Aspects of Technical Adequacy of an Early-Writing Measure for English Language Learners in Grades 1 to 3 - Assessment for Effective Intervention 2021 - Vol 47(1) - 59–63

Oct 15, 2026

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The study examined the technical adequacy of Picture Word, a Writing Curriculum-Based Measurement, with 73 English learners (ELs) from Grades 1 to 3. Participants ranged from beginning to intermediate English proficiency and attended schools using an English-only instructional model while speaking multiple native languages. ELs completed two Picture Word forms in fall, winter, and spring, with a common English proficiency assessment administered in winter. Findings showed Picture Word was not appropriate for first-grade ELs, but it showed promise for second- and third-grade ELs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

Key Variables in Screening ELs

English language proficiency (ELP)

Language of instruction

Writing Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM)

Picture Word (CBM-PW)

Corresponding author information

Aspects of Technical Adequacy of an Early-Writing Measure for English Language Learners in Grades 1 to 3 R. Alex Smith, PhD 1, and Erica S. Lembke, PhD2 Assessment for Effective Intervention 2021, Vol. 47(1) 59–63 © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2020 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/1534508420947157](DOI: 10.1177/1534508420947157)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/1534508420947157)[aei.sagepub.com](aei.sagepub.com) Abstract This study examined the technical adequacy of Picture Word, a type of Writing Curriculum-Based Measurement, with 73 English learners (ELs) with beginning to intermediate English language proficiency in Grades 1, 2, and 3. The ELs in this study attended schools in one midwestern U.S. school district employing an English-only model of instruction and spoke a variety of native languages. ELs completed two forms of Picture Word in the fall, winter, and spring. The criterion measure, a common English language proficiency assessment, was administered in the winter. Results indicated that Picture Word was not appropriate for the first-grade EL participants but showed promise for second-and third-grade ELs. Keywords English learners, writing, assessment English learners (ELs) represent a significant (i.e., 10%) and diverse segment of the K–12 population (NationalAcademies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine [NASEM], 2017) that are significantly underperforming academically in comparison with their native English-speaking (NES) peers (NASEM, 2017). This achievement gap is more pronounced on tasks with higher levels of language demand, such as writing (Abedi & Gándara, 2006). Writing is a key variable in overall literacy development and academic success (Graham & Hebert, 2011) . Although early identification of risk and early intervention can promote long-term academic success in writing (Berninger & Amtmann, 2003; Graham & Hebert, 2011), young ELs are less likely to receive early intervention (NASEM, 2017) . Key Variables in Screening ELs Screening is essential for early identification of risk and access to early intervention (Salvia et al., 2017) . Two key variables to consider when screening ELs for early intervention include, but are not necessarily limited to, English language proficiency (ELP) and language of instruction (Abedi & Gándara, 2006; August & Shanahan, 2006) . ELPis generally reported according to a standardized assessment employing subtests in reading, writing, receptive oral language, and expressive oral language and is described as beginning, intermediate, advanced, and proficient (Fox & Fairbairn, 2011) . ELs with beginning ELP are building their receptive English language skills, may produce writing that is repetitive (e.g., employs the same sentence structure), and often benefit from vocabulary and/or sentence supports to produce written English (Roseberry-McKibbin & Brice, n.d.) . ELs with intermediate ELP engage in expressive communication more readily while their writing may contain errors that are directly influenced by their native language (Roseberry-McKibbin & Brice, n.d.) . ELs with advanced ELP are approaching mastery of basic oral English communication and are readily expanding their expressive English skills until they reach proficiency (generally described as being similar to a same-age NES peer) . ELs may present as being fluent in English because they are able to communicate effectively using basic interpersonal oral English, but they are still learning academic vocabulary and the grammar rules of written English (Roseberry-McKibbin & Brice, n.d.) . Therefore, practitioners should be careful to compare the progress of any EL with the performance of their EL peers with similar ELP (Abedi & Gándara, 2006) . Abedi and Gándara (2006) suggested establishing validity 1 The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, USA 2University of Missouri, Columbia, USA

FAQs

What instrument does the study evaluate for early writing measurement?

The study evaluates Picture Word, a type of Writing Curriculum-Based Measurement.

Who participated in the study and what proficiency levels were included?

Seventy-three English learners in Grades 1 to 3 participated, with beginning to intermediate English language proficiency.

What were the main findings about Picture Word across grade levels?

Picture Word was not appropriate for first-grade ELs, but it showed promise for second- and third-grade ELs.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aran