Reliability and Validity of the Formative Evaluation System IEL-1: Inventary for the Assesment of the Reading Proficiency of First Graders

Developing more and more towards prevention and integration, education needs innovative methods of measurement to recognize missing learning prerequisites and learning gaps which occurred in the process of learning at an early stage. If a measurement method could provide insight into the learning process, teachers could get feedback on advancements, stagnations or even regressive learning developments. Such data are a valid foundation for an adaptive teaching and advancement. The inventory for measuring the reading competence of first grade children (IEL-1) was developed as a pedagogic instrument for the facility recording over three measurement moments. Should the developed and verified inventory prove objective, reliable and valid as well as appropriate to show learning advancements, then it is a procedure for the formative evaluation of learning processes for successful preventive actions in the process of learning to read and write that is suitable for everyday school life. This paper presents the concept of the IEL-1, the design of the validation-study with N=1649 first grade children and results concerning the quality of the procedure.