Screening in the Upper Elementary Grades: Identifying Fourth-Grade Students At-Risk for Failing the State Reading Assessment

This study examined the predictive validity and classification accuracy of individual- and group-administered screening measures relative to student performance on a year-end state reading assessment in two states. A sample of 321 students was assessed in the areas of word-level and text fluency, as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Assessment for effective intervention 2019-06, Vol.44 (3), p.160-172
Main Authors: Kent, Shawn C., Wanzek, Jeanne, Yun, Joonmo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Failure
Accuracy
Achievement Tests
At risk populations
At Risk Students
Classification
Common Core State Standards
Computer Assisted Testing
Disability Identification
Elementary School Students
Emergent Literacy
End state
Fluency
Grade 4
Measures (Individuals)
Oral Reading
Performance Based Assessment
Predictive Validity
Public Schools
Reading Comprehension
Reading Difficulties
Reading Fluency
Reading Skills
Reading Tests
Risk assessment
Screening Tests
Standardized Tests
State Standards
Vocabulary Skills
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Summary:This study examined the predictive validity and classification accuracy of individual- and group-administered screening measures relative to student performance on a year-end state reading assessment in two states. A sample of 321 students was assessed in the areas of word-level and text fluency, as well as reading comprehension in the fall of fourth grade. For individual measures, a group-administered reading comprehension test exhibited the highest classification accuracy (74%–80%) for both outcomes though no screener demonstrated optimal sensitivity and specificity levels. Using a multivariate approach, logistic regression results revealed minimal to no increase in classification accuracy over the single comprehension measure. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses determined local cut scores to maintain sensitivity constant at .90, which resulted in a large number of false positives. The implications and limitations of these findings for screening at the upper elementary level are discussed.
ISSN:1534-5084
1938-7458
DOI:10.1177/1534508418758371