Preschool screening: Using the DIAL as a predictor of first-grade performance

Abstract

The Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning (DIAL), administered to 245 subjects 4 months before the beginning of kindergarten, was examined with regard to its effectiveness in predicting school success as determined by the subjects' first-grade performance on the California Achievement Test (CAT). Significant predictors of performance on all the CAT subtests were the DIAL Fine-Motor subtest and the Concepts subtest, the latter being the most valid single predictor. Effects due to age, race, gender, number of parents in the home, and social-economic status were also evaluated.