Performance of New Cognitive Assessments with Head Start Children: Emerging Evidence from FACES and AIAN FACES 2019

Using nationally representative data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 2019) and the American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (AIAN FACES 2019), this research brief evaluates the performance of direct cognitive assessments of Head Start children. These assessments are among the measures used to provide a national picture of their readiness for school. The brief examines the validity of the Minnesota Executive Function Scale App (MEFS App^TM) for Head Start children. It also examines whether there was any systematic item bias in the latest editions of cognitive assessments between AIAN children (in AIAN FACES) compared with White, non-Hispanic children (in FACES). The purpose of this brief is to explore whether the updated direct cognitive assessments in FACES 2019 and AIAN FACES 2019 provide fair estimates of children’s skills and knowledge in the domains being measured.