Efficiency and Economy in the Assessment of Emergent Literacy Skills
- ISBN-10
- 1109121938
- ISBN-13
- 9781109121933
- Pages
- 136
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2009
- Publisher
- ProQuest
- Author
- Karen Lynn Gischlar
Description
Assessment with the preschool student presents unique challenges. Development during this time period is rapid and episodic and results of assessment can be influenced by the child's emotional state and the conditions of testing. There is a clear need for the development of assessments that are based on a sound understanding of early childhood and that are both efficient and economical, in that they produce the best results with the expenditure of minimum time and resources. The purpose of this study was to examine multiple measures of emergent literacy for redundancy, or overlap, among 4-year-old students. It was hypothesized that tasks purporting to assess the same skills across the measures would evidence redundancy, thus suggesting that administration of all of those tasks was not necessary. To examine the relationship between the measures and the hypothesized redundancy, a principal components analysis and canonical correlations analyses were conducted. Additionally, a multitrait-multimethod matrix was constructed to explore the relationships between tasks included in the larger measures. Results indicated two unique components, the first representing letters and the second comprised of phonological awareness tasks. Further analyses suggested that although correlations between the tasks from the three measures were low to moderate, there was overlap between measures. These analyses suggested important areas for assessment, but also indicated that not all measures were necessary for administration. This was an important area to explore, given that inappropriate assessment practices, including lengthy administration, can waste instructional time, limit the classroom learning experience, and incorrectly influence a student's placement.
