Discrepancies Among Student,Parent,and Teacher Ratings of the Severity of a Student’s Problems

Students from 6 to 18 years of age who had been referred for clinical assistance for school problems responded to questions related to their school performances, attitudes, and behavior. Their parents and teachers responded to comparable questions. The findings indicate that the student reports were consistently more positive than those of their parents, and the parents were consistently more positive than the students’ teachers. The students also viewed their school achievement more favorably than was indicated by their standardized test scores and school grades. These discrepancies have both theoretical and practical heuristic implications.