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Head Start

Getting Them Ready for School

Head Start and Early Head Start are federally funded programs that promote school readiness of children ages birth to five from low-income families by supporting their early developmental and academic skills.

With BRIGANCE Head Start, program specialists are equipped to meet federal mandates for developmental screening and to administer ongoing testing aligned to the program’s key learning domains, outcomes, and requirements.

Our tools evaluate children’s early development and kindergarten readiness and assist educators with identifying potential delays or giftedness, supporting referrals for services, and planning individualized instruction.

 

Get to Know BRIGANCE Head Start Program

Developmental Screens

Developmental screening provides a useful snapshot of a child’s development at a particular point in time. Quick, accurate screens that measure mastery of early development and academic skills can serve as the first step in assessing a child’s school readiness. Educators also use screening to readily identify potential developmental delays and giftedness and to plan for interventions.

Head Start Screens III and data sheets.

Head Start Screens III and Data Sheets

The Head Start Screens III, available in two age-specific volumes, evaluate the key predictors of school success and align to the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. These screening tools equip program professionals to meet the federal Head Start screening requirements; namely, children be screened within 45 days of entering the program. Each screen takes approximately 10–15 minutes per child, assists with identifying potential developmental delays and giftedness, and allows for comparison of a child’s performance to an at-risk cutoff score to reduce the chance of over-referrals. Examiners use one Data Sheet per child per screening. Our Head Start screening tools address the domains of Physical Development, Language Development, Academic Skills/Cognitive Development, and Self-help and Social-Emotional Skills.

  • To screen infants, toddlers, or two-year-olds, select the Early Head Start Screen III.
  • To screen three-, four-, and five-year-olds, select the Head Start Screen III.

Assessments in the Early Head Start Screen III as well as those in the Head Start Screen III have been correlated to the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five.

Screens III Spanish Directions

Screens III Spanish Directions

Intended for examiners evaluating Spanish-speaking children, these resources provide a Spanish translation of the directions for administering the screens. Select the version that corresponds to the age of children being screened. Included with the directions are Data Sheets, parent feedback forms, and parent reports in Spanish.

Hand on keyboard accessing the BRIGANCE OMS.

Screens III Online Management System (OMS)

The Screens III OMS is an online system for managing children’s screening data. An easy-to-use graphical interface allows educators to access and review reports for individuals, classes, schools, and districts. The OMS generates a Screening Summary Report for each child that compares his or her raw score to the cutoff scores for delays and giftedness and provides normative scores for each domain assessed. The Group Screening Summary Report aggregates this information for analyzing data across groups.

Screen III Technical Manual.

Screens III Technical Manual

The Screens III Technical Manual provides technical documentation for the Screens III. It includes information about administration procedures, interpretation of results, screening children at risk, monitoring progress and informing instruction, standardization methodology, the reliability and validity, and the sensitivity and specificity of the measure. Scoring tables are found in the Appendices.

Readiness Activities.

Readiness Activities

The Readiness Activities instructional resource consists of more than 300 fun lesson ideas tied to skills assessed within the Head Start Screens III and the Inventory of Early Development III. Lessons target essential kindergarten readiness skills, use multiple modalities and manipulatives, and often include modifications or extensions. Educators use this resource to link screening and ongoing assessment to developmentally appropriate instruction for each child.

BRIGANCE take-home activities.

Take-home Activities Book Collection

Educators send these 10 short booklets home to give families a chance to partner in their child’s learning. Each booklet explains what the child is currently learning and includes ideas for at-home practice of early mathematics and literacy skills. Read-aloud book suggestions are also listed.

 

Backed by Timely Research

The BRIGANCE Head Start family consists of up-to-date tools based on the most current research.

Research

Screens III: A Summary of Technical Information

This booklet outlines the three most common uses of the Screens III and illustrates its research base with clear infographics.

Research

Head Start Screens III Research Infographic

This infographic illustrates the impressive research behind these up-to-date developmental screening tools.

Research

IED III Standardized

This infographic illustrates the impressive research behind this new norm-referenced assessment.