Measures of early academic skills: Reliability and validity with a first grade sample

This study investigated the reliability- (interscorer and test-retest) and criterion-related validity (concurrent and predictive) of 11 curriculum-based measures of early academic skills with a sample of first-grade students. Some measures required production-type responses. Other measures required selection-type responses. The measures involved letters (sounds, names, copying), numbers (names, counting in sequence), colors, and shapes. Subjects were 30 first-grade students from an urban parochial school. Test-Retest reliability was assessed with alternate forms of the measures over a two-week interval. Concurrent validity was assessed with a norm-referenced achievement test (the Woodcock-Johnson Revised). Predictive validity was assessed by measuring oral reading fluency in passages and on word lists four months after the initial assessment. Results suggested that some measures displayed better reliability and validity than others. The practical utility of these measures in light of their technical characteristics and the need for further construct validity data are discussed.