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### Identifying Early Literacy Learning Needs

#### Implications for Child Outcome Standards and Assessment Systems

Elizabeth J. Spencer, Trina D. Spencer, Howard Goldstein, and Naomi Schneider

The origins of conventional literacy skills are evident in early childhood development. Emergent literacy skills, as measured in pre-school and kindergarten, are strong predictors of later literacy achievement. Current educational research and policy emphasize assessment of preschool children to inform identification and instruction. The assessment of emergent literacy skills can serve to identify those children who may be at risk for later reading difficulties. Furthermore, assessment can guide the content and delivery of early literacy instruction. Failure to identify children early and provide appropriate intervention to promote emergent literacy skills is likely to have serious repercussions for later development of conventional reading skills.

Effective early literacy assessment can provide valuable information. However, decisions about what to assess must be guided by evidence. The National Early Literacy Panel (NELP; 2008) report identifies those emergent literacy skills that are reliable predictors of later reading skill. In this chapter, we review the predictors identified by NELP and make recommendations for assessment relative to those predictors. We discuss the different purposes of early literacy assessment and provide guidelines for the implementation of a measurement framework that encompasses these purposes in light of the availability of well-developed assessments. We also discuss the alignment of assessment with state early childhood education standards.

## WHAT INFORMATION DOES THE NELP REPORT PROVIDE TO INFORM EARLY LITERACY ASSESSMENT?

One purpose of the NELP report was to identify preschool and kindergarten predictors of conventional literacy skills (i.e., later reading, writing, and spelling outcomes). To address this research question, the panel conducted a meta-analysis of empirical studies published in refereed journals. The selected studies provided information to allow for the calculation of average correlations to identify predictors that were interpreted as strong (average correlations of .50 or larger), moderate (between .30–.49), and small (less than .30); a minimum of three studies examining a predictor variable were required to compute an effect size. In addition, the panel analyzed information provided by multivariate studies; these studies provided information about the strength of predictors when additional variables (e.g., IQ) were controlled. The panel identified a set of skills that are precursors to later literacy achievement in decoding, reading comprehension, and spelling. A review of correlational evidence identified skills with high predictive validity, including alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, early writing or name writing, and phonological memory. Skills with moderate predictive validity included concepts about print, print knowledge, oral language, visual processing, and reading readiness.

## EMERGENT LITERACY STANDARDS

Recognition of critical emergent literacy skills has substantial implications for early childhood educational practices. One way the NELP report is likely to influence practice is through the development or revision of states’ early learning guidelines (also called child outcome standards). Initially, though, many standards were crafted by a consensus of content experts instead of referencing research evidence. This is understandable for content domains lacking well-developed literature bases, but the release of the NELP report eliminates a lack of scientific evidence as a feasible excuse for neglecting key emergent literacy skills in state early childhood standards. At present, all 50 states have developed, are developing, or are revising their early childhood guidelines.

The identification of early predictors of later reading and writing achievement amplifies the need to assess them. In general, educators and policy makers agree that assessment is an integral component of an effective early childhood educational program, but there is little agreement on how assessment should be carried out.

## PURPOSEFUL ASSESSMENT OF EMERGENT LITERACY SKILLS

This section discusses three primary purposes of early childhood assessment: 1) informing instructional decisions, 2) identifying children who require intensified intervention, and 3) helping educational programs make systematic improvements. In the context of early learning guidelines, the focus of assessment remains on promoting successful outcomes for children and facilitating positive programmatic changes.

## Informing Instructional Decisions

Early childhood educators use assessment data to inform two types of instructional decisions. Before delivering instruction, teachers first assess children’s strengths and needs with respect to the classroom curriculum. This type of information helps identify what to teach and informs how to teach it. Once instruction begins, teachers use assessment data to monitor the effect their instruction has on student learning. Progress monitoring via repeated probes of student performance further informs decisions regarding when and how to make instructional adjustments.

### Table 3.1. Standardized early literacy instruments for preschoolers

|  | Purpose | Phonological awareness | Alphabet knowledge | Oral language | Early writing | Composite of early literacy |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Information instruction | Instructional planning | GGG PALS-PreK | PALS-PreK | GGG NLM:P | CELF-P2 supplemental subtest PALS-PreK | CELF-P2 PALS-PreK |
| Progress monitoring | GGG |  | GGG NLM:P |  |  |  |
| Identification | Screening | GGG GRTR-R PALS-PreK | GRTR-R PALS-PreK | DELV-Screening Test Fluharty-2 GGG LAP-D PLS-4 Screen SPELT-3 | PALS-PreK | GRTR-R PALS-PreK |
| Eligibility | CELF-P2 TOPEL | TERA-3 TOPEL | CELF-P2 DELV-Screening Test EVT LAP-D OWLS PLS-4 PPVT-4 TOLD-P:4 TOPEL |  | TERA-3 TOPEL |  |

## Conclusion

An effective system of assessment in early language and literacy includes instruments that provide coherent information. Educators should strive for consensus on goals for children’s learning and the purposes of assessment. The findings of the NELP help inform the selection of early language and literacy assessments that can guide decision making, but they also highlight gaps in the availability of suitable assessments. Further research and development are necessary to provide educators with reliable and valid measures for assessment in early childhood.