VALIDITY OF THE BRACKEN SCHOOL READINESS ASSESSMENT FOR PREDICTING FIRST GRADE READINESS

The Bracken School Readiness Assessment (BSRA) was administered to all kindergarten students enrolled in two rural elementary schools in the fall of 2004. Eight months later, the reading portion of the Metropolitan Readiness Tests, 6th Edition (MRT-6) was administered. Teachers were asked to indicate whether they had concerns about each student’s readiness for first grade and whether students had been retained or referred for other assessment(s) or services. The BSRA was found to be a good predictor of children’s readiness ratings, as well as their retention or referral for services. It also predicted performance on the MRT-6. This study partially validated the use of the BSRA as a screening measure to predict kindergarten performance and kindergarten teachers’ ratings of first grade readiness. C � 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Screening young children before school entry has become common practice in school districts. A 1999–2000 survey of state education departments found that 13 states mandate specific procedures; five states mandated screening, but allowed districts to determine procedures; in 26 states, local, although not statewide, procedures were the norm; and in 16 states, procedures were being developed for statewide screening. Only six states reported no screening at the state or local level (Saluja, Scott-Little, & Clifford, 2000). Data gathered in 1998–1999 for the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2003) revealed that, in 61% of schools, personnel administer entrance or placement tests to incoming students. According to that report, respondents claimed that screening information was used primarily to determine children’s needs (47%) and to guide instruction (52%). Screening was less often used to allow early entry for children (19%), to support recommendations for delayed entry (27%), or to determine class placement (19%). A variety of instruments are used for screening and eligibility testing, often with little attention paid to their psychometric soundness or their efficacy as academic screening tools (Bordignon & Lam, 2004; Bracken, 1987; Carlton & Winsler, 1999) or early childhood educational standards (Bracken & Crawford, 2007). Gredler (1997) distinguished two types of early childhood instruments: developmental screening measures and readiness measures. Developmental screening considers the child’s potential to acquire new skills, whereas readiness measures “tap skills believed to be related to school learning tasks that are predictive of school success” (p. 99). In a 1992 survey of school districts in New York State, May and Kundert identified four readiness assessment approaches typically used (with some districts using more than one approach): Developmental screening was used in 30% of the surveyed schools; readiness measures, 28%; informal observations, 20%; and school-constructed tests, 33%. An examination of the literature reveals that current screening practices may be problematic for various reasons. First, screening programs often place the burden of proof for readiness on the child (i.e., the child must prove his or her readiness for kindergarten). Failure to demonstrate one’s readiness may result in decisions or interventions with limited, if any, benefit. For instance, parents might decide that their child should delay school entry, a practice most prevalent among affluent