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Putting
Threat Assessment into Practice

This course will provide a more advanced knowledge of threat assessment in a K12 setting and teach how to put that knowledge into practice. The Supplemental Materials page contains a participant guide and other useful resources. After completing the course, you will also have access to all course videos on that page.

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The course will consist of three modules to be completed in succession that will include 1) core concepts and processes, 2) interviewing skills, 3) the management of threat. Each will include a pre- and post-test. A score of 80% or better is required to continue with the modules and complete the course.

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You must complete the Introduction to Threat Assessment Course before taking

Putting Threat Assessment into Practice.

If you believe you have completed the introduction course, please contact info@interactt.org.

This email is not recognized. Please use your school assigned email address.

If you have not completed the Introduction to Threat Assessment Course, please return to that course before beginning this course.

If you still cannot gain access, please contact your administrator or info@interactt.org.

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If you are concerned that a student or other community member may be a threat to themselves or others, use Safe2Say Something to make an anonymous report so they can get the help they need.

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Module 1 Pre-Test

Choose the single best answer on multiple choice questions.

1. Two popular models of threat assessment include NABITA’s tri-fold, and the Cornell tier model.
2. Good threat assessment depends on more science than art; like billiards and poker playing.
3. A good threat assessment process includes these primary things: an assessment for level of care (hospitalization), whether the threat made is transient or substantive, and a medication referral.
4. Threat assessment, when it is done well, leans into content expertise and law enforcement knowledge.
5. Threat is best assessed in a binary manner between transient and substantive apart from mitigating, contextual details that may allow bias to shift our perspective.
6. If we are making decision about people’s lives, we should strive to have someone who looks like that person on the team so they can offer a token approach to speak for those who belong to these groups.
7. Some examples of diverse communities that may have a smaller, closed, or specific language include:
8. Good documentation involves the following:
9. One of the most important concepts in threat assessment is using:
10. Some important concepts for threat assessment teams are:
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Module 1: Core Concepts and Processes

This module will provide you with the framework for developing a team, and the common pitfalls to avoid that reduce a team’s effectiveness in preventing and responding to potential violence.

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Please watch all videos before you continue.

Down the Stairs

We would agree.

Not quite, we would see it differently.

A boy sits alone on the stairs. He had fallen down the stairs and another student had taken a picture. While on his phone, he says, “When I get to school tomorrow, I’m going to make him pay. You know what? When I get to school tomorrow, I’m going to push him down the stairs.” This would be a more substantive threat as it contains a place and location of where the revenge would occur. Further exploration would be warranted.

Knife in the Locker

Not quite, we would see it differently.

We would agree.

A boy in a white shirt throws some rocks at a boy in a blue shirt and starts to shove him back and forth saying, “I thought I told you not to play on my slide. Get out of here.” The boy in the blue shirt says no and the other boy says, “What are you going to do about it?!?” The boy in the blue says, “I am going to slit your throat with my knife.” If the case stopped here, this would be enough to be a substantive threat due to the details about using a knife, where he would cut him and realistic mention rather than the hypothetical. However, the scenario continues with the boy in the white saying “You don’t have a knife.” The boy in blue says, “It’s in my locker.” This added detail raises the concern further.

Romeo & Juliet

Not quite, we would see it differently.

We would agree.

A male student teases a female student by her locker. He makes fun of the books she is reading and jokes about Romeo and Juliet. He says, “Too bad no one wants to be your Romeo.” The female student responds with “Shut up, I hope you fall down the stairs and die.” It would be more likely that this threat is a response to the teasing and is saving face, rather than leakage related to a planned attack. While there is a specific threat made, the conditional “I hope” would lean this toward transient over substantive. Addressing the teasing and the bullying would be critical in terms of school climate and being proactive with community building.

Alone in the Cafeteria

Not quite, we would see it differently.

We would agree.

A student is told by a teacher, in a dismissive and gruff manner, to go sit by himself. The student is upset and throws his bag on a table. He slumps into the chair and says “I hate this cafeteria teacher. She always tells me to sit by myself. Tomorrow she is going to regret it.” While the threat lacks specificity, the tone, and the inclusion of the time takes this slightly over the line to substantive.

Pee Pants

Not quite, we would see it differently.

We would agree.

One student asks another if he had “peed himself during the assembly.” The boy in the white shirt continues to tease the other boy again and again and the boy in the blue shirt says, “I did not pee myself and I hope you get hit by a car.” This threat is vague and lacks a time or place or involvement from the boy in the blue shirt. The threat is more transitive than substantive.

Fire and Guns

Not quite, we would see it differently.

We would agree.

A picture of a boy with machine gun shooting at another student with him yelling “I hate school!” There are pictures of two fires between the person with the gun and the student sitting down.

A young boy is drawing a picture in the cafeteria. The picture has a boy with machine gun shooting at another student with him yelling “I hate school!” There are pictures of two fires between the person with the gun and the student sitting down. The teacher confronts him about the picture and says, “What are you doing? This is not today’s assignment.” He says, “That’s what I am going to do to you if you don’t leave me alone.” This would be more substantive of a threat given his lack of remorse or any attempt to hide the picture. Instead, he directly challenges and threatens the teacher verbally. This should be referred for follow up by the threat team.

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Please answer all questions before you continue.

Module 1 Post-Test

Choose the single best answer on multiple choice questions.

1. When selecting the correct intervention, it should be culturally competent and we should choose the correct intervention to match the assessment.
2. When thinking about documentation, the best way to approach this is in a timely way with a focus on silo development.
3. Threat assessment, when it is done well, leans into content expertise and law enforcement knowledge.
4. Good threat assessment depends on more science than art; like billiards and poker playing.
5. If we are making decision about people’s lives, we should strive to have someone who looks like that person on the team so they can offer a token approach to speak for those who belong to these groups.
6. Threat is best assessed in a binary manner between transient and substantive apart from mitigating, contextual details that may allow bias to shift our perspective.
7. Good documentation involves the following:
8. Some examples of diverse communities that may have a smaller, closed, or specific language include:
9. The main point of the Freeman High School shooting case example was:
10. Some important concepts for threat assessment teams are:
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Your score was below the 80% required to proceed.

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Re-Take the Post Test

You have completed Module 1.
Complete the Module 2 pre-test to continue.

Module 2 Pre-Test

Choose the single best answer on multiple choice questions.

1. Some friend signals include head nodding, head tilting and smiling.
2. The halo effect, attending to ‘hot spots’ and using cognitive load are three concepts useful in assessing truthfulness.
3. Two protective factors are genuineness and reducing power differentials that may cause defensiveness in an interview.
4. Suicide, despair and hopeless are key mental illness factors useful in a psychological assessment but not a violence risk or threat assessment.
5. Jack Schafer’s book 'The Like Switch' focuses on team operations and outlining a culturally competent threat assessment process.
6. The pathway to violence (including concepts such as leakage, energy burst and novel aggression) describes a series of escalating events that move a student closer and closer to an attack.
7. The letters MOREPIES stand for:
8. When building rapport, consider which of the following?
9. Which of the following is true?
10. Some areas to assess beyond the direct interview include:
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Module 2: Interviewing Skills

This module will provide you with a clear understanding of the threat assessment process, the importance of contextual data gathering, mitigating impression management and ensuring interviews are culturally competent.

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Please watch all videos before you continue.

Module 2 Post-Test

Choose the single best answer on multiple choice questions.

1. Some examples of foe signals include scowling, not listening, and eye rolling.
2. The Dunning-Kruger effect refers to the bias where a person over-estimates their ability leading to faulty conclusions.
3. Some friend signals include head nodding, head tilting and smiling.
4. The halo effect, attending to ‘hot spots’ and using cognitive load are three concepts useful in assessing truthfulness.
5. Jack Schafer’s book 'The Like Switch' focuses on team operations and outlining a culturally competent threat assessment process.
6. Threats can be verbal, over social media in a written format, or reduced to a single point of context.
7. What are some motivations for lying?
8. Which of the following is true?
9. The letters MOREPIES stand for:
10. When building rapport, consider which of the following?
Submit

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Your score was below the 80% required to proceed.

Please review the materials and re-take the test.

Re-Take the Post Test

You have completed Module 2.
Complete the Module 3 pre-test to continue.

Module 3 Pre-Test

Choose the single best answer on multiple choice questions.

1. The pathway to violence provides a way to understand protective factors useful for understanding violence prevention
2. Increasing protective factors should be seen as part of the development of any intervention and management plan.
3. Threat management should be seen as an on-going process rather than a single intervention.
4. Violent student drawings can be evidence of fantasy rehearsal and leakage prior to an attack.
5. Multi-disciplinary assessment of threat and development of a management plan are best practices in reducing violent behaviors.
6. Mental illness and weapons access are two risk factors for targeted violence.
7. When addressing threat, focus on the individual who has made the threat and first use counseling support to help reduce the negative behaviors.
8. All risk factors should be considered in combination with each other; over-reliance on any single risk factor as deterministic should be avoided.
9. When approaching the management and interventions related to violence, one should consider:
10. Which best describes novel aggression?
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Module 3: Management of Threat

Continue

Please watch all videos before you continue.

Before you proceed to the post-test, please take a moment to fill out this evaluation survey.

No identifying information will be connected to your answers, which will remain anonymous.

Please rate your overall experienceExtremely PoorPoorGoodGreatExcellentPlease rate your overall experience

1 = strongly disagree   |   2 = disagree    |    3 = neutral     |     4 = agree   |    5 = strongly agree  

The information was presented in an effective manner.

The instructor(s) demonstrated expert knowledge.

The instructor(s) was/were engaging.

The overall training was satisfactory.

The training increased my knowledge in the subject area.

The training materials were helpful and sufficient.

I would recommend this training to others

Thank you

Module 3 Post-Test

Choose the single best answer on multiple choice questions.

1. Tactics refer to the services needed to accomplish intervention goals.
2. Mental illness and weapons access are two risk factors for targeted violence.
3. Increasing protective factors should be seen as part of the development of any intervention and management plan.
4. Violent student drawings should not be a concern as this not uncommon developmentally.
5. When assessing threat, remember that what a person writes or shares is best taken a face value.
6. The pathway to violence provides a way to understand protective factors useful for understanding violence prevention
7. When addressing threat, focus on the individual who has made the threat and first use counseling support to help reduce the negative behaviors.
8. There are numerous opportunities to ‘off-ramp’ individuals on the pathway to violence.
9. When approaching the management and interventions related to violence, one should consider:
10. When addressing threatening communication, avoid:
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Your score was below the 80% required to complete the course.

Please review the materials and re-take the test.

Re-Take the Post Test

Congratulations!

Your administrator will be informed that you have completed this course.

Congratulations on completing the Introduction to Threat Assessment course.

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Please enter you name here.

You will receive a certificate of completion within two business days.
If you have questions or do not receive your certificate, email info@interactt.org

Thank you!

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