

Questions

Does it average the raters?

No. Parent, Teacher and Self-Report stay separate.

Which report does it read?

The Q-global Interpretive Summary or Score Report printout, as text or a photo of it.

Do the percentiles come from AUTOMATA?

They are written as the publisher printed them.

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This page is a general summary for families and practitioners, not a substitute for the publisher's manual. Test names are trademarks of their publishers. AUTOMATA is not affiliated with or endorsed by any test publisher. No test items, stimuli or scoring keys appear on this page.