Linking Developmental Profiles across Age Groups

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Linking Developmental Profiles across Age Groups

• Tzur M. Karelitz
• University of California, Berkeley
• Deborah (Montgomery) Parrish
• American Institute for Research
• Hiro Yamada
• University of California, Berkeley

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What is linking?

• Assessment instruments that measure similar
  constructs can be linked to one another.
• A link means that developmental levels in one
  instrument are conceptually and empirically
  similar to levels in the other instrument.

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Example of developmental assessment scales
SA
School Age
Early Bloomers
PS
I/T
Preschool
Late Bloomers
Infant/Toddler

Birth to youth instrument
3 physical age-specific Instruments
3 overlapping age-specific Instruments
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Why is linking important for the DRDP?

• Linking of temporally ordered instruments
  increases their validity as a set.
• It is especially important in two settings
• Assessment of children at about the intersection
  points between instruments
• Adapting an assessment system to special education

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Theoretical linking of Empathy (SOC1)
PS Level 3 ? SA Level 1 PS Level 4 ? SA Level 2
I/T Level 4 ? PS Level 1 I/T Level 5 ? PS Level 2
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Theoretical linking structure for the DRDP
Calibration Study 2005
Based on 88 measures (83 of the DRDP)
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DRDP Calibration Study 2006 Double Instrument
condition

• One rater assesses several children using two
  instruments for each child.
• Target population- on the intersections between
  age groups.
• N 3 years old 144 rated with I/T and PS
• N 5 years old 119 rated with PS and SA
• Analysis was augmented by data from 416 I/T, 488
  PS and 423 SA children (N 0-131590).

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Teachers ratings

• Recognition of Ability (SELF2)

Theoretical Link I/T Level 4 ? PS Level 1 I/T
Level 5 ? PS Level 2
PS DRDP
I/T DRDP
Age3
NTotal 144
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Indicator Level Psychometric Analysis

• Find the co-ordering of childrens abilities and
  difficulty of developmental levels on a 1-D
  scale.
• If level 5 in I/T is approximately as difficult
  as level 1 in PS, the instruments are aligned on
  levels 5?1.

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Level Threshold
Child Ability
Probability of being rated at level k or higher
Above threshold
Pgt0.5
P0.5
Equal to threshold
Below threshold
Plt0.5
Threshold of level k
Difficulty can be represented by level
threshold The threshold for level 1 is the point
on the ability scale where the probability for
achieving level 1 or more on the measure is
exactly 0.5. (Wu, Adams, Wilson, 1998)
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Level Difficulty in DRDP Measures

• Thresholds for Expression of Oral Language (LANG
  3)

Theoretical Link I/T Level 5 6 ? PS Level 1
Logits
Building Integrating
Empirical Link supported
Developing
Developing Ideas Connecting Ideas
Exploring
Discovering Ideas
Not Yet
Acting with Purpose
Expanding Responses
Responding with Reflexes
I/T level bandwidths
PS level bandwidths
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Learning indicator measures (I/T PS)
I/T3?PS1 I/T4?PS2
I/T3?PS1 I/T4?PS2
Empirical link aligned with theory
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Learning indicator measures (PS SA)
Empirical link partially aligned with theory
PS3?SA1
PS23?SA12
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Comparison of theoretical and empirical linking
? Aligned
Partially Aligned
? More overlap
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Summary of Results

• Teachers tend to rate children according to the
  hypothetical links.
• Overall, indicators show links between the last
  and first 2-3 levels of adjacent instruments.
• The theoretical linking is supported by the data
  mostly for the I/T-PS linking in DR1 and DR2.
• Most indicator have one level more overlap than
  expected.

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Conclusions

• The three parts of the DRDP are linked
  theoretically and empirically.
• Each age-specific instrument is designed to
  assess the typical population, as well late or
  early bloomers.
• Increased overlap may be due to study or
  instrument design. Future development of the DRDP
  will address both.