What is the Brigance screener? The Early Childhood Screens III explained
The Brigance screener is a 10 to 15 minute developmental screening tool that checks language, motor, academic, self-help, and social-emotional skills. (150 chars)
Dr. Russell T. WarneChief Scientist
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The Brigance screener, formally the Brigance Early Childhood Screens III published by Curriculum Associates, is a brief "developmental screening" tool that takes about 10 to 15 minutes per child and checks whether young children from birth through the early school years are developing age-appropriate skills. It samples physical development, language development, academic and cognitive skills, and self-help and social-emotional skills, then compares the child's performance to cutoff scores that flag possible delays, and possible giftedness, for further evaluation. It is a screener rather than a diagnostic test, which means it identifies children who may need a closer look instead of producing a diagnosis. This article explains what the Brigance screener measures, how it is administered and scored, where it fits in the larger Brigance assessment family, and how it differs from the kinds of cognitive tests older students and adults take.
What the Brigance screener measures
According to Curriculum Associates, the Early Childhood Screens III use age-specific data sheets to sample skills in four broad domains that research links to later school success. An examiner gathers evidence through direct child performance on short tasks, observation, and interviews with parents or caregivers.
• Physical development: gross motor and fine motor skills, such as how a toddler moves, balances, and handles small objects.
• Language development: receptive and expressive language, including understanding words and directions and producing speech appropriate for the child's age.
• Academic skills and cognitive development: early literacy and math indicators for older preschoolers and kindergartners, such as recognizing letters, counting, and naming colors, along with general cognitive skills for younger children.
• Self-help and social-emotional skills: everyday independence, such as dressing and feeding, plus how the child relates to adults and peers.
The publisher describes the goal as identifying strengths and needs for young learners on the path toward preschool and kindergarten readiness. That framing reflects the philosophy of the founder. Albert H. Brigance began his career as a school psychologist in the 1970s and, according to Curriculum Associates, designed his skill inventories to reveal what children know and can do rather than cataloging only their deficits.
Age bands, formats, and administration time
The Screens III come in three age-specific volumes, and choosing the right one matters because the tasks and cutoffs are pegged to a child's chronological age.
• 0 to 35 months: the infant and toddler volume, with separate data sheets by age band across the first three years.
• 3 to 5 years: the preschool volume, covering 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds.
• K and 1: the school-age volume for 5- and 6-year-olds around kindergarten and first grade entry. The publisher notes that the kindergarten and 5-year-old core assessments are identical.
Curriculum Associates reports that screening takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes per child, which is what makes the tool practical for screening an entire classroom or a full kindergarten intake. The current edition carries a 2013 copyright and is a print-administered tool supported by an online management system for storing results and generating reports at the child, class, school, and district level. Spanish-translated administration directions, data sheets, and parent reports are available, and there are dedicated Early Head Start and Head Start editions aligned to the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework.
Cutoff scores flag children, they do not diagnose them
Scoring on the Brigance screener works by comparing a child's total to empirically derived "cutoff scores," thresholds that separate typical performance from performance unusual enough to warrant follow-up. Curriculum Associates states that results can be compared to cutoffs for developmental delays and for possible giftedness, as well as to the performance of same-age children. The accompanying technical manual reports the measure's reliability, validity, "sensitivity" (how well it catches true delays), and "specificity" (how well it avoids flagging typically developing children).
Peer-reviewed work supports the screening accuracy of the Brigance approach in the youngest age range. In a 2002 validation study published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Frances Page Glascoe reported that the Brigance Infant and Toddler Screen, the downward extension that preceded the current birth-to-35-months volume, was standardized on 408 children across 22 states, with items drawn from the larger Brigance Inventory of Early Development. Reliability estimates ranged from .98 to .99, specificity was 85 to 86 percent, and sensitivity was 76 to 77 percent. Numbers like these are respectable for a brief screen, but they also show why no screener should be treated as a verdict: a sensitivity near 76 percent means roughly one in four children with a true delay may pass the screen, and some children who are flagged will turn out to be developing typically.
The correct response to a failed screen is further evaluation, never a label. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes developmental screening as a way to determine whether a child needs more support and whether a fuller evaluation is recommended, with follow-up typically running through a state's early intervention system for children under 3 and through the public schools for children 3 and older. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends universal developmental screening at 9, 18, and 30 months regardless of whether anyone has raised a concern. Parents comparing tools may also want to read about the Denver II, another widely known developmental screener, in our guide to the Denver Developmental Screening Test at https://www.riotiq.com/articles/specific-iq-tests-and-formats/what-is-the-denver-ii.
The broader Brigance family of assessments
The screener is the short front door to a much larger product line, and the names are easy to confuse.
• Early Childhood Screens III: the 10-to-15-minute screener described in this article, for children from birth through the early school years.
• Inventory of Early Development (IED): the in-depth follow-up. Curriculum Associates publishes the IED III in two editions: a "criterion-referenced" edition that tracks progress on skills associated with developmental ages birth through 7 for learners of any chronological age, and a "norm-referenced" edition for children under 7 that yields standardized scores and can support referrals for services. A criterion-referenced test measures a child against a defined skill sequence, while a norm-referenced test compares the child to a national sample of same-age peers. The publisher reports that a new Criterion-Referenced Inventory of Early Development 4 is now available and that IED assessments are commonly used after screening to build a more detailed picture of skill mastery.
• Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills (CIBS II): a criterion-referenced inventory for special education students in grades K through 9, used to track incremental skill progress and set goals over time. The publisher notes the current CIBS II print materials are available while supplies last.
The line traces back to Albert Brigance's first published product, the Inventory of Basic Skills, and the family is now a staple in early childhood and special education settings.
Who uses the Brigance screener
The heaviest users are programs that must screen every enrolled child on a deadline. Head Start Program Performance Standards require programs to complete or obtain a developmental screening covering developmental, behavioral, motor, language, social, cognitive, and emotional skills within 45 calendar days of a child's entry, using research-based standardized tools. The dedicated Head Start and Early Head Start editions of the Screens III exist precisely for this market. Public school districts use the K and 1 volume when screening children at kindergarten entry, and preschools and childcare programs use the younger volumes to catch delays early and to document readiness. Because the screener includes cutoffs for advanced performance, some programs also use it as a first-pass indicator for children who may deserve enrichment, though gifted identification requires more comprehensive testing, a topic we cover in our overview of IQ tests for kids at https://www.riotiq.com/articles/specific-iq-tests-and-formats/iq-tests-for-kids.
It helps to place the Brigance screener among its neighbors. The Bracken School Readiness Assessment, covered in our article at https://www.riotiq.com/articles/specific-iq-tests-and-formats/what-is-the-bracken-school-readiness-assessment, concentrates on foundational concepts such as colors, letters, numbers, and shapes, while the Brigance samples a wider developmental range in a similar amount of time. Neither instrument diagnoses anything, and neither produces an IQ score.
Screening young children, testing older minds
A developmental screener answers a narrow question: is this child's development on track for their age right now? It does not measure intelligence in the psychometric sense, and scores from early childhood screeners are weak predictors of later cognitive ability because young children develop at uneven rates. Formal cognitive assessment becomes more stable and more meaningful as children grow, and by adulthood a well-built test can measure reasoning ability with considerable precision.
For adults who want that kind of measurement, the Reasoning and Intelligence Online Test, developed by RIOT IQ with psychometrician Dr. Russell T. Warne, offers a normed online option for ages 18 and up. It includes 15 subtests across six cognitive indices covering verbal reasoning, fluid reasoning, spatial ability, working memory, processing speed, and reaction time, takes about 52 minutes, and reports scores on the familiar mean-100, standard-deviation-15 IQ scale. Like the Brigance screener in its own domain, it does not replace an individually administered diagnostic evaluation, but it provides a rigorous starting point. You can take the RIOT IQ test at https://www.riotiq.com/.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Brigance screener a diagnostic test?
No. It is a screening tool that flags children whose performance falls past cutoff scores so they can be referred for a fuller evaluation. A diagnosis of a developmental delay or disability requires comprehensive assessment by qualified professionals.
How long does the Brigance screener take?
Curriculum Associates reports approximately 10 to 15 minutes per child, administered through short tasks, observation, and parent interviews.
What ages does the Brigance screener cover?
Three volumes cover birth through the early school years: 0 to 35 months, 3 to 5 years, and a K and 1 volume for 5- and 6-year-olds.
Is the Brigance screener an IQ test?
No. It samples developmental domains, including early academic and cognitive skills, but it does not produce an IQ score. It does include cutoffs that can flag possible giftedness for follow-up testing.
What happens if my child is flagged on a Brigance screen?
A flagged screen means further evaluation is recommended. Depending on age, that usually runs through your state's early intervention program or your local school district, and many flagged children turn out to be developing typically.
Is the Brigance screener available in Spanish?
Yes. The publisher offers Spanish-translated administration directions, data sheets, parent feedback forms, and parent reports.
References
1. Curriculum Associates. (2026). BRIGANCE Early Childhood Screens III.. curriculumassociates.com
2. Curriculum Associates. (2026). Welcome to BRIGANCE for early childhood and special education.. curriculumassociates.com
4. Curriculum Associates. (2026). Early childhood screening and assessment for preschool and beyond.. curriculumassociates.com
5. Glascoe, F. P. (2002). The Brigance Infant and Toddler Screen: Standardization and validation. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 23(3), 145-150. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
6. Office of Head Start, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2024). 45 CFR 1302.33: Child screenings and assessments.. headstart.gov
7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Developmental monitoring and screening.. cdc.gov
[Hero photo credit placeholder: add photographer/source credit after license verification at staging.]
Hero photo: Kindergarten cloakroom in Rotenturm an der Pinka, Austria, with cubbies, coat hooks, and a small table with child-sized chairs. Photo by Schüler18, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped; wall decor softened).
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