Individual Growth and Development Indicators-Español: Innovation in the development of Spanish oral language general outcome measures

•The development of the Individual Growth and Development Indicators-Español (IGDIs-E) involved over 900 preschool aged children in five states.•Using Rasch modeling the IGDIs-E were found to be psychometrically sound and robust measures of Spanish oral language ability.•IGDIs-E were designed for the diverse range of Spanish-speakers in the US. The population of Spanish-speaking preschoolers in the United States continues to increase and there is a significant need to develop psychometrically sound early language and literacy screening measures to accurately capture children’s ability in Spanish. In this paper, we describe the innovative design and calibration process of the new Individual Growth and Development Indicators-Español (IGDIs-E). We developed and tested two Spanish oral language measures: Identificación de los Dibujos/Picture Naming and Verbos (Expresivo)/Expressive Verbs with 976 Spanish-speaking preschoolers (4–5-years old; 50% female) across five states. Children were tested in Spanish in fall, winter, and spring across two academic years. Results provide evidence that the new IGDIs-E are psychometrically sound with no significant bias between genders and dialects of Spanish spoken in the United States. Cumulative results, the utility of the final measures, and the implications for data-based decision making with Spanish-speaking preschoolers is discussed.