Overview
The School Function Assessment (SFA; Coster, Deeney, Haltiwanger, & Haley, 1998) is a criterion-referenced assessment used to measure a student’s performance of non-academic functional tasks that support participation in elementary school (K-6). It is designed for use in integrated settings with same-age/grade peers and to support collaborative program planning for students with various disabling conditions. The SFA measures three areas of school function: (a) level of participation in six major activity settings, (b) task supports, such as assistance and adaptations provided to the student, and (c) activity performance. The SFA uses a Likert scale with respondents rating a student from “extremely limited participation” to “full participation,” “extensive assistance/adaptations to no adaptations,” and “does not perform to consistent performance.” Criterion scores indicate the student’s place on a functional continuum, rather than distance from norms. Because the instrument is criterion-referenced, it provides specific information about a student’s strengths and limitations, which is useful in program planning. It takes 1½ to 2 hours to complete the entire SFA; however, individual sections can take as little as 5 to 10 minutes to complete. A single respondent who knows the student well can complete the assessment, or it can be used as a collaborative assessment in which multiple professionals involved with a student contribute information.
Summary
Age: Kindergarten - 6th grade
Time to Administer: 1.5 - 2 hours for full assessment; 15-20 minutes for individual scales
Method of Administration: Criterion-referenced questionnaire completed by school professionals who know the student well; Likert scale to rate items on three scales: Participation, Task Support, Activity Performance
Yields cutoff scores for comparison
Subscales: Subscales: Participation, Task Supports, Activity Performance
Subtest By Scale
-Task Supports: Physical Tasks Assistance, Physical Tasks Adaptations, Cognitive/Behavioral Tasks Assistance, Cognitive/Behavioral Tasks Adaptations
-Activity Performance: Travel, Maintaining and Changing Positions, Recreational Movement, Manipulation with Movement, Using Materials, Setup and Cleanup, Eating and Drinking, Hygiene, Clothing Management, Up/Down Stairs, Written Work, Computer and Equipment Use, Functional Communication, Memory and Understanding, Following Social Conventions, Compliance with Adult Directives and School Rules, Task Behavior/Completion, Positive Interaction, Behavior Regulation, Personal Care Awareness, Safety
Autism Related Research
Davies, Soon, Young, & Clausen-Yamaki (2004)
Age Range: 5-12 years
Sample Size: 35 (11 with autism)
Topics Addressed:
Validity and reliability of SFA in three different groups
Outcome:Davies, Soon, Young, & Clausen-Yamaki (2004)
Significant differences in SFA scores among the three groups were found using Kruskal-Wallis: chi-square ranged from 9.28-20.55; intraclass correlation coefficients. Intraclass correlations resulted in moderate relationship between teacher and occupational therapist ratings for the three domain scores: Participation = 0.70, Task supports = 0.68, Activity Performance = 0.73,. Two discriminant analyses demonstrated high correct classification of students with autism and learning disability, but showed less accurate classification of students with traumatic brain injury.
Conclusion: SFA scores can be reported and interpreted separately for the physical and cognitive/behavioral domains, and the tool may be a useful instrument for helping with school-based planning.