Articulating assessments across childhood: The cross-age validity of the desired results developmental profile-revised

Abstract

Assessment systems that track children's progress across time need to be sensitive to the variegated nature of development. Although instruments are commonly designed to assess behaviors within a specific age range, some children advance slower or faster than others and, as a result, often show behaviors from a younger or older age group. This situation is particularly common when the assessment is carried out close to the intersection of two age groups (e.g., just before preschoolers enter elementary school). Assessments that measure development across multiple age groups need to be able to capture behaviors across these cross-age transitions to make valid inferences about children. In othe..