Issues In Preschool Assessment

Marissa S. Reed, Ed.S.School Psychologist

Troup County School SystemLaGrange, Georgia

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Purposes of Preschool Assessment (Nagle, 2000; Appl, 2000)

Screening Diagnosis Individual program planning

and monitoring Program evaluation

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Importance of Preschool Assessment

Early detection=better outcomes (Feil & Severson, 1995)

Child-find screenings National education goal (NCLB):

starting school ready to learn (USDOE, 1992)

Early intervention required by IDEA (Bailey, 2000)

Children who are at-risk included also

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Preschoolers=Unique Population (Nagle, 2000)

Rapid developmental change Behavior during testing may affect

accuracy of test results Approach testing situation

differently than school-age students

Familiarity with strangers varies largely

View scores as current level of development which is constantly changing

Lack of prior school experience

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Issues to Consider (Bracken, 2000)

Child’s temperament Examiner approachability, affect,

and physical presence Behavior management Environment

– Furniture, decorations, distractions, climate, seating arrangement

Test floors and ceilings

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Traditional vs. Alternative Methods of Assessment(Nagle, 2000)

Traditional: standardized, norm-referenced– Battelle Developmental Inventory– Stanford-Binet, 5th Edition– Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children – Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of

Intelligence, 3rd Edition (WPPSI-III)– Bracken Basic Concept Scale, 2nd Edition – Differential Ability Scales (DAS)– Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler

Development, 3rd Edition – Preschool Language Scale, 4th Edition

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Traditional vs. Alternative Methods of Assessment(Nagle, 2000)

Alternative: – Play-based assessment (Ross, 2000

[Best Practices])– Direct observation– Parent interviews– Parent-child interactions– Clinical judgment rating scales– Curriculum-based assessment– Portfolio assessment (Mills, 1994)– Individual Growth and Development

Indicators (IGDIs) (Best Practices)

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Traditional vs. Alternative Methods of Assessment(Nagle, 2000)

Bracken: problem is not the actual tests, but administration of test that does not consider the nature of the child or reason for referralUse complementary assessment: best

of both worlds Sattler: behavioral state and

temperament play a large role Bag of tricks

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Assessment of Behavior

Functional Behavior Assessment (Conroy & Davis, 2000)

Parental input is crucial– Rating scales– Developmental history

Observations Parental point of reference

– First child; different children’s development

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Family Focus (Nagle, 2000)

Individual Family Support Plans (IFSP) instead of IEP

Parent participation– May be first contact with

professionals– Parents as valuable source of

information regarding representativeness of child’s performance (validity of results)

– Observation of parent-child interaction

– Initial notification of problems or diagnoses

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Importance of Ecological Perspective (Paget & Nagle, 1986)

Settings and significant individuals Social learning theory Each child and their ecology as

unique

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Best Practices in Early Intervention (Barnett, 2000)

Basics– Interesting and developmentally

appropriate environments– Scanning– Guides, rules and consequences– Functional analysis– Modeling and opportunities to

practice

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Best Practices in Early Intervention (Barnett, 2000)

Interventions for Language and Literacy– Milieu Language Interventions– Early Literacy

Interventions for Challenging Behaviors– High probability sequences– Alternative responses and functional

communication training– Choices– Timed positives, fixed-time, or

noncontingent reinforcement– Correspondence training

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School Readiness

Cognitive development Social-emotional development Communication and language

development Sensorimotor development

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Home Activities to Promote School Readiness (Resource Team, 1992)

Healthy pregnancy and mother’s nutrition Regular health care after birth Verbal communication with child Reading to child Opportunities to write, draw, sing, dance, and

tell stories Exposure to a variety of materials Value on education and learning Visits to libraries, museums, and cultural

activities Asking children questions Opportunities to play and explore Social interaction with other children Build a sense of security and self-worth

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Important Skills for School Psychologists (Nagle, 2000)

Training in traditional and nontraditional assessments

Evaluation of technical adequacy of instruments

Knowledge of related issues Ability to establish collaborative

relationships is imperative Field-based practicum and internship

experiences Continuing professional development in

early intervention and preschool issues

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References Appl, D.J. (2000). Clarifying the preschool assessment

process: Traditional practices and alternative approaches. Early Childhood Education Journal, 27 (4), 219-225.

Bailey, D. B. (2000). The federal role in early intervention: Prospects for the future. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 20 (2), 71-78.

Barnett, D.W. (2000). Best practices in early intervention. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best Practices in School Psychology IV. Bethesda, MD: NASP.

Bracken, B.A. (2000). Maximizing construct relevant assessment: The optimal preschool testing situation. In B.A. Bracken (Ed.) The psychoeducational assessment of preschool children (pp. 33-44). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Conroy, M.A., & Davis, C.A. (2000). Early elementary-aged children with challenging behaviors: Legal and educational issues related to IDEA and assessment. Preventing School Failure, 44 (4), 163-168.

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References Feil, E.G., & Severson, H.H. (1995). Identification of critical factors

in the assessment of preschool behavior problems. Education & Treatment of Children, 18 (3), 261-272.

Mills, L. (1994). Yes, it can work!: Portfolio assessment with preschoolers. Paper presented at the Association for Childhood Education International Study Conference, New Orleans, LA, March 30-April 2, 1994.

Nagle, R.J. (2000). Issues in preschool assessment. In B. A. Bracken (Ed.), The psychoeducational assessment of preschool children (pp. 19-32). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Paget, K.D., & Nagle, R.J. (1986). A conceptual model of preschool assessment. School Psychology Review, 15 (2), 154-165.

Resource Team on National Education Goal 1 (1992). Starting school ready to learn. Questions and answers on reading national education goal 1: ‘By the year 2000, all children in America will start school ready to learn.’ United States Department of Education.

Ross, R.P. (2000). Best practices in the use of play for assessment and intervention with young children. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.) Best Practices in School Psychology IV. Bethesda, MD: NASP.