Open AccessInvestigating the incremental validity of cognitive variables in early mathematics screening.
Author(s) -
Ben Clarke,
Lina Shanley,
Derek Kosty,
Scott K. Baker,
Mari Strand Cary,
Hank Fien,
Keith Smolkowski
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
school psychology quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1939-1560
pISSN - 1045-3830
DOI - 10.1037/spq0000214
Subject(s) - psychology , numeracy , cognition , memory span , incremental validity , psycinfo , wechsler adult intelligence scale , test (biology) , sample (material) , developmental psychology , test validity , psychometrics , mathematics education , working memory , literacy , medline , paleontology , pedagogy , neuroscience , biology , political science , law , chemistry , chromatography
The purpose of this study was to investigate the incremental validity of a set of domain general cognitive measures added to a traditional screening battery of early numeracy measures. The sample consisted of 458 kindergarten students of whom 285 were designated as severely at-risk for mathematics difficulty. Hierarchical multiple regression results indicated that Wechsler Abbreviated Scales of Intelligence (WASI) Matrix Reasoning and Vocabulary subtests, and Digit Span Forward and Backward measures explained a small, but unique portion of the variance in kindergarten students' mathematics performance on the Test of Early Mathematics Ability-Third Edition (TEMA-3) when controlling for Early Numeracy Curriculum Based Measurement (EN-CBM) screening measures (R² change = .01). Furthermore, the incremental validity of the domain general cognitive measures was relatively stronger for the severely at-risk sample. We discuss results from the study in light of instructional decision-making and note the findings do not justify adding domain general cognitive assessments to mathematics screening batteries. (PsycINFO Database Record