The Early Learning Quick Assessment (ELQA): A Journey of Persistence 

During its May meeting, the Oklahoma State Board of Education approved CECPD’s Early Learning Quick Assessment (ELQA) for statewide use as a kindergarten literacy readiness screening instrument.  School districts may now use Reading Sufficiency Act (RSA) funds to purchase the ELQA.  Meeting the rigorous criteria for inclusion on the RSA list was a collaborative endeavor with our colleagues at the Early Childhood Education Institute (ECEI) (OU Tulsa Campus).  We contracted with ECEI to help complete the final data analyses to support the efficacy of ELQA as they built on our previous research and data collection efforts. ECEI was the appropriate partner to help us complete the last leg of our data analytic journey because of their extensive work and experience in early childhood research.

Simply stated, Early Learning Quick Assessments (ELQA) are a series of quick assessments that monitor progress in early literacy and numeracy skills during pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. Students’ skills are assessed at intervals throughout the school year, so teachers can: 

• Identify students at risk for not meeting early targets. 
• Differentiate instruction to prepare children for kindergarten and beyond. 

 

Outreach-CECPD ELQA Team Pictured in Photo: From left to right: Jen Quillian, Lucy Trautman, Dr. Belinda Biscoe, Dr. Susan Kimmel, Dr. Jennifer Watson