| Head Start programs have the mission of teaching preschool-aged children skills to increase chances for school success. However, preschool curricula and instructional approaches vary by state, and from classroom to classroom. To help address variation in Head Start Centers, the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework legislation identified performance standards that encompass typical aspects of child development and learning. Head Start teachers are faced with the challenge of determining if preschool students are meeting these legislatively mandated outcomes. A major question is how to collect this information in an efficient and instructionally relevant manner so that data can be used formatively. The purpose of this study was to evaluate preliminary technical adequacy characteristics of five Head Start outcomes-referenced measures in the general areas of book knowledge, letter identification, phonological awareness, early writing, and mathematics. Sixteen classrooms within four local Head Start agencies were randomly selected to participate. Psychometric properties of reliability (i.e., internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and interscorer reliability) and validity (i.e., content-related evidence and criterion evidence) were analyzed. Results provided varying levels of support across the five measures, and further research and development are needed to validate their uses with the Head Start population. |
