A Psychometric Review of Universal Reading Screeners Approved by the State Board of Education

Authors

  • Dr. Lindee Morgan Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy
  • Joseph Wenke The Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy
  • Dr. Kristina Dandy Georgia College & State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56887/galiteracy.133

Keywords:

psychometric review, universal reading screeners

Abstract

In 2023, the Georgia Legislature passed the Georgia Early Literacy Act (HB 538), representing a sweeping reform effort to improve the quality of early reading instruction in the state. HB 538 requires schools to screen children in kindergarten through third grade three times yearly. Related to this requirement, HB 538 requires that the State Board of Education approve a list of 16 universal reading screeners that can: 1) provide relevant information to target instruction, 2) measure foundational literacy skills, 3) identify students who are struggling to acquire reading skills, and 4) be used to monitor progress. The purpose of this review is to provide a supplement to the SBOE’s approved list so that Local Education Agencies (LEAs) can assess the relative psychometric strength of each screener as they select the most appropriate screener for the students they serve. We compiled information regarding each screener's reliability, validity, sensitivity, and specificity to create an exposition of their strengths and weaknesses. We found that GaDOE's approved list contains numerous tools with acceptable psychometric properties; however, large variability in the amount of psychometric data available for each screener is problematic. LEAs are recommended to consider psychometric strength as a critical factor when selecting an early literacy screener.

Author Biographies

  • Dr. Lindee Morgan, Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy

    Dr. Lindee Morgan, Executive Director, Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy, Professor of Education, Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, GA; email [email protected]. Dr. Morgan is a licensed speech-language pathologist with 25+ years of experience in communication sciences and disorders, autism, and language and literacy development. Previously she was Associate Professor in Pediatrics at Emory University and Co-Director of the Education Sciences Research Core at Marcus Autism Center as well as the Co-Director of the Louise and Brett Samsky Preschool at Marcus Autism Center. Dr. Morgan is a licensed speech-language pathologist. Prior to joining the faculty at Emory, Dr. Morgan served as the Director of the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities and the Associate Director of Implementation in the Autism Institute at the Florida State University College of Medicine. Her work was selected by Autism Speaks as one of the Top Ten Autism Studies of 2018. Dr. Morgan’s articles have been published in a number of leading journals, including Pediatrics, the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, and Educational Research.

  • Joseph Wenke, The Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy

    Joseph Wenke, Data Analyst I, Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy, Milledgeville, GA; email [email protected].

  • Dr. Kristina Dandy, Georgia College & State University

    Dr. Kristina Dandy, Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychological Science, Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, GA; email [email protected].

Psychometric Review of Universal Reading Screeners (Morgan et al., 2024)

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Published

05/15/2024

Issue

Section

Research and Practitioner Articles

How to Cite

Morgan, L., Wenke, J., & Dandy, K. (2024). A Psychometric Review of Universal Reading Screeners Approved by the State Board of Education. Georgia Journal of Literacy, 46(1), 4–19. https://doi.org/10.56887/galiteracy.133

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