Development of the Prekindergarten Learning Receptiveness Assessment (LRA) Greenhouse - Process and Preliminary Findings

Oct 15, 2026

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Technical report detailing the development and piloting of the Learning Receptiveness Assessment (LRA) Greenhouse for Prekindergarten. The tablet-based formative assessment and app-enabled intentional teaching plans support assessment-guided decisions for Preschool teachers, with monitoring checklists and reporting. The system measures emergent prereading skills, classroom behavior regulation, and working memory processing across fall, winter, and spring. Pilot studies across 12 classrooms examine wrap-around supports and early evidence toward bridging reading-disability prevention from early childhood to K-12 schools.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages114

Reading Time4 h 47 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Learning Across the Kindergarten Transition

Technical Report \# 2001 Development of the Prekindergarten Learning Receptiveness Assessment (LRA) Greenhouse: Process and Preliminary Findings Leilani Sáez P. Shawn Irvin University of Oregon Published by Behavioral Research and Teaching University of Oregon • 175 Education 5262 University of Oregon • Eugene, OR 97403-5262 Phone: 541-346-3535 • Fax: 541-346-5689 [http://brt.uoregon.edu](http://brt.uoregon.edu) Note: Project ICEBERG (Intensifying Cognition, Early literacy and Behavior for Exceptional Reading Growth) to Improve Preschool and Kindergarten Data-Based Decision Making and Prevent Reading Disabilities U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, H327S150007. Copyright © 2020. Behavioral Research and Teaching. All rights reserved. This publication, or parts thereof, may not be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission . The University of Oregon is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its program s, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex , age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation . This document is available in alternative formats upon request. Abstract In this technical report we document the development and piloting of the Learning Receptiveness Assessment (LRA) Greenhouse for Prekindergarten. This technological tool was designed to prevent reading disabilities by supporting effective assessment-guided instructional decisionmaking by Preschool teachers. The LRA Greenhouse comprises a tablet-based formative assessment and app-enabled research-based intentional teaching activity plans, monitoring checklist, and reports; it also includes a support website containing printable curriculum materials, online training modules, and teacher resources. The LRA measures emergent prereading skill levels, classroom behavior regulation, and working memory processing capacity in the fall, winter, and spring to provide teachers with multi-dimensional information for addressing children’s “high priority needs” in time for Kindergarten. Activity plans focus on building children’s literacy and behavior regulation for managing social-emotional and task engagement experiences, which are crucial to adequately develop during the Prekindergarten-Kindergarten transition as children adjust to classroom-based learning. We share our development process, descriptions and screenshots of wrap-around supports and features, as well as findings from two pilot studies conducted across 12 classrooms. Our goal is to present lessons learned from developing a technological tool intended to feasibly and sustainably “bridge a gap” in reading disabilities prevention between early childhood and K-12 schools, and preliminary evidence of positive impact for both Prekindergarten children and their teachers. Introduction The LRA Greenhouse grew from work developing the Learning Receptiveness Assessment (LRA), a tablet-based assessment designed to quickly, reliably, and easily identify Prekindergarten children at risk for experiencing persistent reading disabilities (RD) . We aimed to extend prior school-based research that has shown how reading difficulties can be appropriately identified and intervened with before they become disabling (e.g., Chard, et al., 2008; Compton, et al., 2012) . However, similar approaches with younger children have yielded mixed results (e.g., Bailet, et al., 2009; Greenwood et al., 2013; Hindson, et al., 2005; VanDerHeyden, et al., 2007), suggesting there are unaddressed underlying issues. Through our LRA Greenhouse development work, we indeed discovered more deeply nuanced obstacles, which we discuss (along with the solutions we tried) in this technical report. Our hope to is to help advance the development of effective evidence-informed RD prevention tools for use in Prekindergarten by sharing our lessons learned and

FAQs

What is the LRA Greenhouse designed to do for Prekindergarten children?

It is a tablet-based formative assessment and app-enabled teaching-plans tool that supports assessment-guided decisions to help prevent reading disabilities.

What does the LRA Greenhouse measure and when?

It measures emergent prereading skill levels, classroom behavior regulation, and working memory processing capacity across fall, winter, and spring.

How was the LRA Greenhouse piloted and what evidence is discussed?

The report shares development and wrap-around supports and presents findings from two pilot studies conducted across 12 classrooms, offering preliminary evidence of positive impact.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mia