Scott McConnell, PhD

Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota

Dr. Scott McConnell is professor of educational psychology and Fesler-Lampert Chair in Urban and Regional Affairs at the University of Minnesota. He was the 2008 recipient of the Mary A. McEvoy Service to the Field Award from the Division for Early Childhood. Over the past 15 years, McConnell and his research colleagues have developed and investigated the use of Individual Growth and Development Indicators, which are general outcome measures of language, literacy and other developmental domains for preschool children. This work has been licensed to Early Learning Labs, Inc., a Minnesota start-up company. Other recent projects include leading the Minnesota site for the Center for Response to Intervention in Early Childhood; helping design and conduct internal evaluation for the Northside Achievement Zone, a place-based comprehensive intervention to promote college readiness; and exploring home- and community-based interventions to promote language, literacy and social-emotional development. He is particularly interested in the design, evaluation and implementation of general outcome measures of young children’s development for use in Response to Intervention (RTI) and other intervention models in school and community.

See full bio>

Alisha Wackerle-Hollman, PhD

Research Associate at the University of Minnesota

Dr. Alisha Wackerle-Hollman is a research associate with CEED at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Wackerle-Hollman coordinated the Center for Response to Intervention in Early Childhood and is principal investigator for the Spanish Individual Growth and Development Indicators (S‑IGDIs). Dr. Wackerle-Hollman has contributed to IGDI development since 2005, and currently works on the research and development of screening measures for Spanish-speaking children progress monitoring measure development for English- and Spanish-speaking children, and technology-based assessment and planning resources.

See full bio>

Tracy Bradfield, PhD

Former Research Associate at the University of Minnesota

Dr. Tracy Bradfield Roloff is currently the results strategist for the Northside Achievement Zone and a former research associate with the Center for Early Education and Development at the University of Minnesota. While at the university, she held responsibility for project coordination and management of activities of the Center for Response to Intervention in Early Childhood, including research activities to support ongoing development of Individual Growth and Development Indicator (IGDI) measures and development of a decision-making framework to support score interpretation.

Michael Rodriguez, PhD

Professor of Edicational Psychology at the University of Minnesota

Dr. Michael Rodriguez is a professor of educational psychology at the University of Minnesota and holds the Campbell Leadership Chair in Education and Human Development with a focus on understanding and reducing the achievement gap. Dr. Rodriguez’s research focuses on understanding the psychometric properties of tests. This work has included research on the effects of item formats and the use of constructed-response versus multiple-choice items.  Rodriguez serves on the Assessment Certification Advisory Panel for the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and is a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at the University of Minnesota.

See full bio>

• myIGDIs Brochure (pdf)
• Professional Development Brochure (pdf)
• Pricing Guide (pdf)

Version: 2nd Edition
Year Published: 2013
Research & Development: University of Memphis
Intended for children, ages: 4-5 years old (attending preschool in the year before kindergarten)
Primary uses: Universal Screening
Language(s): English
Norms/Benchmarks: Yes
Forms: Three seasonal sets, corresponding to typical screening periods (fall, winter, and spring). Scoring is developed separately for each set for each subtest.

Download Technical Information Summary (pdf)

.

Title I

Title I is the largest source of federal education funding, providing over $14 billion to schools with high numbers or percentages of children living in poverty.

How can the funds be used?
The Title I grant is for additional learning opportunities to help low-achieving children meet benchmarks in core subjects. This includes reading & math instruction, school improvement programs, targeted assistance, and preschool.

Title III

Title III provides over $700 million in funds intended to help schools supplement their language instruction programs so students can gain proficiency in speaking, listening to, reading, and writing English.

How can the funds be used?
Used for high-quality instructional resources (professional development & curriculum and supplemental programs) to increase the academic achievement and English-language proficiency.

IDEA

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides funding for specially designed instruction for students with disabilities and the monitoring of their progress.

How can the funds be used?
Resources that will help provide free appropriate public education (FAPE) to children with disabilities. IDEA funds are used to provide early intervention, special education, and related services, including assistive technology. 15% of the funds can be used to implement a response to intervention (RTI) program, which provides supplemental instruction to assist students before they are given an individualized education plan (IEP).

Head Start

The Head Start program provides high-quality, comprehensive early education programming to low-income children and families so that children start school ready to succeed.

How can the funds be used?
Head Start provides prekindergarten programs for children living in poverty. Administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, Head Start has a special focus on helping preschoolers develop early reading and math skills.

Download

• Administration Manual (pdf)
• Norms & Benchmarks (pdf)
• Technical Information Summary Sheet (pdf)