Transitioning from In-Person to Remote Child Assessment in the Age of COVID-19

Session Type: Conversation Roundtable

Abstract

In the wake of COVID-19, many longitudinal studies of children have suddenly pivoted from in-person to remote administration of direct assessments. Study teams have encountered numerous obstacles across a variety of domains: the instruments themselves (e.g., unavailability of digitized versions, the unintended capture of skills related to remote administration); technology (e.g., participants’ limited access to broadband internet, incompatibility of operating systems across platforms); and the remote environment (e.g., interference by family members, noisy home environments). This roundtable will allow researchers from three longitudinal studies – April Dericks (Tulsa SEED Study), Kerry Hofer (Early Learning Study at Harvard), and Joy Kennedy (Ready to Learn Research Program) – to discuss their experiences transitioning to remote assessments. The fourth panelist will be Jordan Wright, author of the forthcoming book, Essentials of Psychological Tele-Assessment. Anne Martin, the moderator, has worked on several national, longitudinal studies involving direct assessments. She will ask study teams to describe the measures they are administering remotely, the devices and platforms they are using, the challenges they have and have not been able to overcome, and the quality of data collected. All studies include low-income 1st and 2nd graders, who may find it particularly challenging to complete remote assessments.

Sub Unit

• Methods, History, Theory

Moderator

• Anne Martin, Georgetown University

Panelists

• April Dericks, University of Oklahoma

• Kerry Guess Hofer, Abt Associates - Maryland

• Joy Lorenzo Kennedy, Education Development Center - New York

• A. Jordan Wright, New York University