A Developmental Progression for Social-Emotional Development from Infancy Through Grade 3: Initial Validity Evidence from the DRDP 2025 Assessment
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Social-emotional development (SED) is foundational to early learning, yet its observable forms change from infancy through the primary grades. Assessments can describe children’s current behavior, but without an explicit developmental structure, it is difficult to interpret how observations at different ages relate to a continuing developmental process. This study presents a theory-informed developmental progression for SED, operationalized in the Desired Results Developmental Profile 2025 (DRDP 2025) and examines the degree to which educator ratings are consistent with its proposed structure. Using field study data from 2022 children rated by 314 educators, we applied Rasch-family item response modeling to evaluate threshold ordering, item fit, dimensionality, reliability, differential item functioning (DIF), and person fit. All five SED items fit within prespecified bounds, and thresholds for corresponding developmental levels clustered across items as hypothesized. Dimensionality analyses supported a unidimensional reporting structure, and person separation reliability was 0.97. No SED item showed DIF of concern across seven demographic contrasts. SED scores increased with age (r = 0.75), consistent with the proposed ordering, although the cross-sectional design does not establish within-child progression. Positive person misfit occurred for 12% of children overall and 26% of those assessed with the grade 1–3 form. Findings provide initial support for interpreting DRDP 2025 SED scores on a common developmental continuum spanning infancy through grade 3, while identifying grade 1–3 response profiles and educator rating processes as priorities for further validation.
Source: Education Sciences
Authors: Josh Sussman, Mark Wilson
Institution: University of California, Berkeley
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,172
OpenAlex ID: W7225834622
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