Decision-Making Utility of the Bracken Basic Concept Scale in Identifying At-Risk Preschoolers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of the Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS) to differentiate between atrisk and normal preschoolers. The sample consisted of 79 children (45 males, 34 females) ranging in age from 3 years, 6 months to 5 years, 11 months. The results supported the use of the BBCS when attempting to discriminate between at-risk and normal preschoolers. More specifically, the BBCS School Readiness Composite (SRC) was a better predictor of at-risk children than the BBCS Total Test score supporting the administration of the briefer SRC. The SRC, alone, was approximately 84 percent accurate in correctly classifying at-risk from normal preschoolers compared to the BBCS Total Test score that was approximately 75 percent accurate. A SRC scaled score of seven or below was established for recommending that preschoolers be further evaluated for possible developmental delays.