Prediction of First-Grade Reading Achievement from Performance on Perceptual Tests in Kindergarten

A battery of 8 tests of visual-auditory integrative and simple perceptual abilities was administered to 100 kindergarteners and 100 first graders. From the pattern of relationships between the perceptual test scores and reading achievement scores for the first graders, predictive formulas were designed to identify kindergarteners who were high risks for reading failure. Reading scores were obtained a year later (in first grade) for the original kindergarteners, and the predictions were evaluated against these reading scores. A substantial success rate was found for the predictions.