Convergent and concurrent validity of two measures of phonological processing

Predictive validity of the get ready to read! Screener: concurrent and long-term relations with reading-related skills

This study examined concurrent and longitudinal relations for the Get Ready to Read! (GRTR) emergent literacy screener. This measure, within a battery of oral language, letter knowledge, decoding, and phonological awareness tests, was administered to 204 preschool children (mean age = 53.6, SD = 5.78; 55% male) from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Subgroups were reassessed at 6 months and 16 and 37 months later. Results indicate strong relations between the GRTR and the literacy and language assessments. Long-term follow-up indicated that the screener was significantly related to some reading-related measures, including decoding skills. These results support the utility of the GRTR as a brief, valid measure of children's emergent literacy skills. The GRTR holds promise as a tool useful for educators, parents, and others in regular contact with preschool children to help determine those who may be at risk for later reading difficulties and could benefit from intervention and focused instruction in emergent literacy.

Assessing preschoolers' emergent literacy skills in English and Spanish with the Get Ready to Read! screening tool

This study investigated the ability of the English and Spanish versions of the Get Ready to Read! Screener (E-GRTR and S-GRTR) administered at the beginning of the preschool year to predict the oral language and phonological and print processing skills of Spanish-speaking English-language learners (ELLs) and English-only speaking children (EO) at the end of the year. The results revealed that the E-GRTR predicted the EO and ELL children's English emergent literacy skills and the ELL children's Spanish emergent literacy skills, and the S-GRTR predicted the ELL children's English and Spanish emergent literacy skills. For both groups, the E-GRTR and the S-GRTR were better at predicting children's print knowledge in English and Spanish compared to the other emergent literacy measures. The findings suggest that both screeners can be used effectively to assess preschool children's emergent literacy skills.