Comparison of Swedish Wordchain Test scores to Dakota STEP (State Test of Educational Progress) reading scores

Classroom teachers need a way to identify and monitor children at-risk for reading disabilities quickly and early on. The Swedish Wordchain is a new assessment tool that might provide this but it needed to be evaluated to determine if it is a valid predictor of children's reading success in order for the tool to meet the scientifically-based standards put forth by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This study began to evaluate the United States' version of the Swedish Wordchain Test by determining if it correlates with the Dakota STEP standardized reading scores. The initial findings show significant, moderately strong, positive correlations between the Wordchain test scores and the Dakota STEP reading scores. Simple linear regression was also conducted to get least squares prediction equations in order to be able to better predict possible future reading test scores on the Dakota STEP.