Teacher ratings of social skills as longitudinal predictors of long-term arrest status in a sample of at-risk males

The study described here is one of a number of longitudinal reports involving an at-risk group of 80 males we have been following since 1984 in collaboration with the Oregon Social Learning Center (OSLC). We collected the following measures on the study participants twice annually, fall and spring: (a) direct observations in classroom and playground settings through grade 6; (b) teacher ratings on the Walker-McConnell Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment; and (c) archival school records (e.g., attendance, discipline referrals, negative narrative comments in cumulative folders, standardized achievement test data, and so forth). OSLC staff accessed public safety and court records annually to record police contacts, arrests, and dispositions of cases. This article examines the relationships over a 6-year period between teacher ratings of social skills recorded in grade 5 and arrest records through grade ii. Results indicated that teacher ratings of social skills were a significant predictor of police contacts and arrest status during middle and high school years for this group of students. Implications for early detection and intervention are discussed in light of these findings.