Background: Previous studies used curriculum-based measurement (CBM) maze scores as an indicator of the reading comprehension level of secondary school students with and without special educational needs in multiple grades, pinpointing a high influence of both student- and context-related variables. However, studies on cumulative influence are…

Early literacy and reading skills are both important predictors of an individual's future success in school and employment settings (Moats, 1999). Moreover, poor reading performance in elementary school has been associated with future conduct problems and juvenile delinquency by age fifteen (Williams, 1994). Research supports the notion that…

Students with disabilities participate in two major measurement systems. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act emphasizes working within a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework to identify and monitor the progress of low-performing students. Persistent low-performing students also may be eligible for some form of an alternate…

Response to intervention (RTI) is on the radar screen of most principals these days--finding out what it is, how it can improve teaching and learning, and what needs to be done to implement it effectively. One critical component of RTI that will require particular attention from principals is student progress monitoring, which is required in every…

Children with behavioral challenges are at the greatest risk for chronic school failure. The response-to-intervention (RTI) model was written into law through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 as a means to identify children with learning disabilities. The RTI model provides for increased intervention based on students'…

Despite the growing body of research on writing assessment, little attention has been devoted to developing and validating measures for beginning writers. This study examined the technical adequacy of a Sentence Writing measure with 233 students in kindergarten and first grade. The reliability, validity, and sensitivity to growth were investigated…

This book focuses on how to provide effective instruction to K-12 students who find writing challenging, including English language learners and those with learning disabilities or language impairments. Prominent experts illuminate the nature of writing difficulties and offer practical suggestions for building students' skills at the word,…

An 11-item math concept curriculum-based measure (CBM) was administered to 171 eighth grade students. Scores were correlated with scores from a computer adaptive test designed in conjunction with the state to approximate the official statewide mathematics achievement tests. Correlations for general education students and students with learning…

The coordinated use of performance-based assessment and curriculum-based assessment is explored. Criteria are suggested for evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each assessment method, and a framework for integrating the two methods is proposed. Specific recommendations are given for use with students having learning disabilities. (CR)

Standardized, norm-referenced measures of achievement, phonological processing measures, and curriculum-based measures of reading fluency were used with 40 children (Grades 1-2), including 20 children with reading disabilities. All measures were found to correlate significantly with each other; however, correlations were generally in the moderate…

Analyzes the current state of mathematics assessment as applied to individuals with learning disabilities. An overview of the development of mathematics assessment is provided and specific strategies for conducting math evaluations are described, including portfolios, criterion-referenced tests, curriculum-based measurement, observations, and…

This article describes a statewide project in which weekly progress monitoring of mathematics was implemented with 120 special education students. Curriculum-based measurement probes for computation and concepts/applications skills were administered weekly over seven months. Students were assessed at levels identified as instructional by their…

A study examined the reliability and validity of two curriculum-based measures (CBMs) as indicators of the performance of 58 7th-graders in a content-area classroom. CBM measures were student- and administrator-read vocabulary-matching probes. Results revealed moderate alternate-form reliability for both vocabulary-matching measures. Scores for…

Three second-grade students with learning disabilities were measured twice a week for 12 weeks on 2 types of curriculum-based measurement (computer maze and oral reading) and an intervention of repeated readings was implemented. Data indicated that the repeated reading intervention affected oral reading CBM, but not performance on the maze…

This study investigated technical features of a curriculum-based measurement (CBM) system that addresses a concepts and applications mathematics curriculum. Six elementary educators implemented the concepts/applications CBM system, along with a computation CBM system, with 140 students, including 12 with learning disabilities. The system indexed…