Curriculum-based measurement of reading (CBM-R) is a common assessment educators use to monitor student growth in broad reading skills and evaluate the effectiveness of instructional programs. Computer-adaptive tests (CATs), such as Star Reading, have been cited as a viable option to formatively assess reading growth. We used Bayesian…

Monitoring learning progress enables teachers to address students' interindividual differences and to adapt instruction to students' needs. We investigated whether using learning progress assessment (LPA) or using a combination of LPA and prepared material to help teachers implement assessment-based differentiated instruction resulted in improved…

Classroom management (CM) practices have a well-established, intuitive, and empirical connection with student academic, social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes. CM, defined as educator practices used to create supportive classroom environments, may be the implementation factor that is most impactful of the universal Tier I supports. Recognizing…

Curriculum-based measurement of oral reading fluency (CBM-R) is widely used across the country as a quick measure of reading proficiency that also serves as a good predictor of comprehension and overall reading achievement, but it has several practical and technical inadequacies, including a large standard error of measurement ("SEM").…

This study examined reading tutors' interpretation of reading progress-monitoring graphs. A think-aloud procedure was used to evaluate tutors at two points in time, before and after a year of service as an AmeriCorps reading tutor. During their service, the reading tutors received extensive training and ongoing coaching. Descriptive results showed…

Limited research has examined the impact of Bounce Back (BB), a trauma-focused intervention for elementary-age students, on student academic engagement and daily classroom behavior. This study utilized both ongoing direct and indirect measures of student functioning to evaluate student progress and inform the implementation of BB. Participants…

The current availability of research examining the precision of single-skill mathematics (SSM) curriculum-based measurements (CBMs) for progress monitoring is limited. Given the observed variance in administration conditions across current practice and research use, we examined potential differences between student responding and precision of…

Replication studies in special education are necessary to strengthen the foundation upon which instruction and intervention for students with disabilities are built. J. Jenkins et al. (2017) found intermittent reading fluency progress monitoring schedules did not delay decision-making and were similar in decision-making accuracy to the traditional…

The purpose of this study was to examine the technical features of slopes produced from the curriculum-based measurement in writing (CBM-W) word dictation task. Seventy-nine elementary students in the U.S. Midwest with intensive learning needs responded to weekly word dictation probes across 20 weeks; responses were scored for correct letter…

The studies in this special series examine the effectiveness of direct behavior ratings (DBRs) for use as a progress monitoring tool. In this article, we comment on the findings of the studies in the context of the broader school-based assessment movement and discuss areas for future inquiry within this line of research.

The current study evaluated whether goal-setting practices that account for seasonal developmental patterns of reading growth decreased the number of weeks data needed to be collected in order to yield accurate response to intervention decisions for a sample of 224 third-grade students. The extent to which more complex decision-making practices…

The purpose of this preliminary study was to explore the reliability of Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) vocabulary-matching forms with students in an introduction to special education course in a college setting. Data from 84 students enrolled in a teacher preparation program across three semesters were examined. Results suggest low to moderate…

Direct Behavior Ratings (DBRs) are behavioral assessment methods that combine the benefits of systematic direct observation and behavior rating scales. That is, DBRs involve the observation of operationally defined target behaviors during a prespecified observation period and the evaluation of those behaviors via brief ratings. In this way, DBR is…

The overall aim of the current investigation was to develop and validate the initial version of the Minnesota Inference Assessment (MIA). MIA is a web-based measure of inference processes in Grades K-2. MIA leverages the affordances of different media to evaluate inference processes in a nonreading context, using age-appropriate fiction and…

Self-monitoring interventions for students with challenging behavior are often teacher-managed rather than self-managed. Teachers direct these interventions by completing parallel monitoring procedures, providing feedback, and delivering contingent reinforcement to students when they monitor accurately. However, within self-monitoring…