The predictive validity of SEARCH and of academic achievement tests for identifying children at risk for reading problems was compared, with 668 kindergarten children. The use of various cutoff scores for SEARCH and the application of a 2-factor scoring system resulted in high rates of false negatives and false positives. (Author/JDD)

The concurrent validity of three types of reading ability assessments was evaluated with 312 Australian primary-level children. Results suggest that the nature of the skills required for success in reading changes in the primary years, and that both teacher-based and test-based assessments concur more closely as children progress through the…