A short form of the 60-item computer-based orthographic processing assessment (long-form COPA or COPA-LF) was developed. The COPA-LF consists of five skills, including rapid perception, access, differentiation, correction, and arrangement. Thirty items from the COPA-LF were selected for the short-form COPA (COPA-SF) based on cognitive diagnostic…

Although several studies have shown that planning, attention, simultaneous, and successive (PASS) cognitive processes--operationalized with the cognitive assessment system (CAS; Naglieri & Das, 1997)--are significant predictors of academic performance in the general population, little is known about their role among children with superior…

This study used a person-centered approach to identify school readiness profiles in a sample of kindergartners (n=1,826) from a large and diverse school district in the United States. Using latent profile analyses and multilevel modeling, we examined three aims: 1) whether patterns of readiness skills at kindergarten entry could be detected, 2)…

Research Findings: This study aims to extend our knowledge regarding contributions of educator--child interactions to child language outcomes by examining the extent to which specific dimensions of the CLASS observational tool of educator-child interactions are associated with child language abilities, utilizing data from an Australian…

It is important to identify cognitive and achievement characteristics that differentiate students who are twice exceptional because they are gifted and have a learning disability (2e-LD) from gifted and average ability peers because this information informs empirically-based identification and support systems for this population. In this study, I…

The predictive utility of cognitive abilities on reading, writing, and mathematics achievement domains helps inform high-stakes decision making, such as learning disabilities. An examination of differences in specific groups may increase understanding of obtained scores on cognitive ability and academic achievement standardized tests. One…

W scores are used in a number of commercially available tests. Due to their complex nature, it can be hard for applied researchers and practitioners to understand them or even acquire information about them beyond what is provided in technical manuals. In this article, we provide information regarding the background and derivation of W scores that…

The purpose of this study was to examine whether components of the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive (PASS) processing theory of intelligence predict reading and mathematics proficiency in a group of intellectually gifted children. One hundred forty-two intellectually gifted children (70 females, 72 males; M[subscript…

The present study examined whether global ability influences on reading, writing, and math achievement are generalizable across gender in children and adolescents in Grades 1 to 4 (n = 1,276), 5 to 8 (n = 1,265), and 9 to 12 (n = 1,042) using multiple group structural equation modeling with the standardization samples for the Woodcock-Johnson IV.…

Three aspects of cognition (fluid intelligence, executive functioning, and crystallized intelligence) in pre-K were examined as predictors of math and reading achievement in kindergarten among an economically diverse sample of 198 African American children. From a variable-centered perspective, confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the three…

Dual language learner children (DLLs) benefit from early childhood education (ECE) and learning multiple languages, but research has predominantly focused on English monolingual children, with limited insight on the ECE and early development of DLLs. This study investigated whether DLLs' developmental assets assessed at pre-k entry (i.e. English…

Despite research demonstrating the importance of mathematics achievement to children's educational success and trajectories, many children enter kindergarten without the foundational mathematics skills needed to succeed (Garcia & Weiss, 2015). Children's executive function (EF) skills and their learning-related behaviors (Anthony & Ogg,…

The Ability Achievement Discrepancy model remains the primary identification method used by school personnel. This study examined identification of a specific learning disability using the Ability Achievement Discrepancy model with the Woodcock-Johnson IV (WJ-IV). Two different test scores can be used to represent the ability construct: one that…

This study examines associations between stimulating-responsive social interactions with mothers and nonparental childcare providers during the first 3 years of life and children's vocabulary and mathematics skills through age 15 (N = 1,364). Additive relations were found in which more stimulating-responsive interactions with mothers and with…

Assessment of specific learning disabilities (SLD) in educational settings is one important function of a school psychologist. The federal definition of SLD describes "underlying cognitive processing deficits" as part of the assessment criteria, that is also incorporated in several states' SLD eligibility criteria, that is difficult to…