Successful early mathematical development is vital to children's later education, employment, and wellbeing outcomes. However, established measurement tools are infrequently used to (i) assess children's mathematical skills and (ii) identify children with or at-risk of mathematical learning difficulties. In response, this pre-registered systematic…

Since its development, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) has been widely used in both research and practice. The SDQ screens for positive and negative psychological attributes. This review aims to provide an overview of the psychometric properties of the SDQ for 4- to 12-year-olds. Results from 48 studies (N = 131,223) on…

Research is reviewed on the validity of the Kindergarten Screening Inventory (KSI), an instrument developed by the Houston, Texas Independent School District to screen kindergarten students for possible difficulties that could lead to learning problems. The KSI includes eye-hand coordination, language learning, gross-motor subtests, as well as…

Schouten and Kirkpatrick's review of evaluations of the Miller Assessment for Preschoolers' predictive validity reveals unacceptably high error rates in target population identification. Miller's response suggests flaws in their argument, Humphry and King-Thomas suggest alternative interpretations, and Schouten and Kirkpatrick respond to their…

Examines issues related to the measurement of potential learning problems of young children. Looks at the rationale for screening, the instability of behavior, the use of inappropriate measures; defines the "at-risk" population, and problems in prediction. Presents a method for calculating the predictive validity of a screening measure. (RJM)

Early screening programs to determine learning problems in preschool children are evaluated. A review of early identification literature indicates considerable difficulty in describing screening results and determining when a screening program accurately identifies those students believed to be "at risk." The authors propose several…

Epidemiological techniques were used to reanalyze studies that had longitudinally tracked preschool or kindergarten children, to determine results of screens for the identification of educationally at-risk children. A paradigm shift is recommended, away from longitudinal studies for predictive validity and toward risk analysis and interpretation.…

Literature on psychological characteristics of abusive families suggests that psychometric assessments can be developed to screen parents for abusiveness. Advocates of primary prevention of child abuse have encouraged the development of such perinatal screening devices. However, social values define abusiveness, making its assessment especially…

Experimental results indicated that verbal intelligence was the best predictor of childrens' overall performance on a paired-associate learning task. Teachers' ratings provided a surprising degree of predictive efficiency for abstract recall which was redundant with verbal intelligence. (Author/JAC)

In response to a legislative requirement, Redlands Community College (RCC) initiated a requirement in 1991 for students to take the Assessment of Skills for Successful Entry and Transfer (ASSET) test. The only exemptions were for those students enrolling in fewer than 6 hours of classes and not taking either English Composition or a college-level…