Classification of Risk Status in Kindergarten Screening: A Comparison of Alternative Measures

Abstract

This study examined the classification agreement associated with estimates of risk status across alternative measures for 92 kindergarten children and their caregivers. The study focused on the child variable of educational risk as measured by two instruments: Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning-Revised (DIAL-R) and Early Screening Profiles (ESP). Family risk was measured by the Parenting Stress Index (PSI). Overall, the classification agreement between the measures designed to assess educational risk was moderate, but higher than past similar studies with preschool children. In contrast, the classification agreement between the measures of educational and family risk was low. The practice of kindergarten screening may need to be expanded to allow for the assessment of other critical variables, such as family risk.