The utility of early vocabulary screening for at-risk readers

Abstract

Early literacy instruction provided in kindergarten through third grade plays an important role in the development of literacy skills (Adams, 1990; National Reading Panel, 2000). Children who do not develop early literacy skills within this time frame do not have a high likelihood of catching up to their normally achieving peers (Good, Simmons, & Smith, 1998). Schoolwide early literacy assessment data helps to inform this instruction, which is most effective when it is driven by the five core components of reading. These core components include phonemic awareness, phonics, accuracy and fluency with connected text, vocabulary, and comprehension (National Reading Panel, 2000). Current schoolwide literacy screening systems have been effective in identifying those students who may struggle in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, and accuracy and fluency with connected text. However, despite evidence that early vocabulary skills are predictive of later reading comprehension outcomes in grades three and above, early vocabulary assessments are not widely utilized in schools (Scarborough, 1998).

The present study examined the utility of adding a brief measure of vocabulary, the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Word Use Fluency (WUF) measure, to the other commonly used DIBELS screening measures of phonics, phonemic awareness, and oral reading fluency. Using a longitudinal sample of 29 current third grade students, data analysis examined the predictive utility of kindergarten and first grade WUF scores with third grade reading comprehension and vocabulary outcomes. The relation between WUF scores and the DIBELS comprehension measure, the Retell Fluency (RTF), was also explored to help examine the relation between reading comprehension and vocabulary over time.

Results indicated that kindergarten WUF scores were predictive of third grade reading comprehension and vocabulary. First grade WUF scores were not predictive of third grade reading comprehension and vocabulary. These results are discussed with the limited sample size and specific data collection procedures in mind. An examination of the relation between vocabulary (WUF) and comprehension (RTF) revealed an increasingly stronger relation over time. Limitations of the study, in addition to implications for practice and future research are discussed.