Teacher Judgment of Early Reading Difficulty

Accurate teacher judgment of students' reading ability is critical for identification of students in need of intervention. Little research is available that examines the accuracy of teachers' judgments in identifying students at risk for early reading difficulty as students begin school. Findings of this study indicate that teachers are fairly accurate in their judgments, but the fact that reading ability provides the foundation for academic success suggests the need for a high degree of accuracy in their judgments of students' reading ability.