The Desired Results system is a comprehensive approach that facilitates the achievement of the Desired Results identified for children and families. The system is aligned with the state's learning and development foundations for early care and education programs and the content standards for kindergarten.
DRDP Technical Report for Early Infancy Through Kindergarten: Interrater Reliability
This new technical report presents results from a study investigating the interrater reliability of the three views of the DRDP (2015): infant/toddler, preschool, and kindergarten.
DRDP Technical Report for Early Infancy Through Kindergarten: Validity in Relation to External Assessments of Child Development
This new technical report presents results from a study investigating the correlations between other assessments of child development and the three views of the DRDP (2015): infant/toddler, preschool, and kindergarten.
DRDP Technical Report for Early Infancy Through Kindergarten: Structural Validity and Reliability Information for the Desired Results Developmental Profile
This new technical report for the DRDP (2015) describes the process for updating the DRDP measurement scale to facilitate comparisons between domains that span early infancy through kindergarten.
Technical Report for the Desired Results Developmental Profile (2015)
Technical Report for the Desired Results Developmental Profile (2015) specifies the criteria guiding the development of the DRDP, including a description of the instrument's psychometric properties.
Preschool Quality and Child Development: How Are Learning Gains Related to Program Ratings?
This study investigates the relationships between preschool quality based on the Quality Counts California system and children’s learning and development (measured with the DRDP).
Alignment of the California Preschool Learning Foundations with Key Early Education Resources
Alignment of the California Preschool Learning Foundations with Key Early Education Resources: California Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations, California Content Standards, the Common Core State Standards, and Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework demonstrates how the preschool foundations align with California state Kindergarten content standards, the Common Core State Standards, the Infant-Toddler Foundations, and the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework.
DRDP: Developed from the Research Literature and Aligned to the California Infant and Toddler and Preschool Foundations
The DRDP is grounded in the research literature that addresses the range of knowledge and skills that children demonstrate as they develop from birth to kindergarten entry. The relationship between the DRDP domains and relevant foundations varies within and across the learning and development domains. There is a correspondence in the extent to which key skills and concepts addressed by each DRDP measure relate to key skills and concepts in the California Infant and Toddler Learning and Development Foundations or Preschool Learning Foundations. Research Summaries for Each DRDP Domain
DRDP Aligned to the California Infant and Toddler and Preschool Foundations
The DRDP addresses the most salient, representative, and observable knowledge and skills across a range of learning and development domains in the foundations. Correspondence Summaries for Each DRDP Domain
DRDP: Aligned to the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework
The relationship between the DRDP domains and relevant Head Start outcomes varies within and across the learning and development domains. There is a correspondence in how key skills and concepts addressed by each DRDP measure relate to key skills and concepts in the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (HSELOF). Each document below describes the correspondence between the DRDP and the HSELOF for infant-toddler or preschool. Each document includes an opening paragraph that characterizes the nature of the correspondence and a correspondence table for each DRDP domain. The correspondence tables provide detailed information regarding the correspondence between each measure in the DRDP domains to specific outcomes.
- Correspondence between the DRDP and the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework, Infant-Toddler
- Correspondence between the DRDP and the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework, Preschool
DRDP-K (2015): Developed from the Research Literature and Aligned to the California Preschool Foundations and Kindergarten Content Standards
The relationship between the DRDP-K domains and relevant foundations and standards varies within and across the learning and development domains. There is a correspondence in the extent to which key skills and concepts addressed by each DRDP-K measure relate to key skills and concepts in the California Preschool Learning Foundations and the Kindergarten Content Standards.
- DRDP-K Developed from the Research Literature
The DRDP-K is grounded in the research literature that addresses the range of knowledge and skills children demonstrate as they enter and progress through kindergarten. Research summaries are available for each DRDP-K domain. - DRDP-K Aligned to the California Preschool Foundations and Kindergarten Content Standards
The DRDP-K addresses the most salient, representative, and observable knowledge and skills across various learning and development domains in the foundations and standards. Correspondence summaries are available for each DRDP-K domain.
Assessing Dual Language Learners and the Desired Results Developmental Profile (2015) by Espinosa, Linda; Wiese, Ann-Marie; and Matera, Carola
The Desired Results Developmental Profile (2015): A Strengths-Based Approach to Assessing Young Dual Language Learners, prepared by WestEd’s Center for Child & Family Studies ©2018
California’s Best Practices for YOUNG DUAL LANGUAGE LEARNERS Research Overview Papers PDF; 2.9MB
Mangione, P. L., Osborne, T., & Mendenhall, H. (2019). What’s next? How learning progressions help teachers support children’s development and learning. Young Children, 74(3), 20–25.
Focus: DRDP-IT, PS, K | Key finding: Demonstrates how the DRDP’s learning progressions serve as a foundation for formative assessment, helping teachers translate observations into next steps for instruction and program planning
Kriener-Althen, K., Newton, E., Draney, K., & Mangione, P. (2020). Measuring readiness for kindergarten using the DRDP. Early Education and Development, 31(5).
Focus: DRDP-PS | Key finding: Defined “zones” of readiness for 84,000 preschoolers.
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Sussman, J., Draney, K., & Wilson, M. (2023). Home language and young children’s language and literacy development: Longitudinal evidence from California’s Desired Results Developmental Profile. Journal of Educational Psychology, 115(5), 883–908. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000791
Focus: DRDP-IT, PS, K
Key Finding: A longitudinal study of over 500,000 DRDP assessments found that children’s developmental trajectories, though similar, begin to diverge around 30 months, potentially marking a critical window for early identification and instructional support
Sussman, J., Draney, K., & Wilson, M. (2025). Cultural sensitivity of early childhood assessments: A Rasch person fit analysis. Educational Assessment, Evaluation & Accountability, 37.
Focus: DRDP-PS | Key finding: No racial/ethnic bias found in the DRDP's learning progression
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