Developing a teacher rating scale of preschool student behavior for use in an RTI decision-making framework

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate a newly-developed measure of preschool learning-related behaviors, designed for the purpose of enhancing identification of the most appropriate tier of intervention for early literacy instruction, in part as a function of behavior characteristics of the student. Reliability and validity evidence were collected and evaluated. This included examination of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and interrater reliability. Validity evaluation included the collection of criterion-related validity evidence, convergent and discriminant validity evidence, and an evaluation of the capacity of the measure to add value to a decision-making framework within a model of preschool Response to Intervention (RTI). The measure showed strong reliability and promising evidence regarding its capacity use teacher ratings of preschool learning-related behaviors to help identify the most appropriate tier of early literacy intervention. The limitations of the present study and implications for future research are discussed.