Executive Function and School Readiness: Evidence-Based Assessment and Intervention in Early Childhood
Executive functioning and self-regulation are foundational to children’s early learning, behavioral adjustment, and successful transition into formal schooling. School psychologists play an important role in identifying developmental strengths and needs, interpreting assessment information, and collaborating with educators and families to promote school readiness.
- 8 CPD hours
- 9 lessons
- 48-question assessment
- Online self-paced
Course Overview
This course examines executive function and school readiness through a developmental, assessment, and intervention framework. Participants explore working memory, cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, social-emotional development, language, and early academic readiness, with particular attention to applying evidence-based practices in preschool and early elementary settings.
Grounded in the Institute of Education Sciences’ What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, Preparing Young Children for School (2022), the course connects research-supported early learning recommendations with the professional responsibilities of school psychologists. Participants examine developmental variation in executive functioning, approaches to early identification, methods for supporting self-regulation and cognitive development, and collaborative intervention strategies.
Learning Objectives
After completing this course, participants will be able to:
- Describe the relationship between executive functions, self-regulation, and school readiness in early childhood.
- Differentiate working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility and explain their contributions to early learning and classroom functioning.
- Identify developmentally appropriate strategies for strengthening self-regulation and executive functioning in preschool and early elementary settings.
- Analyze the role of social-emotional, language, and cognitive development in children’s readiness to participate in classroom learning.
- Distinguish expected developmental variation from patterns that may warrant additional assessment or targeted intervention.
- Apply evidence-based recommendations to collaborative consultation and intervention planning with educators and families.
- Select methods for monitoring children’s progress across behavioral, cognitive, social-emotional, and early academic domains.
Course lessons
Every lesson is open as a free preview. Each one moves through short sections with knowledge checks and ends with an applied case that gives AI feedback on your response.
Required Reading
Burchinal, M., et al. (2022). What Works Clearinghouse Educator’s Practice Guide (WWC 2022009). Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Assigned reading: printed pages 1–60, covering the introduction and all seven recommendations.
Course Format and Requirements
This asynchronous independent-study course lets you work through the assigned reading, instructional content, and applied learning activities at your own pace. Instruction emphasizes practical application of evidence-based recommendations to psychological assessment, early childhood consultation, behavioral support, and intervention planning.
To earn credit, complete all nine lessons and pass the final assessment. Credit hours are documented with the Mergener formula in the credit-hour determination (PDF).
Instructor
Child & School Psychology CE is a NASP-approved provider of continuing professional development for school psychologists.
CE Program Information & Disclosures
- Instructional level: Intermediate
- Target audience: Psychologists, school psychologists, and other professionals who work with children, adolescents, families, and schools.
- Format and schedule: Asynchronous, self-paced online home study. No live sessions; complete the course at any time during your access period.
- Access period: 1 year from enrollment.
- Cost and refunds: Full refund within 30 days of purchase if the course has not been started. See our refund policy.
- Instructor / content developer: Jaime Flowers, Ph.D., NCSP, LEP, BCBA
- Conflict of interest: Dr. Flowers is the owner of Child & School Psychology CE and receives revenue from course sales. No other relevant financial or nonfinancial relationships are reported.
- Commercial support: This program receives no commercial support.
- Accessibility: Need an accommodation? See our Accessibility & Accommodations page.
- Questions or complaints: See our CE Complaint & Grievance Procedure.
Limitations and Risks
Limitations of the content. Executive function is difficult to measure reliably in young children; performance-based tasks and teacher or parent ratings often correlate only modestly, and scores are affected by language, attention, motivation, and testing context. Meta-analyses show that executive-function training reliably improves trained or closely related skills, but evidence of transfer to academic achievement or long-term school outcomes is weak and inconsistent. Many of the practice guide's recommendations rest on moderate or minimal levels of evidence.
Risks. Over-interpreting single executive-function measures or brief screeners in early childhood can lead to premature labeling or inappropriate referral, especially for dual language learners, children with limited preschool experience, or children whose behavior reflects normal developmental variation. Promoting stand-alone computerized “brain training” programs in place of evidence-based instruction and responsive caregiving may waste resources and raise unrealistic expectations. Practitioners should use multiple methods and informants and interpret findings in developmental and cultural context.
References
Primary reading
- Burchinal, M., Krowka, S., Newman-Gonchar, R., Jayanthi, M., Gersten, R., Wavell, S., Lyskawa, J., Haymond, K., Bierman, K., Gonzalez, J. E., McClelland, M. M., Nelson, K., Pentimonti, J., Purpura, D. J., Sachs, J., Sarama, J., Schlesinger-Devlin, E., Washington, J., & Rosen, E. (2022). Preparing young children for school (WWC 2022009). National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/WWC/PracticeGuide/30
Supporting references
- Ahmed, S. F., Tang, S., Waters, N. E., & Davis-Kean, P. (2019). Executive function and academic achievement: Longitudinal relations from early childhood to adolescence. Journal of Educational Psychology, 111(3), 446–458. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000296
- Kassai, R., Futo, J., Demetrovics, Z., & Takacs, Z. K. (2019). A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence on the near- and far-transfer effects among children's executive function skills. Psychological Bulletin, 145(2), 165–188. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000180
- Scionti, N., Cavallero, M., Zogmaister, C., & Marzocchi, G. M. (2020). Is cognitive training effective for improving executive functions in preschoolers? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 2812. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02812