Article

Assessing educational outcomes in high-risk populations is crucial for
defining long-term outcomes.
As standardized tests are costly and time-consuming,
we assessed the use of the Teacher Academic Attainment Scale (TAAS) as an outcome
measure. METHOD: Three hundred and forty three children in mainstream schools
aged 10 to 11 years (144 males, 199 females; 190 extremely preterm and 153 term;
mean age 10 y 9 mo, SD 5.5 mo, range 9 y 8 mo-12 y 3 mo) were assessed using the
reading and mathematics scales of the criterion standard Wechsler Individual
Achievement Test, 2nd (UK) edition (WIAT-II). Class teachers completed the TAAS,
a seven-item questionnaire for assessing academic attainment. The TAAS was also
completed at 6 years of age for 266 children. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha 0.95
indicated excellent internal consistency, and the correlation between TAAS scores
at 6 and 11 years indicated good test-retest reliability (r=0.77, p<0.001).
Significantly higher TAAS scores for term vs preterm children demonstrated
discriminative validity. TAAS scores at 6 and 11 years were significantly
correlated with WIAT-II reading (r=0.69 and 0.75, p<0.001) and mathematics
(r=0.75 and 0.82, p<0.001) scores, demonstrating good predictive and concurrent
validity respectively. TAAS scores of <2.5 were good predictors of learning
difficulties. INTERPRETATION: The TAAS is a brief, psychometrically sound
teacher-report of academic attainment that yields continuous and categorical
outcomes. It provides a cost- and time-efficient outcome measure for large-scale studies.
CI - (c) The Authors. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (c) 2012 Mac Keith
Press.

Langue : ANGLAIS