Identifying At-Risk Students for Early Reading Intervention: Challenges and Possible Solutions

Accurate identification of at-risk kindergarten and 1st-grade students through early reading screening is an essential element of responsiveness to intervention models of reading instruction. The authors consider predictive validity and classification accuracy of early reading screening assessments with attention to sensitivity and specificity. They review screening strategies of previous kindergarten and 1st-grade intervention studies. They present practical, intervention-based solutions to low classification accuracy, including strategies that may reduce false-positive risk classifications.