Towards ecologically valid assessment in early literacy

Abstract

This article explores aspects of early language and literacy that may predict later literacy development. It explores a range of assessment procedures used for oral language, vocabulary, sentence structure and phonology and early reading and writing. The article then describes a small‐scale study which highlights the disconnections between the oral language and early literacy and suggests that learning to read and write is akin to learning a second language for all children. Finally, the article suggests that young children’s early language and literacy can best be assessed using ecologically valid procedures rather than the narrow high‐stakes testing of one or two literacy components.

Keywords:

• early literacy
• assessment
• ecological validity
• oral language
• phonological awareness
• vocabulary
• reading
• writing