Replicating the Impact of Norming Group Selection on the BASC-3 BESS

Abstract Universal mental health screeners promote a more equitable identification of a growing number of youths experiencing emotional and behavioral difficulties (Bitsko et al. in MMWR Supplements 71:1, 2022; Raines et al. in J Negro Educ 81:283–296, 2012). Some screeners compare student scores to large normative samples that can be stratified solely by age or by age and gender. The present study expands upon previous research by examining how norming sample choice impacts boys’ and girls’ risk status classification on the BASC-3 BESS (i.e., Normal, Elevated, or Extremely Elevated risk; Plant & Clark, in Assess Eff Interv 50:3–15, 2024). The sample included a district-wide screening of 3rd through 12th grade students ( N = 1682). Two T -scores were calculated for each student, one using combined-gender and one using separate-gender norms. A McNemar–Bowker test demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the proportion of girls identified in each risk category, with a higher number of girls identified as at-risk using combined-gender norms; there was no statistically significant difference for boys. These findings highlight how professionals’ choices on norming sample comparisons may impact student risk classification, thereby influencing the equitable identification of students at risk for mental health difficulties and subsequent service recommendations.