EDUCATION AND TREATMENT OF CHILDREN Vol. 37, No. 2, 2014 Pages 347–364 Internal Consistency and Inter-Rater Reliability of the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF) Rating Scale When Used by Teachers and Paraprofessionals Michael E. May Yanyan Sheng Morgan Chitiyo Rachel C. Brandt Abigail P. Howe Southern Illinois University Abstract There has been considerable emphasis on indirect functional behavior assess- ments in school setings. However, litle research has evaluated the reliability of these methods to identify behavioral function. One indirect measure, the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF) scale, has yet to be extensively studied in school setings, though psychometric evidence suggests it is a vi- able assessment of the functions of a variety of problem behaviors for persons diagnosed with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of the QABF when completed by teachers and paraprofessionals in a school seting with children diagnosed with a variety of disabilities. Overall, results suggested that when used in a school seting without support from examiners familiar with behavior analy- sis or the QABF, the measure demonstrated poor inter-rater reliability and internal consistency. Factors that may have contributed to this outcome are discussed, including suggestions for future research using indirect assess- ments in school setings. Keywords: Functional Behavior Assessment; Rating Scales; Reliability; School Personnel F unctional Behavior Assessments (FBAs) are required by the Indi- viduals with Disabilities Education Act for students whose behav- ior disrupts learning, or for students who are at-risk for a change in placement due to their problem behavior. However, litle guidance has been provided on how FBAs should be conducted (Gresham, 2003; Scot, Anderson, & Spaulding, 2008). Although there are no Correspondence to Michael E. May, Ph.D., Educational Psychology and Special Educa- tion, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Mailcode: 4618 Carbondale, IL 62901; e-mail: mayme@siu.edu