Concurrent Validity and Diagnostic Accuracy of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills and the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to (a) examine the concurrent validity of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) with the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP), and (b) explore the diagnostic accuracy of the DIBELS in predicting CTOPP performance using suggested and alternative cut-scores. Eighty-six students were administered the DIBELS and the CTOPP in the winter of their kindergarten year. Patterns of correlations between the two sets of measures were examined and decision accuracy studies conducted based on suggested cut-scores and cut-scores determined as a result of Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results showed moderate to strong correlations between the DIBELS and the CTOPP suggesting that both measure a similar construct. Analysis of decision accuracy indicated that using the author suggested cut-scores resulted in extremely high sensitivity; however, this was at the expense of an inordinate number of false positives. Follow-up analyses using adjusted cut-scores improved specificity and positive predictive power, reduced false positives, and increased the number of correct classifications sizably.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

John M. Hintze

John M. Hintze, PhD, is an Associate Professor of School Psychology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His professional work has focused on academic and behavioral assessment, research design, and data analysis.

Amanda L. Ryan

Amanda L. Ryan is a doctoral candidate in the School Psychology Program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Her primary research interests are in the areas of early literacy skill assessment and intervention.

Gary Stoner

Gary Stoner, PhD, is a Professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he is the Director of the School Psychology Program. His professional work has focused on research, service, and teaching related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, interventions for achievement and behavior problems, and scientist-practitioner approaches to professional school psychology. Currently, he is focused on the study and promotion of early school success with children at-risk for learning and behavior problems.