Examining Alphabet Writing Fluency in Kindergarten - Exploring the Issue of Time on Task

Oct 15, 2026

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Curriculum-based measures (CBMs) help educators quickly gauge student skill levels and track progress. This study evaluated an alphabet writing fluency task, a CBM for writing, as a measure of handwriting fluency in kindergarten children. The task was administered at both the start and end of the year, using two timed intervals (15 and 60 s) and an untimed condition. Timed scores showed limited usefulness, while untimed fluency correlated more strongly with criterion writing measures and demonstrated better concurrent and predictive validity. Limitations and future research directions were addressed.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

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Abstract

Components of Fluent Writing for Beginning Writers

Constraints on Writing

Examining Alphabet Writing Fluency in Kindergarten: Exploring the Issue of Time on Task Cynthia S. Puranik, PhD 1, Melissa M. Patchan, PhD 1, Mary M. Sears, MA2, and Kristen L. McMaster, PhD3 Assessment for Effective Intervention 2017, Vol. 42(2) 81–96 © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2016 Reprints and permissions: [sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav](sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav)[ ](sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav)[DOI: 10.1177/1534508416665324](DOI: 10.1177/1534508416665324)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/1534508416665324)[aei.sagepub.com](aei.sagepub.com) Abstract Curriculum-based measures (CBMs) are necessary for educators to quickly assess student skill levels and monitor progress. This study examined the use of the alphabet writing fluency task, a CBM of writing, to assess handwriting fluency—that is, how well children access, retrieve, and write letter forms automatically. In the current study, the alphabet writing fluency task was administered at both the beginning and end of the kindergarten school year. Scores were calculated for two time increments, 15 and 60 s, and compared with an alphabet writing, untimed task. All three scores were compared with criterion measures of writing, including both standardized writing assessments and compositional CBMs of writing. Results indicate that measuring alphabet writing fluency using either timed tasks (15-or 60-s) at the beginning or the end of kindergarten may not be a useful or valid endeavor. In contrast, the alphabet writing, untimed task measure showed stronger correlations to criterion writing measures in comparison with the 15-and 60-s alphabet writing fluency tasks and also showed greater concurrent and predictive validity. Limitations and further areas of study are discussed. Keywords alphabet writing fluency, curriculum-based measures, emergent literacy, handwriting fluency, transcription, writing Literacy, the ability to read, write, and speak English at adequate levels of proficiency, is necessary to successfully function in school, on the job, and in society (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). That is why it is alarming when data from the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012) indicate that only 30% of students in Grades 8 and 12 performed at or above the “proficient” level (defined as solid academic performance) in writing. Children with early learning difficulties in areas related to literacy continue to experience problems with reading and writing throughout school and into adulthood (e.g., Maughan et al., 2009; Protopapas, Sideridis, Mouzaki, & Simos, 2011). Therefore, it is imperative to assess and identify problems with writing beginning in very early grades before deficits become stable and are resistant to intervention efforts. The primary purpose of the present study is to examine the validity of a measure of handwriting fluency, a transcription skill that is considered important to the writing process, at the kindergarten level. Components of Fluent Writing for Beginning Writers Current theory on writing development draws from the seminal work of Hayes and Flower (1987) with adult writers, whose model of writing specified three key writing processes: planning, translating, and reviewing/revising. Since that time, researchers (e.g., Berninger, 1999, 2009; McCutchen, 2006) have further expanded on this model for beginning writers. Berninger (1999) examined the processes involved in the development of compositional skills and identified two crucial processes in elementary school children: text generation and transcription. Text generation is a higher-level process in which ideas are translated into language representations in memory (Berninger et al., 1992) . Children are able to generate ideas for writing by generalizing oral language; however, they must learn new processes to transcribe mental representations into written language. Furthermore, development of the tran

FAQs

What was the study’s main purpose in kindergarten?

To examine the validity of a handwriting fluency measure, using alphabet writing fluency, at the kindergarten level.

How were the alphabet writing fluency tasks administered?

They were administered at the beginning and end of the kindergarten school year, using timed intervals of 15 s and 60 s, and an alphabet writing untimed task.

Which measurement approach showed stronger validity evidence?

The untimed alphabet writing measure showed stronger correlations with criterion writing assessments and greater concurrent and predictive validity than the 15- and 60-s timed tasks.

Oct 15, 2026

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