BRIGANCE® Inventory of Early Development III (IED III)

Abstract

The BRIGANCE® Inventory of Early Development III (IED III) is a comprehensive assessment tool utilized in early childhood settings, composed of two distinct instruments: the criterion-referenced BRIGANCE Inventory of Early Development III (IED III) and the norm-referenced BRIGANCE Inventory of Early Development III Standardized. Designed for children from birth through age 7, the IED III evaluates skills and behaviors across five major developmental domains, including physical, language, academic/cognitive, daily living, and social and emotional development. Its primary functions are to identify a child’s developmental strengths and weaknesses, document eligibility for special services or special instruction, track progress toward developmental milestones, and support robust program evaluation efforts.

Keywords

BRIGANCE, IED III, Early Childhood Assessment, Developmental Inventory, Criterion-Referenced Measure, Standardized Assessment, Child Development, Special Education, Adaptive Behavior.

Authors

Albert H. Brigance (Original Developer).

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Purpose

The fundamental purpose of the IED III is multifaceted, serving both diagnostic and monitoring roles within early childhood education and intervention contexts. The instrument is specifically designed to provide educators and clinicians with detailed, actionable data necessary for informed decision-making regarding a child’s educational trajectory.

Key objectives include pinpointing specific skill deficits and competencies, establishing a baseline for tracking developmental progress over time, and providing documentation essential for determining a child’s eligibility for specialized instructional services. The criterion-referenced nature of the IED III allows for the evaluation of a child’s progress toward mastery of specific developmental milestones, while the standardized component offers normative data for comparative analysis.

Construct

The IED III is designed to measure five broad domains of early childhood development, reflecting a holistic view of a child’s functioning. These domains are assessed through various skill sequences, which may be comprehensive (detailed skill evaluation) or supplemental (observation in naturalistic settings).

The core developmental domains assessed by the IED III include:

• Physical Development: Measures gross and fine motor skills.
• Language Development: Assesses receptive and expressive language abilities.
• Academic/Cognitive Development: Measures foundational academic readiness and cognitive skills.
• Daily Living/Adaptive Behavior: Focuses on self-help skills and adaptive functioning (primarily in the Standardized version).
• Social and Emotional Development: Evaluates social interaction skills and emotional regulation.

Validity

Specific, detailed information concerning the validity evidence for the criterion-referenced IED III is not presented in the source documentation. While the IED III Standardized version was subjected to a standardization and validation process—documented in a manual published in 2013—the broader evidence required to support the validity of clinical or educational decisions made using the general IED III scores is indicated as insufficient.

As an assessment tool used for critical decisions such as program placement and eligibility, further evidence demonstrating the construct validity, content validity, and criterion validity of the IED III is suggested to strengthen its application in professional and research settings.

Reliability

The source materials do not provide specific data regarding the psychometric properties of the IED III, including internal consistency reliability (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha) or other crucial reliability metrics such as test-retest reliability or inter-rater reliability. The lack of documented reliability evidence suggests caution when interpreting individual scores, as score dependability has not been fully established in the public domain.

Factor Analysis

Information regarding any formal factor analysis or other statistical procedures used to confirm the underlying dimensional structure of the IED III and its domains is not available in the provided source material. Without such evidence, the conceptual division of the assessment into five distinct developmental domains remains primarily theoretical rather than empirically verified through psychometric methods.

Instrument

Test Type: Criterion-Referenced Assessment (IED III); Norm-Referenced Assessment (IED III Standardized)

Format: Individual administration, utilizing skill sequences organized in a large binder and corresponding color-coded record books for tracking progress across up to six administrations.

Language Available: Information not specified in the source material, but typically English.

Population Group: Children in early childhood settings.

Age Group: Birth through 7 years.

Population Details: Used to assess typical development, identify developmental delays, and monitor progress for children receiving special instruction.

Test Methodology: Individual administration, typically requiring 30–60 minutes for the Standardized version. Utilizes both direct assessment and observation of skills in naturalistic settings.

Keywords

Developmental Milestones, Early Intervention, Psychometric properties, Progress Monitoring, Program Evaluation, Cognitive Development, Language Skills, Adaptive Behavior.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided.

Correspondence Address: Correspondence is typically directed to the publisher, Curriculum Associates.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The IED III is a proprietary assessment requiring purchase and appropriate permissions from the publisher, Curriculum Associates. The standardization and validation manual for the IED III Standardized version was published in 2013, suggesting this year as a key reference point for the latest edition’s technical details.

Reference’s

The IED III is based on the work of Albert H. Brigance.

Reviewers cited in the source documentation include:

• IHEOMA U. IRUKA, Director of Research and Evaluation, Buffett Early Childhood Institute, University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE.
• JAMES P. VAN HANEGHAN, Professor, Professional Studies Department, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL.

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Items of the BRIGANCE® Inventory of Early Development III (IED III)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The IED III is organized into the following skill areas:

• Physical Development
• Language Development
• Academic/Cognitive
• Daily Living
• Social and Emotional Development

The IED III Standardized assesses children in 5 domains:

• Physical Development
• Language Development
• Academic Skills/Cognitive Development
• Adaptive Behavior
• Social and Emotional Development