Examination of Eco-Behavioral Assessments Designed for Understanding Complex Behaviors and Environments.

Second-generation intervention research requires methods for overcoming challenges to understanding complex learning ecologies and interactions of students. Eco-behavioral assessments (EBAs) are one solution to past intervention research challenges. EBAs record the effects of ecological variables in students’ behavior and daily interactions. The utility of EBAs in second-generation research has increased substantially. Numerous EBAs now exist for use with all ages of learners and provide a valid, reliable, and cost effective method for intervention research. This paper examines 18 EBAs as well as software systems designed to support and enhance the use of EBAs. The examination serves as a comprehensive resource to better understand how EBAs can be used in answering complex questions about students’ learning and for advancing second-generation research

An Activity-Based Approach to Early Intervention

x, 242 p.; ill.; 23 cm

Utility and Validity of Authentic Assessments and Conventional Tests for International Early Childhood Intervention Purposes: Evidence from U.S. National Social Validity Research

The reported U.S. incidence of delay/disability in young children, and thus need for services, is far higher than those currently receiving early intervention supports and services [1]. Government representatives and policymakers in the U.S. have concluded that traditional tests fail to capture sufficient numbers of young children who must access early intervention supports at a critical life moment [2], even though state regulations often mandate their use. The early intervention field regards authentic assessments as a more effective alternative. However, few U.S. studies have been conducted to compare and validate the use of either conventional tests or authentic assessments for early intervention purposes. National social validity research in the United States by Bagnato et al. [3,4] revealed that authentic assessments fulfill the qualities/needs of the early childhood intervention field better than conventional tests. However, no national studies had been conducted to examine the qualities and patterns of use for authentic and conventional measures among interdisciplinary professionals. Based on an expanded national internet survey in the current follow-up research, we compared the qualities/patterns of use among professionals for both types of measures in the early childhood intervention field. Overall, median ratings indicate that the top authentic assessments are more valid/useful than the most popular conventional tests to accomplish most early intervention purposes. Based on the results, we share the implications as "practice-based research evidence" to guide international policymakers, professionals, and parents to advocate, choose, and use "best measures for best practices.

Addressing Early Learning Standards for All Children Within Blended Preschool Classrooms

Preschool teachers working in blended classrooms are faced with identifying which children need intensive instruction as well as being responsible for directly linking individualized learning outcomes with state or federal early learning standards. The series of studies presented were designed to illustrate how teachers working in blended preschool programs provided intensive instruction on individual skills that were related to a common early learning standard (i.e., prewriting). Results suggest that embedding intensive instruction during daily activities is not only effective but also efficient given the relatively short amount of time it took for children to acquire individualized skills. Future research should examine interventions that produce effective and efficient results given the constraints imposed by the schedule of publicly funded blended preschools