New Evidence for the effectiveness of the early screening inventory

This article presents data concerning the psychometric properties of the Early Screening Inventory (ESI; Meisels & Wiske, 1983), a developmental screening instrument designed to identify 4- to 6-year-old children at high risk for school failure. Presented in this article are normative data based on a national sample of 2,746 children, item analyses, interrater and test-retest reliability data, predictive validity data based on a subsample of 179 children, and preliminary data concerning an innovative method for enhancing ESI predictions by combining the ESI with its accompanying Parent Questionnaire. Results indicate that the ESI is a developmental screening instrument that distinguishes clearly between children who are referred and not referred. It is highly reliable and valid, and it may be possible to increase its accuracy by combining it with the Parent Questionnaire. The article concludes with a discussion of the importance of incorporating multiple sources of information into the screening process.