Exploring the Use of a Multiple-Gating Screening Process to Identify Preschool-Age Children for Multitiered Instructional Support

Many recent studies about preschool early language and literacy skills utilize multiple assessments to identify young children who require additional multitiered instructional support. Although the use of a single screening instrument may be efficient but overidentify children in need of intervention, the universal administration of multiple diagnostic assessments can allow for greater precision but strain available local resources. This study explored the use of a multiple-gating screening procedure to identify preschool-age children from low-income backgrounds who exhibit early literacy and language weaknesses and may be in need of additional instructional support. A brief early language and literacy screening measure was administered to all children followed by an oral language diagnostic measure administered to a subset of children based on predetermined criteria. Findings suggest that the multiple-gating procedure decreased the rate of false positives and may be an effective screening approach for early childhood settings. Implications for future research are discussed.