iSTEEP
Advanced Literacy

Descriptive Information

Please provide a description of your tool:

Advanced Literacy is an advanced comprehension assessment that consists of two passages (an information and literature passage) and multiple-choice questions for the student to select from based on the text they have read.  Reading includes Shakespeare, Tolstoy, and other masters.  Informational text covers a variety of areas such as biography, history, science, and American Government.

The tool is intended for use with the following grade(s).

Preschool / Pre - kindergarten
Kindergarten
First grade
Second grade
Third grade
Fourth grade
Fifth grade
Sixth grade
Seventh grade
Eighth grade
Ninth grade
Tenth grade
Eleventh grade
Twelfth grade

The tool is intended for use with the following age(s).

0-4 years old
5 years old
6 years old
7 years old
8 years old
9 years old
10 years old
11 years old
12 years old
13 years old
14 years old
15 years old
16 years old
17 years old
18 years old

The tool is intended for use with the following student populations.

Students in general education
Students with disabilities
English language learners

ACADEMIC ONLY: What skills does the tool screen?

Reading

Phonological processing:

RAN
Memory
Awareness
Letter sound correspondence
Phonics
Structural analysis

Word ID

Accuracy
Speed

Nonword

Accuracy
Speed

Spelling

Accuracy
Speed

Passage

Accuracy
Speed

Reading comprehension:

Multiple choice questions
Cloze
Constructed Response
Retell
Maze
Sentence verification
Other (please describe):

Listening comprehension:

Multiple choice questions
Cloze
Constructed Response
Retell
Maze
Sentence verification
Vocabulary
Expressive
Receptive

Mathematics

Global Indicator of Math Competence

Accuracy
Speed
Multiple Choice
Constructed Response

Early Numeracy

Accuracy
Speed
Multiple Choice
Constructed Response

Mathematics Concepts

Accuracy
Speed
Multiple Choice
Constructed Response

Mathematics Computation

Accuracy
Speed
Multiple Choice
Constructed Response

Mathematic Application

Accuracy
Speed
Multiple Choice
Constructed Response

Fractions/Decimals

Accuracy
Speed
Multiple Choice
Constructed Response

Algebra

Accuracy
Speed
Multiple Choice
Constructed Response

Geometry

Accuracy
Speed
Multiple Choice
Constructed Response

Other (please describe):

Please describe specific domain, skills or subtests:

BEHAVIOR ONLY: Which category of behaviors does your tool target?

Internalizing
Externalizing
Internalizing and Externalizing

BEHAVIOR ONLY: Please identify which broad domain(s)/construct(s) are measured by your tool and define each sub-domain or sub-construct.

Acquisition and Cost Information

Administration

BEHAVIOR ONLY: What type of administrator is your tool designed for?

General education teacher
Special education teacher
Parent
Child
External observer
Other

If other, please specify:

What is the administration setting?

Direct observation
Rating scale
Checklist
Performance measure
Questionnaire
Direct: Computerized
One-to-one
Other

If other, please specify:

Does the tool require technology?

Yes

If yes, what technology is required to implement your tool? (Select all that apply)

Computer or tablet
Internet connection
Other technology (please specify)

If your program requires additional technology not listed above, please describe the required technology and the extent to which it is combined with teacher small-group instruction/intervention:

What is the administration context?

Individual
Small group   If small group, n=10
Large group   If large group, n=30
Computer-administered
Other

If other, please specify:

ACADEMIC ONLY: What are the discontinue rules?

No discontinue rules provided
Basals
Ceilings
Other

If other, please specify:

Are norms available?

Yes

Are benchmarks available?

Yes

If yes, how many benchmarks per year?

3

If yes, for which months are benchmarks available?

Fall, Winter, Spring

BEHAVIOR ONLY: Can students be rated concurrently by one administrator?

If yes, how many students can be rated concurrently?

Training & Scoring

Training

Is training for the administrator required?

No

Describe the time required for administrator training, if applicable:

Minimal time is required. There are quick demo videos and coach cards available to help walk users through the process.

Please describe the minimum qualifications an administrator must possess.

No minimum qualifications

Are training manuals and materials available?

Yes

Are training manuals/materials field-tested?

Yes

Are training manuals/materials included in cost of tools?

Yes

If No, please describe training costs:

Can users obtain ongoing professional and technical support?

Yes

If Yes, please describe how users can obtain support:

Implementation Packages are available for 24/7 online access to professional development training and resources. Complimentary training sessions are also released throughout the year.

Scoring

How are scores calculated?

Manually (by hand)
Automatically (computer-scored)
Other

If other, please specify:

Do you provide basis for calculating performance level scores?

Yes

What is the basis for calculating performance level and percentile scores?

Age norms
Grade norms
Classwide norms
Schoolwide norms
Stanines
Normal curve equivalents

What types of performance level scores are available?

Raw score
Standard score
Percentile score
Grade equivalents
IRT-based score
Age equivalents
Stanines
Normal curve equivalents
Developmental benchmarks
Developmental cut points
Equated
Probability
Lexile score
Error analysis
Composite scores
Subscale/subtest scores
Other

If other, please specify:

Does your tool include decision rules?

Yes

If yes, please describe.

Decision rules are available for screening with the iSTEEP assessments and determining the need for Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 intervention. Beyond that, an optional protocol is offered for deeper data analysis and decision making. With the optional process, screening is the first step in a multiple gating process. After screening students receive a second assessment to determine if the student’s deficit is due to skill or performance problems (can’t do or wont’ do). This assessment provides an additional check on the student’s initial screening score. Conceptually, this assessment could be construed as a type of test retest reliability for students with skill deficits. The goal is identifying students with skill deficits and then those students with skill deficits move on to the next step which is a survey level assessment to determine grade and skill level in reading (this latter step is not considered screening but is part of intervention planning). Further, the STEEP process recommends that initial selection of students in the screening process be based upon a dual standard. In addition to being “low” with respect to benchmarks, we recommend that students also be in the lowest X% of the class. We typically recommend that X=16%. This helps districts to begin with students most in need and it helps to ensure only true positives become the target of intervention. Districts, depending on their intervention resources and goals, can set their own percentage of students for initial intervention. This percentage can be changed as a school is able to accommodate less or more students for intervention. Over identifying students for intervention can be a very significant problem for districts that lack the resources to deliver interventions for high numbers of students who may not truly need intervention. The STEEP data management system will automatically list students who meet the dual criteria of bottom X% (user specifies X) and below benchmark to facilitate decision making.

Can you provide evidence in support of multiple decision rules?

Yes

If yes, please describe.

The STEEP protocol was evaluated in the following article: VanDerHeyden AM, Witt JC, Gilbertson DA. Multi-year evaluation of the effects of a response to intervention (RTI) model on identification of children for special education. Journal of School Psychology. 2007;45:225–256. This article provides a comprehensive evaluation of the various decision rules. Other research has been conducted on separate decision rules such as the process for determining if low scores are the result of skill deficits or lack of motivation.

Please describe the scoring structure. Provide relevant details such as the scoring format, the number of items overall, the number of items per subscale, what the cluster/composite score comprises, and how raw scores are calculated.

This assessment yields a score representing the number correct within 18 minutes. The score is calculated automatically by the system.

Describe the tool’s approach to screening, samples (if applicable), and/or test format, including steps taken to ensure that it is appropriate for use with culturally and linguistically diverse populations and students with disabilities.

The assessment requires the student to read informational and literary passages and answer multiple choice questions. Text complexity of the passages is rigorously evaluated to ensure they coincide with the grade level. The assessment incorporates advanced reading comprehension, language and vocabulary.

Classification Accuracy & Cross-Validation Summary

Grade	Grade 3
Classification Accuracy Fall
Classification Accuracy Winter
Classification Accuracy Spring

Legend

Convincing evidence

Partially convincing evidence

Unconvincing evidence

Data unavailable

^dDisaggregated data available

GRADE

Classification Accuracy

Describe the criterion (outcome) measure(s) including the degree to which it/they is/are independent from the screening measure.

The GRADE is a group administered test of reading . It is completely independent of the iSTEEP measure.

Describe when screening and criterion measures were administered and provide a justification for why the method(s) you chose (concurrent and/or predictive) is/are appropriate for your tool.

Both measures were administered in the fall. The GRADE is an appropriate measure of Advanced Literacy because it is a broad measure of reading.

Describe how the classification analyses were performed and cut-points determined. Describe how the cut points align with students at-risk. Please indicate which groups were contrasted in your analyses (e.g., low risk students versus high risk students, low risk students versus moderate risk students).

We used the 20th percentile on the criterion and on the predictor measure as the cut points. This cut-point was chosen because there is wide agreement that students below the 20th percentile need intensive intervention because, without such intervention, the students are unlikely to accomplish subsequent literacy goals. This cut-point also appears to align with the goals of NCII. We contrasted only two groups: students at high risk vs low risk. The analyses were performed using ROC analysis. Crosstabs were used to generate a 2 X 2 table (confusion matrix) to yield the classification data. The analyses were performed on a sample of students that was representative of students across all performance levels. The performance level descriptors for the iSTEEP assessments, were as follows: (a) Below 20th Percentile: Needs Intervention (b) Between 20th and 40th Percentile: Below Benchmark, May need individual intervention (c) Above 40th Percentile: Above Benchmark, Unlikely to Need Individual Intervention Across all validity analyses the median Percentage of Students at Each Performance Level was follows: Needs Intervention: 22% of students Below Benchmark: 25% of students Above Benchmark: 53% of students

Were the children in the study/studies involved in an intervention in addition to typical classroom instruction between the screening measure and outcome assessment?

If yes, please describe the intervention, what children received the intervention, and how they were chosen.

Cross-Validation

Has a cross-validation study been conducted?

No

If yes,

Describe the criterion (outcome) measure(s) including the degree to which it/they is/are independent from the screening measure.

Describe when screening and criterion measures were administered and provide a justification for why the method(s) you chose (concurrent and/or predictive) is/are appropriate for your tool.

Describe how the cross-validation analyses were performed and cut-points determined. Describe how the cut points align with students at-risk. Please indicate which groups were contrasted in your analyses (e.g., low risk students versus high risk students, low risk students versus moderate risk students).

Were the children in the study/studies involved in an intervention in addition to typical classroom instruction between the screening measure and outcome assessment?

If yes, please describe the intervention, what children received the intervention, and how they were chosen.

Classification Accuracy - Fall

Reliability

Grade	Grade 3
Rating

Legend

Convincing evidence

Partially convincing evidence

Unconvincing evidence

Data unavailable

^dDisaggregated data available

*Offer a justification for each type of reliability reported, given the type and purpose of the tool.

Justification: Alternate form reliability provides an indication of the consistency of a student’s score at two different points in time. It also provides an indicator of the consistency of response to different items which is partially dependent of the equivalence of the forms. Coefficient Alpha was used to obtain a second estimate of reliability. For this assessment test-retest did not seem appropriate.

*Describe the sample(s), including size and characteristics, for each reliability analysis conducted.

Alternate Form: The students in this study included a diverse group of 106 students from an urban school in Louisiana. The sample was representative of students across all performance levels. Alpha Sample Characteristics : The sample of 122 students was obtained from schools in six states. The sample was representative of students across all performance levels. The performance level descriptors for the iSTEEP assessments, were as follows: (a) Below 20th Percentile: Needs Intervention (b) Between 20th and 40th Percentile: Below Benchmark, May need individual intervention (c) Above 40th Percentile: Above Benchmark, Unlikely to Need Individual Intervention Across all reliability analyses the median Percentage of Students at Each Performance Level for the various Samples ranged as follows: Needs Intervention: 23% of students Below Benchmark: 26% of students Above Benchmark: 51% of students

*Describe the analysis procedures for each reported type of reliability.

Alternate Form: Two alternate forms were administered in a single setting. The scores were used within a correlational analysis. Alpha: Data were collected, and item level data were analyzed with Coefficient Alpha.

*In the table(s) below, report the results of the reliability analyses described above (e.g., internal consistency or inter-rater reliability coefficients).

Results from other forms of reliability analysis not compatible with above table format:

Manual cites other published reliability studies:

No

Provide citations for additional published studies.

Do you have reliability data that are disaggregated by gender, race/ethnicity, or other subgroups (e.g., English language learners, students with disabilities)?

No

If yes, fill in data for each subgroup with disaggregated reliability data.

Results from other forms of reliability analysis not compatible with above table format:

Manual cites other published reliability studies:

No

Provide citations for additional published studies.

Validity

Grade	Grade 3
Rating

Legend

Convincing evidence

Partially convincing evidence

Unconvincing evidence

Data unavailable

^dDisaggregated data available

*Describe each criterion measure used and explain why each measure is appropriate, given the type and purpose of the tool.

Concurrent Validity The iSTEEP Maze Assessment was used as the criterion in the concurrent validity study. Given that Maze is a measure of basic reading comprehension and the iSTEEP Advanced Literacy assessment is a measure of more advanced reading comprehension, it was hypothesized that a moderate correlation between these two assessments would support the validity of the Advanced Literacy assessment. Maze is a multiple-choice cloze assessment where words are replaced with three words inside parentheses. One of these words is correct. The student is asked to select the correct word. We acknowledge the use of a criterion that is not external to the iSTEEP system may cause concern. However, maze and Advanced Literacy are different ways of assessing reading comprehension and this may help to assuage concerns about method variance. Both assessments were administered within the first two weeks of May. A second criterion used for the concurrent validity study was the Benchmark Assessment System (BAS, Fountas and Pinnell, 2016) The BAS is designed to evaluate student reading and comprehension ability and determine each student’s instructional level. Studies on the reliability of this measure indicate median reliability of .94. The authors report concurrent validity coefficients using external measures ranging from the mid .60’s to the mid .90’s. Compton, Fuchs, Fuchs, Fuchs, Bouton, Gilbert, Barquero, Cho, E., & Crouch, (2010) reported concurrent validity coefficients with WIF and ORF measures in .70’s and .80’s. References Fountas IC, Pinnell GS. (2016) Field Study of Reliability and Validity of the Benchmark Assessment Systems I and 2. Portsmouth: Heinemann Compton, D. L., Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L. S., Bouton, B., Gilbert, J. K., Barquero, L. A., Cho, E., & Crouch, R. C. (2010). Selecting At-Risk First-Grade Readers for Early Intervention: Eliminating False Positives and Exploring the Promise of a Two-Stage Gated Screening Process. Journal of educational psychology, 102(2), 327–340. Predictive Validity The Star Assessment was used as the criterion in this study. This computer adaptive assessment purports to be a broad measure of reading that incorporates multiple skills, including comprehension. The Advanced Literacy assessment was administered in February and the Star was administered in May.

*Describe the sample(s), including size and characteristics, for each validity analysis conducted.

Concurrent Validity Sample The sample included a diverse group of 1210 students from four states. The sample was representative of students across all performance levels. Predicative Validity Sample For the predictive validity study, the sample included a diverse group of 320 students from urban and suburban schools in one Southern state. The sample was representative of students across all performance levels.

*Describe the analysis procedures for each reported type of validity.

Description of Analysis Procedures for the concurrent validity study: Bivariate correlation between the two measures was used to derive the validity coefficients. Description of Analysis Procedures for the predictive validity study: Bivariate correlation between the two measures was used to derive the validity coefficients.

*In the table below, report the results of the validity analyses described above (e.g., concurrent or predictive validity, evidence based on response processes, evidence based on internal structure, evidence based on relations to other variables, and/or evidence based on consequences of testing), and the criterion measures.

Results from other forms of validity analysis not compatible with above table format:

Manual cites other published reliability studies:

No

Provide citations for additional published studies.

Describe the degree to which the provided data support the validity of the tool.

Validity coefficients are within an acceptable range given the expected relationship with the criterion measures.

Do you have validity data that are disaggregated by gender, race/ethnicity, or other subgroups (e.g., English language learners, students with disabilities)?

No

If yes, fill in data for each subgroup with disaggregated validity data.

Results from other forms of validity analysis not compatible with above table format:

Manual cites other published reliability studies:

No

Provide citations for additional published studies.

Bias Analysis

Have you conducted additional analyses related to the extent to which your tool is or is not biased against subgroups (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, students with disabilities, English language learners)? Examples might include Differential Item Functioning (DIF) or invariance testing in multiple-group confirmatory factor models.

No

If yes,

a. Describe the method used to determine the presence or absence of bias:

b. Describe the subgroups for which bias analyses were conducted:

c. Describe the results of the bias analyses conducted, including data and interpretative statements. Include magnitude of effect (if available) if bias has been identified.