Objective: A teacher rating scale designed to reflect current diagnostic descriptors of oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder was developed and standardized.
Method: Teacher ratings were obtained for 1,258 1st-through 10th-grade children from two school districts in New York and for 81 clinically referred children with conduct disorder.
Results: Three factors relevant to oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder were generated: defiance, physical aggression, and delinquent aggression. A fourth factor reflects peer problems. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and interrater reliability are documented using a population and a conduct disorder sample. The validity of the factors is supported by the factors' ability to discriminate between children in the general population and those with conduct disorders, by correlations with global impairment items, and by expected sex differences.
Conclusion: The scale has utility for assessing symptoms of conduct disorder in school settings.