Clinical Question: Would a bilingual preschooler with suspected speech sound disorder (P) be more accurately diagnosed via an assessment approach that integrates sociolinguistic information (I) or via standardized assessment with traditional scoring modifications (C) as shown by diagnostic compatibility with the converging concern approach (O)?…

This study considers a contextualized approach to grammar instruction, asking: "Does embedded instruction using published authors as mentors improve grammar and usage for young writers?" Twenty-three students in one second-grade classroom participated. Students were taught grammar conventions through use of mentor texts for 45 minutes a…

This report describes the impact of the 2021 AISD multilingual summer school program on incoming kindergarten and 1st-grade emergent bilingual students' (N = 933) fall academic performance. Relative to matched comparison groups, students who attended summer school were significantly more likely to score on-track on TX-KEA in kindergarten. While…

Assessment of emerging literacy in young children is generally limited to either skill development in children over 3 years of age or the quality and context of young children's early literacy experiences. Although there has been promotion of their early literacy experiences, assessment of emerging pre-literacy behaviors in children younger than 3…

Curriculum-based measures (CBMs) such as Word Identification Fluency promote student achievement, but because they are timed and administered frequently, they are prone to variation in student response styles. To study the impact of WIF response styles, we created and examined the validity of a novel response style measure and examined the degree…

The purpose of this article is to provide evidence of the technical adequacy of the Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System--Third Edition (AEPS-3). The AEPS has long been identified as one of the most psychometrically sound early childhood curriculum-based assessments. In this article, results of three studies of technical adequacy are…

Vocabulary skills are important for overall reading competence, but vocabulary assessment approaches that inform instructional decision-making and are sensitive to improvement are limited. This article describes a process for developing vocabulary measures designed to facilitate data-driven decision-making for kindergarten and first-grade students…

Personalized learning (PL) has been internationally promoted as a future direction of educational reform efforts. While there is growing evidence of PL enhancing learning outcomes, teachers reported having difficulty envisioning PL in practice. This national survey study investigated how PL is practiced in K-12 learner-centered schools in the U.S.…

This paper provides an empirical account of the complex nature of early childhood teachers' work with growing accountability demands for collecting, reporting, and using child assessment data in the U.S. context. Particularly, this paper focuses on preschool teachers' experience of changes in their roles and pedagogical work in implementing a…

This study provides preliminary evidence for reliability and validity of the Hawaii Early Learning Profile Strands 0-3 (HELP Strands 0-3), an assessment instrument for young children. First, the degree of interobserver agreement for a sample of representative HELP items was examined; results indicated that HELP scoring was dependable and…

Abundant empirical research points to a significant number of students not going to school across the United States. Further yet, there exists strong research consensus that absenteeism predicts negative and persistent academic outcomes for students. LEAs and related stakeholders have rightly adopted measurement and intervention on student…

This manuscript describes two empirical studies of alternative scoring procedures used with curriculum-based measurement in writing (CBM-W). Study 1 explored the technical adequacy of a trait-based rubric in first grade. Study 2 explored the technical adequacy of a trait-based rubric, production-dependent, and production-independent scores in…

Curriculum-based measures (CBMs) are necessary for educators to quickly assess student skill levels and monitor progress. This study examined the use of the alphabet writing fluency task, a CBM of writing, to assess handwriting fluency--that is, how well children access, retrieve, and write letter forms automatically. In the current study, the…

Two studies using similar methods in two states investigated the long-term predictive utility of two single-skill early numeracy Curriculum Based Measures (CBMs) and the degree to which they can adequately predict high-stakes test scores. Data were drawn from kindergarten and first-grade students. State standardized assessment data from the…

The assessment of young children in early childhood special education is a central area of educational practice. The results of child assessments often have significant implications for young children, their families, and the programs that serve them, including eligibility for special education services, instructional planning, and documentation…