Indicator: Developmental progress: language and literacy

Definition

Children develop and demonstrate progress toward foundational language and literacy skills.

RECOMMENDED METRIC(S)

  • Percentage of children meeting benchmarks on a teacher- or parent-observed developmental assessment, such as:
    • Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) Language and Literacy
      Development domain
    • Ready 4 Kindergarten Early Learning Assessment (R4K ELA) Language and Literacy domain
    • Teaching Strategies GOLD (TS GOLD) Language and Literacy subscales
  • Or, percentage of children meeting benchmarks on direct child assessments administered by trained assessors, such as:
    • Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Early Cognition and Academic Development (ECAD) Letter-Word and Writing subtests
    • Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDIs) Early Literacy assessment

Type(s) of Data Needed

Assessments

Why it matters

Children’s early language and literacy skills are key areas of development underlying their later academic success. However, disparities in language and literacy skills and knowledge between White and Black children and White and Latino children appear as early as age 3. Compared with their White peers, Black and Latino children enter kindergarten 7 to 12 months behind in literacy and language skills, on average. As noted in the E-W system conditions section of this report, there is inequitable access to quality pre-K education that promotes positive outcomes for all children.

Note: This indicator has been updated from ‘kindergarten readiness’ to ‘developmental progress’ to reflect a child’s growth across developmental milestones rather than being ready at a single point in time. This term also aligns with the System Transformation for Equitable Preschools (STEP Forward with Data) Framework (Child Trends, November 2023). Alternate terms for developmental progress may include kindergarten readiness, school readiness, and/or early child development and progress.  

What to know about measurement

Observational and direct child assessments are an increasingly popular option for assessing a broad range of early learning skills, including language and literacy. An estimated 43 states have or are developing kindergarten readiness or developmental assessments. These measures are mostly used as formative, not summative, assessments, and are not designed for accountability or high-stakes testing. For example, the past use of these assessments for accountability in Florida faced pushback and eventually was discontinued.

Observational developmental assessments are generally more feasible to conduct at scale than standardized direct child assessments, which have greater reliability and validity and thus allow for comparison across children, classrooms, and pre-K programs. However, direct child assessments may be burdensome to administer or may not be completed for every child. Direct child assessments such as the ECAD or IGDIs must be administered by trained assessors.

Current research is limited on the extent to which developmental assessments are reliable and valid for children who speak a language other than English at home. However, the DRDP has specific items for teachers to report on English language development for children who speak a non-English language at home and is a promising measure. Some research indicates that the TS GOLD functions well with children whose home language is not English.

Source frameworks

Developmental progress or a related term, such as kindergarten readiness, appeared in 10 source frameworks reviewed for this report. Our proposed definition and measures align with the five domains of school readiness summarized in the Getting Ready framework, prepared by Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, which are also included in the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework.

References

The framework's recommendations are based on syntheses of existing research. Please see the framework report for a list of works cited.