An Examination of the Predictive Validity of Curriculum-Embedded Measures for Kindergarten Students

The purpose of the present research was to examine the predictive validity of curriculum-embedded mastery-check measures (CEMs) for kindergarten students in Tier 2 intervention. Two studies examined the predictive validity, parsimony, and changing role of CEMs using a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework. Study 1 examined the ability of CEMs gathered throughout the kindergarten year to predict end-of-kindergarten latent reading outcomes. Study 2 examined the ability of kindergarten CEMs to predict end-of-first and end-of-second grade latent reading outcomes. Study 1 used SEM with two latent outcomes (i.e., phonemic and decoding) composed of diverse measures of early reading skills gathered at the end of kindergarten. Findings indicated moderate to large effects, as measured by variance explained, for CEMs on predicting phonemic and decoding outcomes. For CEMs gathered at four time points throughout the kindergarten year, a parsimonious set of subtests emerged. In addition, the role of CEMs changed throughout the year as predictors reaching statistical significance were increasingly difficult. Findings indicated that an increased amount of variance could be explained on the outcomes measures as the year progressed. Study 2 used one latent reading outcome factor gathered at the end of first and second grades. Findings for the end of first grade indicated that parsimonious sets of predictors from CEMs administered at three times during the kindergarten year predicted end-of-first grade outcomes. Additionally, the role of indicators changed during the year and the amount of variance explained increased from the first to third CEM. Results for the end of second grade indicated the variance explained on the outcome measure increased from the first CEM to the third CEM. When considering near-significant results, a pattern emerged demonstrating parsimonious subsets of indicators that changed during the kindergarten year. Findings from both studies provided support for the predictive validity of CEMs gathered during kindergarten for students in Tier 2 intervention. Results from both studies demonstrated statistically significant subsets of predictors that emerged and changed during the kindergarten year congruent with reading development, which can be useful for informing educational decisions

Interview with Mary Oslund (2016)

Mary Oslund bases her performance and teaching work in Portland, Oregon, where she has served on the faculties of Reed College, Lewis & Clark College, and Portland State University. She founded and directed Dance Works Studio in Eugene, Oregon and now co-directs the Conduit studio in Portland. Recorded for the documentary Moving History: Portland Contemporary Dance Past and Present.https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/pda_interviews/1012/thumbnail.jp

Predictors Of At-Risk Kindergarteners\u27 Later Reading Difficulty: Examining Learner-By-Intervention Interactions

This longitudinal study examined (a) the second-grade reading outcomes of 368 children who participated in either experimental or school-designed supplemental intervention in kindergarten, and (b) the influence and interactions of learner variables and type of intervention on reading achievement. Descriptive findings indicated that percentages of students identified as at risk or not at risk were statistically comparable between interventions. Entry-level letter identification scores predicted performance on all second-grade reading outcomes for students in both interventions. The influence of entry-level sound matching, receptive vocabulary knowledge, English language learner status and reading outcomes was moderated by type of intervention. Performance on a curriculum-embedded measure administered 8 weeks into intervention reliably predicted second grade reading performance. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht