The Developmental Rating Scale: A Teacher-Friendly Alternative to Commercial Assessment Devices.
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| Title: | The Developmental Rating Scale: A Teacher-Friendly Alternative to Commercial Assessment Devices. |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Quay, Lorene C. |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 24 |
| Publication Date: | 1996 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research Speeches/Meeting Papers |
| Descriptors: | Child Development, Concurrent Validity, Educational Assessment, Factor Analysis, Grade 1, Predictive Validity, Primary Education, Rating Scales, Regression (Statistics), Student Evaluation, Test Construction, Test Use, Young Children |
| Abstract: | Both concurrent and predictive validity of two developmental instruments, each purporting to measure the same five developmental dimensions, were compared. The Developmental Profile II (DPII), a commercial test, was administered to the same children when they were in prekindergarten and first grade. The initial samples were 91 and 267 prekindergarten students. The Developmental Rating Scale (DRS), a simple teacher rating scale constructed for this research, was administered to these children when they were in kindergarten. Data on promotion and referral for special services were collected at the end of kindergarten and first grade. Regression analyses using subscale scores as the independent variables and promotion and referral as the dependent variables indicated that some DRS subscales are better predictors of promotion and referral than DPII subscales. This finding suggests that the use of a simple device instead of a time-consuming and expensive commercial test may enhance teachers' ability to describe and predict children's success and problems. Underlying dimensionality was studied using a factor analysis on the subscale scores obtained on all administrations of the two instruments. The factor analysis yielded one factor for all the subscales to each instrument and a different factor for each instrument. This indicated that each test measures a global dimension, not five separate dimensions or skills. (Contains 8 tables and 14 references.) (Author/SLD) |
| Entry Date: | 1996 |
| Accession Number: | ED397114 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Both concurrent and predictive validity of two developmental instruments, each purporting to measure the same five developmental dimensions, were compared. The Developmental Profile II (DPII), a commercial test, was administered to the same children when they were in prekindergarten and first grade. The initial samples were 91 and 267 prekindergarten students. The Developmental Rating Scale (DRS), a simple teacher rating scale constructed for this research, was administered to these children when they were in kindergarten. Data on promotion and referral for special services were collected at the end of kindergarten and first grade. Regression analyses using subscale scores as the independent variables and promotion and referral as the dependent variables indicated that some DRS subscales are better predictors of promotion and referral than DPII subscales. This finding suggests that the use of a simple device instead of a time-consuming and expensive commercial test may enhance teachers' ability to describe and predict children's success and problems. Underlying dimensionality was studied using a factor analysis on the subscale scores obtained on all administrations of the two instruments. The factor analysis yielded one factor for all the subscales to each instrument and a different factor for each instrument. This indicated that each test measures a global dimension, not five separate dimensions or skills. (Contains 8 tables and 14 references.) (Author/SLD) |
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