Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP) – For Teachers

Abstract

The Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP) – Teacher Report is a comprehensive, ecologically focused assessment tool designed for use by school-based practitioners, including teachers, counselors, and social workers. Its primary function is to gather data regarding an elementary student’s functioning across crucial domains that predict school success. The scale provides a structured method for evaluating the student’s academic performance, behavioral adjustment, social competence, and the level of family engagement in their education, thereby facilitating evidence-based intervention planning.

As a key component of the broader School Success Profile framework, the ESSP utilizes an ecological assessment approach, recognizing that student success is influenced by interactions across multiple systems (e.g., school, peers, family). The teacher version specifically captures objective measures, such as attendance and grades, alongside subjective evaluations of classroom behavior and effort.

Keywords

Elementary School Success Profile, ESSP, teacher report, school success, academic performance, social behavior, family engagement, ecological assessment, student intervention, school social work

Authors

Natasha K. Bowen, Gary L. Bowen, Joel Fischer, Kevin J. Corcoran, J. M. Richman, M. E. Woolley

Purpose

The purpose of the Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP) is to provide a standardized, multifaceted assessment that aids school staff in identifying elementary students who may be at risk for academic or behavioral difficulties. By assessing performance across critical domains—school, social, and family—the instrument helps practitioners develop targeted, individualized interventions based on a clear understanding of the environmental and behavioral factors impacting the child.

This scale supports a results management approach to assessment, moving beyond simple diagnostic labeling to inform practical strategies for promoting student well-being and achievement. The teacher report specifically leverages the educator’s unique perspective on the student’s daily functioning within the classroom setting, which is vital for early detection of potential issues.

Construct

The ESSP measures the overarching construct of School Success within an ecological framework. This construct is operationalized through several interconnected domains of functioning, which the teacher is asked to rate based on observations over the past 30 days or current school performance. The domains assessed include:

• School Performance: Objective measures such as grade retention, current grade level, academic standing (e.g., below, at, or above grade level) in Reading/Language and Math, and participation in special programs (e.g., LD, BEH, Gifted).
• School Engagement and Attendance: Frequency of absences and parental warnings regarding attendance or grades.
• Social Behavior and Competence: Peer relationships (being liked, friendly, initiating interactions), self-regulation (thinking before acting, controlling temper), adherence to rules, and prosocial behavior (helpfulness, understanding feelings).
• Learning and Effort: Classroom behaviors related to learning, such as completing assignments, concentration, staying on task, and working hard.
• Family Engagement: Parental involvement in school activities, educational expectations, and communication with school staff regarding the child’s progress.

Validity

Extensive research has supported the construct validity of the Elementary School Success Profile, confirming that the tool effectively measures the intended domains of student success and environmental risk factors. Studies by Bowen and colleagues have demonstrated that the ESSP aligns theoretically with the ecological model of child development.

The specific components, such as the measures of home environment and social behavior, have been subjected to rigorous statistical testing, including Confirmatory Factor Analysis, which confirmed the hypothesized factor structure. This provides assurance that the items group together logically to represent distinct underlying constructs relevant to student outcomes.

Reliability

The ESSP has been shown to possess strong psychometric properties, particularly in terms of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Research focusing on the ESSP for children (Bowen, 2006) provided evidence of acceptable reliability coefficients across the various subscales, indicating that the items consistently measure the same underlying trait.

High reliability is essential for a clinical assessment tool, ensuring that the scores are stable over time and across different raters (in this case, different teachers or school staff members). These findings support the use of the ESSP scores for making reliable clinical and educational decisions regarding student intervention needs.

Factor Analysis

The structure of the Elementary School Success Profile has been investigated using advanced statistical methods, including Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). CFA studies have verified the multidimensional structure of the ESSP, particularly concerning the interrelationships between home environment variables and child social behavior as reported by families (Wegmann, Thompson, & Bowen, 2011).

Although the provided source content details CFA for the family report, the overall ESSP model relies on a clear factor structure to separate academic, behavioral, and environmental influences. This statistical validation ensures the various subscales operate independently yet contribute coherently to the overall assessment of school success.

Instrument

Test Type: Ecological Assessment Scale (Teacher Report)

Format: Structured Questionnaire utilizing multiple-choice responses, categorical ratings (e.g., Below/At/Above grade level; A, B, C, D, F grades), and Likert-type scales (e.g., Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always).

Language Available: English (Primary language of development).

Population Group: Elementary School Students.

Age Group: Typically students in grades 1 through 6 (as indicated by the grade selection options).

Population Details: The scale is designed to be completed by school staff (teachers, counselors, social workers, etc.) who have direct knowledge of the student’s behavior and academic performance.

Test Methodology: The ESSP is a standardized, norm-referenced instrument used for screening, needs assessment, and monitoring outcomes in school-based mental health and educational settings. The items are observational, relying on the teacher’s professional judgment and access to school records (grades, attendance).

Keywords

School Success Profile, ESSP, teacher report, student assessment, social competence, academic achievement, behavioral problems, intervention planning, school climate, social work research

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Elementary School Success Profile instrument is managed through School Success Online. The ESSP was developed primarily by N. K. Bowen and G. L. Bowen, with significant publications and psychometric validation efforts occurring between 2002 and 2011. Publication details regarding the instrument itself can be found in reference sourcebooks such as Fischer and Corcoran’s Measures for Clinical Practice and research: A sourcebook (4th ed., 2007). Licensing and fees for use are typically handled through the official website.

The original PDF detailing some of the research related to the ESSP can be downloaded here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3120049/pdf/nihms297558.pdf

Reference’s

• Bowen, G. L., Richman, J.M., & Bowen, N. K. (2002). The School Success Profile: A results management approach to assessment and intervention planning. In: Roberts, AR.; Greene, GJ., editors. Social workers’ desk reference. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 787-793.
• Bowen, N.K., Bowen, G. L., & Woolley, M. E. (2004). Constructing and validating assessment tools for school based practitioners: The Elementary School Success Profile. In: Roberts, AR.; Yeager, KR., editors. Evidence-based practice manual: Research and outcome measures in health and human services. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 509-517.
• Bowen, G. L., Rose, R, A., & Bowen, N. K. (2005). The reliability and validity of the School Success Profile. Philadelphia: Xlibris.
• Bowen, N.K., & Powers, J. D. (2005). Knowledge gaps among school staff and the role of high quality ecological assessments in schools. Research on Social Work Practice, 15, 491–500.
• Bowen, N.K. (2006). Psychometric properties of the Elementary School Success Profile for Children. Social Work Research, 30(1), 51–63.
• Bowen, N. K. (2005). Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP). In Fischer, Joel. & Corcoran, Kevin J. (2007). Measures for Clinical Practice and research: A sourcebook. (4th ed.). NY. Oxford University Pr. Vol. 1, Page (s): 510-528.
• Bowen, G. L., Rose, R. A., Powers, J. D., & Glennie, E. J. (2008). The joint effects of neighborhoods, schools, peers, and families on changes in the school success of middle school students. Family Relations, 57, 504–516.
• Bowen, N.K. (2008). Psychometric properties of the Elementary School Success Profile for Parents. Unpublished paper presented at the Society for Social Work Research; Washington, DC. 2008 January.
• Bowen, N.K. (2008). Cognitive Testing and the Validity of Child-Report Data from the Elementary School Success Profile. Social Work Research, 32(1): 18.
• Wegmann, Kate M., Thompson, Aaron M. and Bowen, Natasha K. (2011). A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Home Environment and Home Social Behavior Data from the Elementary School Success Profile for Families. Social Work Research, 35(2), 117-127.
• Online source for research abstract: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3120049/

Items of the Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP)- For teachers

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.