1. Assessing Pre-Literacy Behaviors in Infants and Toddlers: Psychometric Evaluation of the Infant Toddler Literacy Assessment ('ITLA-3')
- Author
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Jackson, Barbara J., Marvin, Christine A., Encinger, Amy, Buchholz, Nicole, and Zessin, Becky
- Abstract
Assessment of emerging literacy in young children is generally limited to either skill development in children over 3 years of age or the quality and context of young children's early literacy experiences. Although there has been promotion of their early literacy experiences, assessment of emerging pre-literacy behaviors in children younger than 3 years has yet to be organized into a single tool. Preliminary work on the "Infant Toddler Literacy Assessment (ITLA)" has progressed through initial steps of scale development and shown promise as a criterion-based, standardized assessment for tracking children's pre-literacy behaviors and guiding practitioners in supporting development of those behaviors in populations that might otherwise show delays later-on. Previous analyses of data on 450+ children provided statistical support of a developmental sequence of "ITLA" exemplar behaviors, from easiest or earliest learned to later developed skills. Results of the present study showed the "ITLA-3" has moderate construct validity with the "PPVT™-IV" and demonstrates one overall construct of pre-literacy across its 15 exemplars and 105 behaviors. Evidence now exists to support use of "ITLA-3" by early childhood teachers to assess and guide the advancement of pre-literacy behaviors in infants and toddlers. Ongoing development of the "ITLA-3" is recommended for further standardization.
- Published
- 2022