Exploring an Early Numeracy Screening Measure for English Learners in Primary Grades

We investigated the technical characteristics of a brief early numeracy screening battery for both English learners (ELs) and English proficient students (EPs). Results indicated there were differences in performance of ELs and EPs. Further, we found reasonable overall accuracy of the screener predicting student outcomes. Similar overall accuracy results were found for ELs and EPs, as well as for predicting academic performance. We discuss study results related to sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive power as they relate to implications for practice, including screening for risk for ELs and the challenge of false positives in screening systems. We conclude by proposing future avenues of research.