Kindergarten Reading Engagement: An Investigation of Teacher Ratings

This study examined psychometric properties of the Kindergarten Reading Engagement Scale (KRES), a brief teacher-report measure of classroom reading engagement. Participants were 27 students with identified reading deficits from a predominantly low-income, African-American community. Data were collected in kindergarten (Time 1) and first grade (Time 2). The KRES demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .96) and modest test-retest reliability (r = .66). KRES ratings were significantly correlated with scores from the Word Reading subtest of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Second Edition and the Sound Matching subtest of the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing, measured at Time 1 and Time 2. Strategies for refining the scale and implications for applying the KRES in school-based program evaluations are discussed.