Dynamic assessment as a screening tool for early identification of reading disabilities: a latent change score approach

Abstract

We examined whether dynamic decoding assessment (DDA) predicts growth in word reading skill during first grade using latent change score models. In addition, we compared classification accuracy of the DDA to static measures for identifying students at risk for reading disabilities (RD) designated using the dual discrepancy criteria. At the beginning of first grade, students (N = 104) were assessed on the DDA and static measures of word reading, arithmetic, and domain-general and domain-specific skills. They were assessed again at the end of first grade on static measures of word reading and arithmetic. In DDA, students were taught six novel symbols associated with English sounds and how to read words in this new orthography. Instructional prompts were provided incrementally, from least to most explicit. The amount of instructional prompts required for a student to decode words in this new orthography was indexed as students’ learning potential for decoding. Results from a series of latent change score models indicate the DDA is positively associated with growth in word reading but not with arithmetic skill growth. The DDA made significant, positive contributions to word reading growth beyond domain-specific (phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming) and domain-general (behavioral attention, intelligence) predictors. Furthermore, the DDA improved classification accuracy by improving sensitivity when added to the static measures of word reading predictors, supporting the use of DDA as a supplementary screener for early prediction of RD.