Kristen N. Missall

Early literacy development: Skill growth and relations between classroom variables for preschool children

Promoting the development of early literacy skills might prevent later reading achievement problems. This longitudinal study investigated rates of early literacy growth using Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDls) for 69 preschool children classified as belonging to 1 of 4 groups with or without risk for developing early literacy skills. Group differences were obtained for 3 IGDIs (Picture Naming, Rhyming, and Alliteration) and rate of growth over time varied across groups for Picture Naming and Rhyming. Percent time spent in various classroom situations, as measured by the Ecobehavioral System for the Complex Assessment of Preschool Environments (ESCAPE), was correlated with each childs rate of IGDI growth. Correlations between IGDI growth rates and ESCAPE variables suggest classroom areas in which interventions could be concentrated for specific groups of children. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

A preliminary investigation of within-year growth patterns in reading and mathematics curriculum-based measures

This study examined patterns of growth across benchmark assessments for curriculum-based measures (CBM) over 2 academic years, with the twofold purpose of replicating earlier findings of growth patterns on R-CBM and conducting a preliminary investigation of growth patterns on M-CBM and CBM-Maze. The sample included 898 cases from 3rd through 5th grade over 2 academic years from one elementary school in the rural Midwest. All students participated in tri-annual benchmark assessments in which they were administered R-CBM, CBM-Maze, and M-CBM. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to examine patterns of growth for all three measures. Students demonstrated greater R-CBM weekly growth during winter-to-spring than fall-to-winter across grade levels. Patterns for CBM-Maze and M-CBM were somewhat inconsistent across school years and grade levels. Results are discussed in terms of contextual variables that may impact within-year growth patterns and technical characteristics of CBM slopes.

Home Numeracy Environments of Preschoolers: Examining Relations Among Mathematical Activities, Parent Mathematical Beliefs, and Early Mathematical Skills

Research Findings: Early mathematical skills and knowledge are strongly related to long-term achievement, and yet the knowledge base regarding the mechanisms through which young children develop these skills and knowledge is limited. Although research has examined the relation of the home numeracy environment and childrens early mathematics performance, results have been equivocal. The purpose of this study was 2-fold: (a) to describe parent-reported home mathematical activities and beliefs about mathematics and (b) to examine the relation between these constructs and preschool-age childrens general school readiness skills as well as specific numeracy-related skills. Practice or Policy: Descriptive results suggest that parents engage in a range of mathematical activities in the home with varying frequency. Furthermore, results indicate relations between parent-reported mathematical activities and beliefs, but no statistically significant relations with preschool childrens early mathematics performance were demonstrated.

Improving Child Outcomes With Data-Based Decision Making: Collecting Data

Ms. Carol is concerned about Dominique, one of the children in her preschool class, who has difficulty interacting appropriately with peers and often engages in aggressive behaviors. Ms. Carol wants to intervene with Dominique and collect data to see how she responds. Similarly, Ms. Kathy is concerned about the early literacy development of one of the children in her class. Jaylen does not seem to be acquiring phonological awareness skills at the same rate as his peers. Ms. Kathy wants to work with him individually and track his progress, but she is not sure how to go about doing this. Another teacher, Mr. Nick, has been working on increasing Trevors participation in activities in his inclusive preschool classroom. However, after 3 months, Mr. Nick is not seeing much improvement in this area, according to his daily class notes. These teachers have similar needs and interests_they wish to intervene with children individually and intentionally and to systematically assess the effects of their efforts to determine whether the children are making adequate progress. Where do they start?

Technical Adequacy of Early Numeracy Curriculum-Based Measurement in Kindergarten

The current study examines the technical adequacy of four Early Numeracy Curriculum-Based Measurement (EN-CBM) screening tasks: Oral Counting (OC), Number Identification (NI), Quantity Discrimination (QD), and Missing Number (MN). Results from 59 kindergarten students assessed in the fall and spring reveal moderate to high test—retest and delayed alternate-form reliability. In addition, data from the four measures demonstrate adequate concurrent and predictive validity by comparing them to an established measure of early numeracy. The measures demonstrated growth over time from the beginning to the end of kindergarten. Finally, combinations of the measures were evaluated post hoc, and the combination of NI, QD, and MN produced the highest reliability, validity, and rate of growth coefficients. Overall, results support the technical adequacy of EN-CBM for use with kindergarten-aged children.

Universal Screening of Reading in Late Elementary School R-CBM Versus CBM Maze

Two curriculum-based measurement tools are commonly used to assess progress in reading in elementary school: R-CBM and CBM maze. R-CBM is used in practice more frequently than CBM maze is, although CBM maze is more time efficient to administer than R-CBM is. The technical adequacy of each of these measures has been reported in the literature; however, a comparative analysis of their technical adequacy has not been published. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the technical adequacy of R-CBM and CBM maze to inform their use in a universal screening program of reading in fourth and fifth grades. Results suggest evidence of short- and long-term alternate forms reliability, criterion validity, and predictive validity for both R-CBM and CBM maze, supporting the possibility that the two measures are comparable for use in universal screening at those grade levels.

Using individual growth and development indicators to measure early language and literacy

Learning to read is founded on the acquisition of oral language, phonological processing, print awareness, knowledge, and comprehension skills acquired before school entry. Practitioners who work with very young children have limited means of knowing whether interventions in these areas are helping children make progress toward important language and early literacy outcomes. As a result, reporting of child outcomes in these areas is usually insufficient at the program, state, and national levels. Child performance measures are needed that are easy and repeatable so that estimates of child growth can be obtained and used to inform intervention decisions. Individual Growth and Development Indicators are emerging as a robust approach to assessment particularly well suited to these challenges. This article describes 5 Individual Growth and Development Indicators for measuring progress in young childrens early language and literacy. A brief overview of theoretical and empirical background information is provided demonstrating the reliability, validity, and feasibility of this approach for measuring growth in these critical areas of child development. Examples illustrate how these measures are used in early intervention programs for evaluating the progress of children as well as for program evaluation.

Concurrent and Longitudinal Patterns and Trends in Performance on Early Numeracy Curriculum-Based Measures in Kindergarten Through Third Grade

The purpose of this study was to extend the research on the Tests of Early Numeracy Curriculum-Based Measurement (TEN-CBM) tools by examining concurrent and predictive relations from kindergarten through third grade. Using a longitudinal sample of 535 students, this study included logistic regression, latent cluster, and latent transition analyses to examine the patterns and trends of student performance on all four TEN-CBM measures in kindergarten and first grade, math CBM (M-CBM) in first grade, and mathematics performance on a statewide high-stakes assessment in third grade. Results suggest that two of the TEN-CBM tools, Quantity Discrimination and Missing Number, are most robust at predicting later math performance. Longitudinal analysis indicated that students who are low performing in early numeracy at the beginning of kindergarten tend to be low performing in math at third grade. Low-achieving students also demonstrated a greater decrease in math skills over summer months when compared to higher-achieving peers.

Measuring Expressive Language Growth in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

This study explored the use of the Picture Naming Individual Growth and Development Indicator (Picture Naming IGDI; Early Childhood Research Institute on Measuring Growth and Development [ECRI-MGD], 1998) with 11 preschoolers who have autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Children completed the Picture Naming IGDI on 7 occasions in 12 weeks. Results indicated Picture Naming was both a valid and reliable measure of language skills for young children with ASD. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed Picture Naming was sensitive to growth for children with ASD between 39 and 69 months old. A discussion of future research and application of the Picture Naming IGDI, as well as implications for practice, concludes the article.

Differences in Child Care Quality for Children with and without Disabilities.

Research Findings: Federal, state, and local agencies legislate and support inclusive settings for the education of young children with disabilities. Recommended practices outline critical elements for meeting the educational and developmental needs of children with and without disabilities in inclusive settings, and minimal and essential quality characteristics have been articulated. Research has suggested that inclusive and non-inclusive settings may offer different levels of care as measured against best practices and essential quality characteristics. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine program quality in inclusive and non-inclusive preschool classrooms using observational, interview, and survey data. Results showed that inclusive classrooms earned higher scores on an observational measure of global quality and higher scores on an observational measure of language and literacy. Results also suggested that teachers with higher levels of education tend to have classrooms of higher quality. Practice or Policy: Implications for future research and practice are discussed.