Craig A. Albers

Test Review: Bayley, N. (2006). Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development– Third Edition. San Antonio, TX: Harcourt Assessment:

The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development–Third Edition (Bayley-III) is a revision of the frequently used and well-known Bayley Scales of Infant Development–Second Edition (BSID-II; Bayley, 1993). Like its prior editions, the Bayley-III is an individually administered instrument designed to measure the developmental functioning of infants and toddlers. Other specific purposes of the Bayley-III are to identify possible developmental delay, inform professionals about specific areas of strength or weakness when planning a comprehensive intervention, and provide a method of monitoring a child’s developmental progress. The Bayley-III is appropriate for administration to children between the ages of 1 month and 42 months (although norms extend downward to age 16 days). The revision of the Bayley was specifically driven by eight goals: (a) update the normative data, (b) develop additional scales to fulfill requirements by federal (i.e., the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004) and state laws regarding the five major areas of development for early childhood assessment from birth through 3 years of age, (c) strengthen the instrument’s psychometric properties, (d) improve the treatment utility of the instrument, (e) simplify administration procedures, (f) update item administration, (g) update administration materials, and (h) maintain the qualities of previous Bayley editions (Bayley, 2006b).

Publication criteria and recommended areas of improvement within school psychology journals as reported by editors, journal board members, and manuscript authors.

Two online surveys were completed by editors, associate editors, editorial board members, and members or fellows of the Division 16 of the American Psychological Association. These surveys targeted (a) the criteria for a manuscript to be published in school psychology journals, and (b) the components of the peer-review process that should be improved. Although prior surveys have targeted these issues in general, none have been conducted in school psychology or examined differences in perspectives between those who serve in a reviewing capacity or those who have served only in an author capacity. Results identified the most important characteristics for a manuscript submitted for publication to be positively reviewed as well as identified differences in the expectations for such characteristics between novice authors (who do not contribute to the journal editorial process) and those authors who serve the journal editorial process more extensively (e.g., editors and associate editors). In addition, key areas to target for improvement (e.g., reducing potential reviewer bias) within the reviewing process were identified.

Measures for Determining English Language Proficiency and the Resulting Implications for Instructional Provision and Intervention.

Although numerous English language proficiency (ELP) measures currently exist, many were developed prior to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). These pre-NCLB measures typically focused on social language proficiency, whereas post-NCLB measures are linked to ELP standards and focus on academic language proficiency (ALP). ELP measures are typically used for accountability purposes and to determine eligibility for services; less attention has been given to their utility in enhancing classroom instruction and intervention provision. Inconsistency in scores between pre- and post-NCLB measures frequently leaves educators wondering whether English language learners (ELLs) have the necessary ALP to benefit from classroom instruction. This study investigates the intervention validity of ELP assessment by examining the concurrent validity of various pre-NCLB measures to a recently developed post-NCLB measure. As hypothesized, results indicate moderate correlations between pre- and post-NCLB measures, suggesting that ALP-focused post-NCLB measures are likely to provide more utility for ELL classroom instruction and intervention provision.

Structured Teacher Ratings to Identify Students in Need of Academic Assistance: Validation of the Brief Academic Competence Evaluation Screening System

The Brief Academic Competence Evaluation Screening System (BACESS) is a multiphase universal screening measure designed to assist educators in the identification of students who are likely to experience learning difficulties in elementary school. This study evaluated the reliability and validity of the measure for this purpose. The BACESS was used in 25 elementary classrooms in Wisconsin, and the entire sample included 285 students. The phases of the BACESS were each found to be highly reliable for their respective numbers of items. Internal structure evidence indicated that the phases functioned well together. The BACESS was found to share good concurrent validity with achievement test proficiency, approaching .70 on Bayesian conditional probability analysis. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis supported the use of the BACESS, incorporating different cutoff rules in different academic environments. Feedback via an evaluation survey indicated teacher opinion that the information gained from using the BACESS was valuable.

Predictive validity of curriculum-based measurement and teacher ratings of academic achievement☆

Two alternative universal screening approaches to identify students with early learning difficulties were examined, along with a combination of these approaches. These approaches, consisting of (a) curriculum-based measurement (CBM) and (b) teacher ratings using Performance Screening Guides (PSGs), served as predictors of achievement tests in reading and mathematics. Participants included 413 students in grades 1, 2, and 3 in Tennessee (n=118) and Wisconsin (n=295) who were divided into six subsamples defined by grade and state. Reading and mathematics achievement tests with established psychometric properties were used as criteria within a concurrent and predictive validity framework. Across both achievement areas, CBM probes shared more variance with criterion measures than did teacher ratings, although teacher ratings added incremental validity among most subsamples. PSGs tended to be more accurate for identifying students in need of assistance at a 1-month interval, whereas CBM probes were more accurate at a 6-month interval. Teachers indicated that (a) false negatives are more problematic than are false positives, (b) both screening methods are useful for identifying early learning difficulties, and (c) both screening methods are useful for identifying students in need of interventions. Collectively, these findings suggest that the two types of measures, when used together, yield valuable information about students who need assistance in reading and mathematics.

Using Flashcard Drill Methods and Self-Graphing Procedures to Improve the Reading Performance of English Language Learners

The increasing numbers of English language learners who are enrolled in schools across the nation, combined with the escalating academic demands placed on all students, warrant the evaluation of instructional strategies designed to improve English language learners’ reading performance. In this study, the authors used a multiple baseline design across individuals to examine the effects of an intervention that combined (a) a vocabulary folding-in technique and (b) self-graphing procedures on the reading performance of 3 third-grade Spanish-speaking English language learners. Curriculum-based measurement oral reading fluency and reading comprehension probes were implemented to monitor the students’ reading progress. Results indicated that the combined intervention improved the participants’ reading performance as measured by vocabulary sight words, reading fluency, and reading comprehension tasks. Implications of this research, including how school psychologists can use interventions such as these to serve as interventionists, are discussed.

Design of Experiments

Interest in research methodology may have never been higher in determining public policy; nowhere is this more apparent than in education. Legislative mandates, expectations from professional organizations, and the general public have all embraced the concept of accountability in education. Through federal legislation, these expectations have resulted in the requirement that only programs that have been demonstrated to be effective, and thus defined as evidence-based, be used. High-quality research is a critical component for creating and identifying these programs. In this article, we examine (1) the evolving role of research within education, (2) the legal and professional guidelines for conducting education research, and (3) common research designs and statistical procedures that are used to conduct education research.