Identification and validation of school readiness profiles among high-risk kindergartners

• Published in: Early childhood research quarterly Vol. 38; pp. 33 - 43
• Main Authors: Abenavoli, Rachel M., Greenberg, Mark T., Bierman, Karen L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.01.2017
• Subjects: Academic skills; Person-oriented; Profiles; School readiness; Social-emotional skills; Social-emotional skills; Person-oriented; School readiness; Profiles; Academic skills
• ISSN: 0885-2006; 1873-7706
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2016.09.001

•This study examined school readiness profiles in a high-risk, low-income sample.•Teachers rated a range of academic and behavioral readiness skills in kindergarten.•Latent profile analysis revealed four profiles with different patterns of skills.•Profiles differed on concurrent measures of language, EF, and peer-rated behavior. Person-oriented methods recently have been used to examine school readiness patterns of strengths and weaknesses across multiple domains, but more research in high-risk samples is needed. The current study used latent profile analysis to examine whether teacher ratings could be used to identify distinct and valid readiness profiles among 301 high-risk, low-income kindergartners. Four profiles were identified: (1) Well-Adjusted, with strengths in every domain (42%), (2) Competent-Aggressive, with above-average academic abilities and elevated disruptive behavior (19%), (3) Academically Disengaged, with weaknesses in most domains but no disruptive behavior (22%), and (4) Multi-Risk, with severe weaknesses in every domain (17%). These four profiles differed on concurrent direct assessments of language and executive functioning, as well as on peer ratings of behavior. Results highlight heterogeneity among children at risk for poor school adjustment and indicate that valid profiles of school readiness can be derived from teacher ratings. Further, this study suggests that a person-oriented approach can provide a useful framework for researchers, interventionists, and teachers as they consider which different classroom practices or programs may be required to best meet the unique learning and developmental needs of different subgroups of children as they transition to school.