Event Details
Join APBA Journal Club with Jared Van, lead author of The Classroom Learning Screening (CLS) as a Behavior Analytic Tool for Educational Equity: A Call to Action. This discussion will examine how traditional norm-referenced assessment practices may contribute to inequities in educational decision-making and explore the Classroom Learning Screening (CLS) as a behavior-analytic alternative. CLS uses brief, repeated, curriculum-aligned measures to evaluate student performance and learning over time, emphasizing individual growth rather than comparison to normative samples. Participants will explore the behavioral principles underlying CLS, its potential role in identifying academic risk and informing early intervention, and opportunities for behavior analysts to advance more equitable, data-driven assessment practices in schools.
Article:
Van, J., Doeman, S. & Kubina Jr., R. The Classroom Learning Screening (CLS) as a Behavior Analytic Tool for Educational Equity: A Call to Action. Behav. Soc. Iss. 34, 299–308 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42822-025-00228-2
About the host:
Jared Van, PhD, BCBA, is a behavior scientist and educator specializing in Precision Teaching and behavior analysis. He earned his doctorate in Special Education at The Pennsylvania State University under the supervision of Dr. Richard M. Kubina Jr. and his M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Before pursuing his doctorate, Dr. Van worked for over half a decade as a behavior interventionist in the California Bay Area and greater Los Angeles, serving a diverse population of learners with autism and other developmental disabilities. Dr. Van's research focuses on Precision Teaching, instructional design, and the measurement of private events (such as thoughts and feelings) to better support learners' academic and social-emotional outcomes. His broader interests include educational equity, social justice, and education policy, particularly how behavior science can be applied to dismantle systemic barriers and expand access to effective, evidence-based instruction for all students.
