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

Example Instruments

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Percentage of children meeting benchmarks on a teacher- or parent-observed developmental readiness assessment

CEDS Connections offer guidance, including data elements and step-by-step analysis
recommendations, for how to calculate select metrics.

Or, percentage of children meeting benchmarks on direct child assessments administered by trained assessors

Example Instruments

Not finding an instrument that suits your needs? Visit EdInstruments.org for more measurement tools.

View CEDS Connection

Percentage of children meeting benchmarks on direct child assessments administered by trained assessors

CEDS Connections offer guidance, including data elements and step-by-step analysis recommendations, for how to calculate select metrics.

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.1, 2, 3, 4 However, disparities in language and literacy skills and knowledge between White and Black children and White and Latino children appear as early as age 3.5, 6 Compared with their White peers, Black and Latino children enter kindergarten 7 to 12 months behind in literacy and language skills, on average.7 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.8 These measures are mostly used as formative, not summative, assessments, and are not designed for accountability or high-stakes testing.9 For example, the past use of these assessments for accountability in Florida faced pushback and eventually was discontinued.10 By using formative assessments, framework users can understand the extent to which children are demonstrating growth over time, not just meeting benchmarks at a single point in time.

Observational developmental assessments are generally more feasible to conduct at scale than standardized direct child assessments, which have greater reliability and validity11 and thus allow for comparison across children, classrooms, and pre-K programs.12 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.13 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.14 Some research indicates that the TS GOLD functions well with children whose home language is not English.15

In the System Transformation for Equitable Preschools Framework, Child Trends emphasizes the importance of using multiple forms of evidence to assess a child’s developmental progress. This could include observational or direct child assessments, as well as information from parents, pediatricians, counselors, therapists, or other organizations serving the child. Using multiple forms of evidence can help ensure that preschool systems do not over-rely on a single source that might not be culturally or developmentally appropriate for the child, as well as provide information that is meaningful for families.16 

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