1. In what ways are the scores from different K-2 ELA assessments similar and different?
- How correlated are the assessments with each other?
- How similar are the assessments in terms of standard deviations and skew?
- How do average scores on the assessment change from fall of Kindergarten to spring of second grade on each of the assessments?
2. How predictive are the various assessment scores, and the combined latent scores, of students’ third grade ELA achievement at each grade level, in pre-pandemic and post-pandemic years?
There is considerable variability in the literacy assessments taken in Kindergarten through second grade, across schools and between multilingual learners and other students, and within students over time. This makes it difficult to study changes in students’ acquisition of ELA skills in these formative years, or to evaluate policies and practices meant to support literacy development.
Here we examine several popular early grade assessments—the MAP, ACCESS, DIBELS, TRC English & Spanish versions, and apply a novel approach to combining information to develop latent scores of students’ literacy development. We find each assessment provides information that is predictive of students’ development toward third grade literacy outcomes (ELA grades and state assessment scores), with different strengths and weaknesses, and considerable overlap among them. We further provide evidence of strong predictive validity for the combined scale, even in post-COVID-19 years, suggesting that we could leverage existing assessment information to produce metrics for studying school, district, and state policies and practices around literacy development.
