Getting Them Ready for School
Head Start and Early Head Start are programs that promote school readiness of children ages birth to five from low-income families by supporting their early developmental and academic skills. With BRIGANCE Head Start, program specialists are equipped to meet federal mandates for developmental screening and to administer ongoing testing aligned to the program’s key learning domains, outcomes, and requirements.
BRIGANCE tools evaluate children’s early development and kindergarten readiness and assist educators with identifying potential delays or giftedness, supporting referrals for services, and planning individualized instruction.
Get to Know BRIGANCE Head Start
Developmental Screens
Developmental screening provides a useful snapshot of a child’s development at a particular point in time. Quick, accurate screens that measure mastery of early development and academic skills can serve as the first step in assessing a child’s school readiness. Educators also use screening to readily identify potential developmental delays and giftedness and to plan for interventions.
HEAD START SCREENS III AND DATA SHEETS
The Head Start Screens III, available in two age-specific volumes, evaluate the key predictors of school success and align to the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. Each screen takes approximately 10–15 minutes per child, assists with identifying potential developmental delays and giftedness, and allows for comparison of a child’s performance to an at-risk cutoff score to reduce the chance of over-referrals. BRIGANCE Head Start screening tools address the domains of Physical Development, Language Development, Academic Skills/Cognitive Development, and Self-help and Social-Emotional Skills.
- To screen infants, toddlers, or two-year-olds, select the Early Head Start Screen III.
- To screen three-, four-, and five-year-olds, select the Head Start Screen III.
Assessments in the Early Head Start Screen III as well as those in the Head Start Screen III have been correlated to the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five.
Criterion-Referenced Inventory
Whereas screens take a snapshot, criterion-referenced assessment measures a child’s performance on a specified set of skills over time. Educators use criterion-referenced assessment when progress is to be evaluated solely by comparing a child’s own present and past performance. It is commonly used when normative, or standardized, scores are not necessary.
IED III—HEAD START EDITION AND IED III RECORD BOOK
The Inventory of Early Development III—Head Start Edition consists of more than 100 assessments that cover a broad array of skills and behaviors aligned to the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. Assessments are commonly used following screening to get a more in-depth understanding of a child’s skill mastery in these domains:
- Physical Development
- Language Development
- Literacy
- Mathematics and Science
- Daily Living
- Social and Emotional Development
- Approaches to Learning
The IED III assists Head Start professionals with identifying strengths and needs, evaluating school readiness, planning for individualized instruction, and writing instructional objectives. Assessments in the Inventory of Early Development III have been correlated to the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five.
Norm-Referenced Inventory
Norm-referenced, or standardized, assessment measures a child’s performance on a specific set of skills relative to that of same-age children. Such assessments have been standardized and validated on a normative sample. Educators use standardized assessment when they need to derive normative scores, such as composite scores, percentile ranks, and age equivalents.
IED III STANDARDIZED AND IED III STANDARDIZED RECORD BOOK
The Inventory of Early Development III Standardized consists of 55 norm-referenced assessments that allow educators to compare a child’s performance to that of same-age children in a nationally representative sample. Assessments cover a broad array of skills and behaviors in these key early learning and development domains:
- Physical development (gross motor and fine motor)
- Language development (receptive and expressive)
- Academic skills/cognitive development (literacy and mathematics)
- Adaptive behavior (daily living)
- Social and emotional development (interpersonal and self-regulatory)
The IED III Standardized is intended for use with children ages 0–7 and provides normative scores such as standard scores, percentile ranks, and age equivalents for children of these ages. Educators commonly use these scores, when indicated, to endorse a child’s eligibility for services. Examiners use one IED III Standardized Record Book per child for recording assessment results.