School readiness and social determinants of health: A collaboration with community teachers and parents.

Purpose: To explore perceptions of community dwelling caregivers of preschool-aged children regarding the influence of social determinants of health (SDOH) on children's school readiness. Parents' perspectives regarding solutions to enhance school readiness in preschool-aged children are also explored.

Methods: This study employed a qualitative, descriptive design and a community based participatory research (CBPR) approach.

Longitudinal stability of IRT and equivalent-groups linear and equipercentile equating.

A multiscale criterion-referenced test that featured two presumably equivalent forms (A and B), was administered to 1,667 Head Start children at each of four points over an academic year. Using a randomly equivalent groups design, three equating methods were applied: common-item IRT equating using concurrent calibration, linear transformation, and equipercentile transformation. The methods were compared by examining mean score differences, weighted mean squared difference, and Kolmogorov's D statistics for each subscale.

Measuring preschool cognitive growth while it's still happening: the Learning Express.

Educators need accurate assessments of preschool cognitive growth to guide curriculum design, evaluation, and timely modification of their instructional programs. But available tests do not provide content breadth or growth sensitivity over brief intervals. This article details evidence for a multiform, multiscale test criterion-referenced to national standards for alphabet knowledge, vocabulary, listening comprehension and mathematics, developed in field trials with 3433 3-5(1/2)-year-old Head Start children.