Title

A responsiveness to intervention solution to the problem of false-positive risk classifications in kindergarten reading assessment

Date of Completion

January 2008

Keywords

Education, Special|Education, Reading

Degree

Ph.D.

Abstract

The current study examined a solution to high false-positive risk classification rates in early kindergarten reading assessment by investigating an evidence-based method of identifying students with possible false-positive risk classifications and evaluating the effects of returning those students to general classroom instruction. Researchers assessed a cohort of kindergarten students (n = 48) identified as at risk who were participating in a published full-year reading intervention program. Students with very strong initial curriculum mastery (n = 9) were identified as having possible false-positive risk classifications after approximately nine weeks, exited from intervention, and returned to general classroom instruction. Findings show that very strong responders who were exited from intervention continued to make academic progress and scored outside of the risk range across multiple reading measures at the end of the year. Additionally, performance on reading outcome measures was compared to the performance of a historical cohort of students with similar initial curriculum mastery who remained in the intervention for the entire academic year. Statistical tests found no patterns favoring either group on their end-of-kindergarten reading scores, indicating that the students with possible false-positive risk classifications experienced no clear differential effect of being exited from intervention services after nine weeks.^

COinS