VALIDITY OF THE BRACKEN SCHOOL READINESS ASSESSMENT FOR PREDICTING FIRST GRADE READINESS

The Bracken School Readiness Assessment (BSRA) was administered to all kindergarten students enrolled in two rural elementary schools in the fall of 2004. Eight months later, the reading portion of the Metropolitan Readiness Tests, 6th Edition (MRT-6) was administered. Teachers were asked to indicate whether they had concerns about each student's readiness for first grade and whether students had been retained or referred for other assessment(s) or services. The BSRA was found to be a good predictor of children's readiness ratings, as well as their retention or referral for services. It also predicted performance on the MRT-6. This study partially validated the use of the BSRA as a screening measure to predict kindergarten performance and kindergarten teachers' ratings of first grade readiness. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.