![[PDF]](/pb-assets/Icons/adobe-pdf-icon-1498649896243.png){kind=icon}
Abstract
Curriculum-based measures (CBMs) are necessary for educators to quickly assess student skill levels and monitor progress. This study examined the use of the alphabet writing fluency task, a CBM of writing, to assess handwriting fluency—that is, how well children access, retrieve, and write letter forms automatically. In the current study, the alphabet writing fluency task was administered at both the beginning and end of the kindergarten school year. Scores were calculated for two time increments, 15 and 60 s, and compared with an alphabet writing, untimed task. All three scores were compared with criterion measures of writing, including both standardized writing assessments and compositional CBMs of writing. Results indicate that measuring alphabet writing fluency using either timed tasks (15- or 60-s) at the beginning or the end of kindergarten may not be a useful or valid endeavor. In contrast, the alphabet writing, untimed task measure showed stronger correlations to criterion writing measures in comparison with the 15- and 60-s alphabet writing fluency tasks and also showed greater concurrent and predictive validity. Limitations and further areas of study are discussed.
References
Section:
|
Abbott, R. D., Berninger, V. W. (1993). Structural equation modeling of relationships among developmental skills and writing skills in primary- and intermediate-grade writers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85, 478–508. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.85.3.478 Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Berninger, V. (2002). Best practices in reading, writing, and math assessment–intervention links: A systems approach for schools, classrooms, and individuals. In Thomas, A., Grimes, J. (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology IV (Vol. 1, pp. 851–865). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists. Google Scholar | |
|
Berninger, V. W. (1999). Coordinating transcription and text generation in working memory during composing: Automatic and constructive processes. Learning Disability Quarterly, 22, 99–112. doi:10.2307/1511269 Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Berninger, V. W. (2009). Highlights of programmatic, interdisciplinary research on writing. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 24, 69–80. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5826.2009.00281.x Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Berninger, V. W., Fuller, F. (1992). Gender differences in orthographic, verbal, and compositional fluency: Implications for assessing writing disabilities in primary grade children. Journal of School Psychology, 30, 363–382. doi:10.1012/0022-4405(92)90004 Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Berninger, V. W., Nielsen, K. H., Abbott, R. D., Wijsman, E., Raskind, W. (2008). Gender differences in severity of writing and reading disabilities. Journal of School Psychology, 46, 151–172. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2007.02.007 Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Berninger, V. W., Rutberg, J. (1992). Relationship of finger function to beginning writing: Application to diagnosis of writing disabilities. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 34, 198–215. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Berninger, V. W., Vaughan, K. B., Abbott, R. D., Abbott, S. P., Rogan, L. W., Brooks, A., Graham, S. (1997). Treatment of handwriting problems in beginning writers: Transfer from handwriting to composition. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 652–666. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.89.4.652 Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Berninger, V. W., Vaughan, K. B., Abbott, R. D., Brooks, A., Begayis, K., Curtin, G., . . . Graham, S. (2000). Language-based spelling instruction: Teaching children to make multiple connections between spoken and written words. Learning Disability Quarterly, 23, 117–135. doi:10.2307/1511141 Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Berninger, V. W., Yates, C., Cartwright, A., Rutberg, J., Remy, E., Abbott, R. (1992). Lower-level developmental skills in beginning writing. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 4, 257–280. doi:10.1007/BF01027151 Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Coker, D. L., Ritchey, K. D. (2010). Curriculum-based measurement of writing in kindergarten and first grade: An investigation of production and qualitative scores. Exceptional Children, 76, 175–193. doi:10.1177/001440291007600203 Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Coker, D. L., Ritchey, K. D. (2013). Universal screening for writing risk in kindergarten. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 39, 245–256. doi:10.1177/1534508413502389 Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Ehri, L. C. (1986). Sources of difficulty in learning to spell and read. Advances in Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 7, 121–195. Google Scholar | |
|
Elliott, J., Lee, S. W., Tollefson, N. (2001). A reliability and validity study of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills-Modified. School Psychology Review, 30, 33–49. Google Scholar | ISI | |
|
Good, R. H., Kaminski, R. A. (Eds.). (2002). Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (6th ed.). Eugene, OR: Institute for Development of Educational Achievement. Google Scholar | |
|
Graham, S., Berninger, V. W., Abbott, R. D., Abbott, S. P., Whitaker, D. (1997). Role of mechanics in composing of elementary school students: A new methodological approach. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 170–182. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.89.1.170 Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Graham, S., Berninger, V. W., Weintraub, N., Schafer, W. (1998). Development of handwriting speed and legibility in grades 1–9. The Journal of Educational Research, 92, 42–52. doi:10.1080/00220679809597574 Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Graham, S., Harris, K. R., Fink, B. (2000). Is handwriting causally related to learning to write? Treatment of handwriting problems in beginning writers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 92, 620–633. doi:10.1037//0022-0663.92.4.620 Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Hayes, J. R., Berninger, V. W. (2009). Relationships between idea generation and transcription. In Bazerman, C., Lunsford, K., McLeod, S., Pull, S., Rogers, P., Stansell, A. (Eds.), Traditions of writing research (pp. 166–180). Madison, NY: Taylor & Francis. Google Scholar | |
|
Hayes, J. R., Flower, L. (1987). On the structure of the writing process. Topics in Language Disorders, 7(4), 19–30. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Howe, K. B., Shinn, M. M. (2002). Standard Reading Assessment Passages (RAPs) for use in general outcome measurement: A manual describing development and technical features. Eden Prairie, MN: Edformation. Google Scholar | |
|
Hresko, W. P., Herron, S. R., Peak, P. R., Hicks, D. L. (2012). Test of Early Written Language, Third Edition (TEWL-3). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed. Google Scholar | |
|
Juel, C. (1988). Learning to read and write: A longitudinal study of 54 children from first through fourth grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80, 437–447. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.80.4.437 Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Kim, Y.-S., Al Otaiba, S., Puranik, C., Folsom, J. S., Greulich, L. (2014). The contributions of vocabulary and letter writing automaticity to word reading and spelling for kindergartners. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 27, 237–253. doi:10.1007/s11145-013-9440-9 Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Kim, Y.-S., Al Otaiba, S., Puranik, C., Folsom, J. S., Greulich, L., Wagner, R. K. (2011). Componential skills of beginning writing: An exploratory study. Learning and Individual Differences, 21, 517–525. doi:10.1016/j.lindif.2011.06.004 Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Maughan, B., Messer, J., Collishaw, S., Pickles, A., Snowling, M., Yule, W., Rutter, M. (2009). Persistence of literacy problems: Spelling in adolescence and at mid-life. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50, 893–901. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2009.02079.x Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
McCutchen, D. (2000). Knowledge, processing, and working memory: Implications for a theory of writing. Educational Psychologist, 35, 13–23. doi:10.1207/S15326985EP3501_3 Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
McCutchen, D. (2006). Cognitive factors in the development of children’s writing. In MacArthur, C., Graham, S., Fitzgerald, J. (Eds.), Handbook of writing research (pp. 115–130). New York, NY: Guilford. Google Scholar | |
|
National Center for Education Statistics . (2012). The nation’s report card: Writing 2011. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/main2011/2012470.pdf Google Scholar | |
|
Parker, D. C., McMaster, K. L., Medhanie, A., Silberglitt, B. (2011). Modeling early writing growth with curriculum-based measures. School Psychology Quarterly, 26, 290–304. doi:10.1037/a0026833 Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Protopapas, A., Sideridis, G. D., Mouzaki, A., Simos, P. (2011). Matthew effects in reading comprehension: Myth or reality? Journal of Learning Disabilities, 44, 402–420. doi:10.1177/0022219411417568 Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Puranik, C. S., Al Otaiba, S. (2012). Examining the contribution of handwriting and spelling to written expression in kindergarten children. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 25, 1523–1546. doi:10.1007/s11145-011-9331-x Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Puranik, C. S., Lonigan, C. (2011). From scribbles to scrabble: Preschool children’s developing knowledge of written language. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 24, 567–589. doi:10.1007/s11145-009-9220-8 Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Ritchey, D. K., McMaster, L. K., Al Otaiba, S., Puranik, S. C., Grace Kim, Y.-S., Parker, C. D., Ortiz, M. (2016). Indicators of fluent writing in beginning writers. In Cummings, D. K., Petscher, Y. (Eds.), The fluency construct: Curriculum-based measurement concepts and applications (pp. 21–66). New York, NY: Springer. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Snow, C. E., Burns, M. S., Griffin, P. (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Tolchinsky, L. (2006). Writing and written numbers as source of knowledge. In Teubal, E., Dockrell, J. E., Tolchinsky, L. (Eds.), Notational knowledge: Historical and developmental perspectives (pp. 135–158). Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers. Google Scholar | |
|
Wagner, R. K., Puranik, C. S., Foorman, B., Foster, E., Wilson, L. G., Tschinkel, E., Kantor, P. T. (2011). Modeling the development of written language. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 24, 203–330. doi:10.1007/s11145-010-9266-7 Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Whitaker, D., Berninger, V., Johnston, J., Swanson, H. L. (1994). Intraindividual differences in levels of language in intermediate grade writers: Implications for the translating process. Learning and Individual Differences, 6, 107–130. doi:10.1016/1041-6080(94)90016-7 Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Woodcock, R. W., McGrew, K. S., Mather, N. (2007). Woodcock–Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities. Itasca, IL: Riverside Publishing. Google Scholar |
