An Empirically Derived Basis for Using Geometric-Form Copy Tasks to Identify Kindergarten Children at Risk for Early School Failure

Abstract

An item analysis was performed on the geometric-form copy tasks used to identify kindergarten children at risk for early school failure. The outcome of this analysis revealed that only eight of the 15 forms found on these tasks and only certain of the scoring criteria applied to these forms were effective in identifying children with potential learning problems. The findings further revealed an important limitation in the use of these eight forms. The implications of this limitation are discussed in terms of a possible unique role that these forms might play in the development of an effective early identification program.