Evaluation of a Science Language Assessment for Preschool Students

Currently, there are very few assessments used to measure, aggregate, and compare young children’s science learning. The Preschool Science Assessment Protocol (PSAP) is an assessment instrument designed to fulfill this need. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the PSAP. Specific foci included (a) investigating alternate form reliability between two matched versions of the assessment protocol, (b) investigating inter-rater reliability, and (c) investigating the validity of the PSAP by comparing children’s language performance on the PSAP and the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF-P2). Children participated in two expository adult-child book reading sessions; questions posed during the book reading documented children’s ability to respond to “science language” consisting of (a) prediction, (b) WH-questions, (c) causal relationships, (d) argumentation, and (e) vocabulary.