Curriculum Based Measurement: Reading and Written Language Susan M. Loftus, Ph.D. University of Rhode Island

Agenda Introduction What is CBM? How do we administer/score/interpret CBM? How does CBM fit into an RTI model? How do we use results of CBM to make instructional decisions?

Scientific Knowledge Base There is an extensive scientific knowledge base in beginning reading Converging evidence suggests that: Teaching Reading is Urgent Teaching Reading is Complex Almost Every Child Can Learn to Read What do we know and what guidance can we gain from scientifically based reading research?

Teaching Reading is Urgent According to the results of the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), approximately 40% of third graders are performing below a “basic” level in reading. Students performing below a “basic” level are not able to demonstrate an understanding of the literal meaning of grade level text, identify main ideas, make inferences, or relate what they read to personal experiences

Teaching Reading is Urgent “No time is as precious or as fleeting as the first years of formal schooling. Research consistently shows that children who get off to a good start in reading rarely stumble. Those who fall behind tend to stay behind for the rest of their academic lives.” (Burns, Griffin, & Snow, 1999, p. 61)

Scientific Knowledge Base There is an extensive scientific knowledge base in beginning reading Converging evidence suggests that: Teaching Reading is Urgent Teaching Reading is Complex Almost Every Child Can Learn to Read What do we know and what guidance can we gain from scientifically based reading research?

Teaching Reading is Complex that doesn’t work Teaching Reading is Rocket Science! ( Louisa Moats)

Complex Alphabetic Code

Scientific Knowledge Base There is an extensive scientific knowledge base in beginning reading Converging evidence suggests that: Teaching Reading is Urgent Teaching Reading is Complex Almost Every Child Can Learn to Read What do we know and what guidance can we gain from scientifically based reading research?

Teaching Every Child to Read The results of well designed and carefully controlled school-based studies suggest that at least 95% of the total student population can attain average reading abilities with the implementation of effective and comprehensive instruction & intervention. Results of School-Based Studies Torgesen, Florida Center for Reading Research, 2004

What is Curriculum Based Measurement?

Curriculum Based Measurement A method used to find out how students are progressing in academic areas Screen all students 3 times per year Progress monitor students who are at-risk Provide information to teachers that will inform instructional changes Quick and easy to administer

What is good about CBM? Short 1-minute assessments of critical early literacy skills Administered to all children three times a year Administered to students experiencing reading difficulties more often Measures change across grades Kindergarten and 1 st grade assess pre-reading skills 1 st – 8th grade assess reading connected text DIBELS and Aimsweb can be used in combination with an on-line data management systems that helps to organize, display, and interpret student data

What is good about CBM?  Short reliable and valid indicators of skills highly associated with early reading success  Provide “vital signs” of growth and development that are predictive of later reading proficiency  Allows early identification of students who need instructional support  Instructionally relevant: Provide timely feedback to schools and teachers to enable responsive instruction  Simple, quick, cost effective measures that are easily repeatable for continuous progress monitoring

What is good about CBM?  Can answer questions about achievement at the individual, classroom, and school-wide level.  Which children in my class/grade/school are at risk for future reading difficulties?  Which students have similar instructional needs and will form appropriate groups for instruction?  As a whole, how are our kindergarten/first/ second/third grade students doing? Compared to last year?  Is our reading program meeting the needs of students in kindergarten/first/second/third grade?  Are our reading interventions helping at risk students catch up?

CBM: Reading DIBELS ( Aimsweb ( Intervention Central ( National Center for Student Progress Monitoring (

Counting the number of correct words while a student reads aloud from grade-level text for 1 minute. “Because oral reading fluency reflects the complex orchestration of many different reading skills, it can be used in an elegant and reliable way to characterize overall reading expertise.” (Fuchs, Fuchs, Hosp, & Jenkins, 2002) Measures of oral reading fluency are highly correlated with reading comprehension in the primary grades. Oral Reading Fluency CBM: Curriculum Based Measurement

“Fluency represents a level of expertise beyond word recognition accuracy... skilled readers read words accurately, rapidly, and efficiently.” (National Reading Panel, 2000) “Slow, effortful reading is a labor-intensive process that only fitfully results in understanding.” (National Reading Panel, 2000) “If a reader has to spend too much time and energy figuring out what the words are, she will be unable to concentrate on what the words mean.” (Coyne, Kame’enui, & Simmons, 2001) Oral Reading Fluency

Relationship between ORF & Comprehension Oral reading fluency is highly correlated and predictive of standardized tests of reading comprehension and state-wide high stakes assessments. A student who is actively constructing meaning while reading will be more fluent than if she is not comprehending.

Relationship between ORF & Comprehension The ability to read fluently is necessary but not sufficient for higher level comprehension.

A student who does not read fluently Even if she has good understanding, she will have difficulty with reading comprehension If she also has difficulty with understanding, she will have even more difficulty with reading comprehension A student that does read fluently If she has good understanding, her reading comprehension will be good If she has difficulty with understanding, she will have difficulty with reading comprehension Oral Reading Fluency

AIMSWEB Curriculum Based Measures Letter Naming Fluency Letter Sound Fluency Phonemic Segmentation Fluency Nonsense Word Fluency Oral Reading Fluency Reading Maze Written Expression

K- Fall K- Winter K- Spring 1 st - Fall 1 st - Winter 1 st - Spring 2 nd - Fall 2 nd - Winter 2 nd - Spring LNF LSF PSF NWF ORF Aimsweb Measurement Sequence

Letter Naming Fluency (LNF) When is it measured? Kindergarten – First Grade What does it look like? What does it measure? Students’ ability to name letters quickly and accurately What does it tell us? LNF is an indicator of risk status and early experiences with literacy

Letter Sound Fluency (LSF) When is it measured? Kindergarten – First Grade What does it look like? What does it measure? Students’ ability to name sounds of letters quickly and accurately What does it tell us? LSF is an indicator of risk status and early experiences with literacy

Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF) When is it measured? Kindergarten – First Grade What does it look like? What does it measure? Students’ ability to break orally presented words into sounds quickly and accurately (phonemic awareness) What does it tell us? Students’ phonemic awareness is an indicator of their ability to manipulate the sounds in language and is related to the ease with which they can learn letter-sounds and decode unknown words.

Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF) When is it measured? Kindergarten – First Grade What does it look like? What does it measure? Students’ ability to identify letter-sound correspondences and decode regular CVC non-words. What does it tell us? Students who can decode quickly and accurately are able to use our alphabetic system to read and spell words.

Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) When is it measured? First Grade – Eighth Grade What does it look like? What does it measure? Students’ ability to read grade level connected text quickly and accurately. What does it tell us? Oral reading fluency is a valid and reliable measure of overall reading competence

Practice Exercise 1

Practice Exercise 1: Answer Key This student read 72 WRC/8 Errors

Reading Maze When is it measured? First Grade – Eighth Grade What does it look like? What does it measure? Supplemental measure of reading comprehension What does it tell us? If comprehension problems are suspected this measure can help to assess the student’s level of risk

Written Expression When is it measured? First Grade – Eighth Grade What does it look like? What does it measure? The ability to communicate thoughts and ideas in writing What does it tell us? You can score students’ responses for Total Words Written (TWW), Correct Writing Sequences (CWS), and Words Spelled Correctly (WSC).

How do we Interpret CBM data? Established/Low-Risk/Benchmark Students are likely to achieve subsequent literacy goals if provided with effective instruction. Emerging/Some-Risk/Strategic Unable to predict whether students will achieve subsequent literacy goals. Deficient/At-Risk/Intensive Students are unlikely to achieve subsequent literacy goals unless provided with intensive intervention.

Class-Level Report: Class List How is Student Performance Displayed?

How does CBM fit into an RTI model?

Primary Prevention: Instruction with Core Reading Program For All Students Secondary Prevention: Supplemental Instruction for Students at Some Risk Tertiary Prevention: Specialized, Individualized Intervention for Students at High Risk ~80% of Students ~15% ~5% CONTINUUM OF SCHOOL-WIDE BEGINNING READING SUPPORT

~40% of Students ~35% ~25% Students Meeting Grade Level Reading Goals: Low risk Students Performing Below Grade Level Reading Goals: At Risk Students Performing Significantly Below Grade Level Reading Goals: High Risk School A

How do we use CBM data to make instructional decisions?

Assessment Curriculum/Instruction

Assessment & Instruction Instruction without assessment is aimless “It’s like driving a car at night without any headlights.”

Assessment & Instruction “Weighing cows won’t make ‘em fatter.” Assessment data must: Answer important questions Enable informed instructional decision making Assessment without instruction is worthless.

A School-wide Approach Alterable Components  Content  Instructional Design  Programs/Materials  Interventionist/ Interventionist Expertise  Grouping  Dosage  Scheduling 20% Intervention Options

A School-wide Approach Content  Reading  Comprehension, vocabulary, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency  Content becomes increasingly targeted 20% intensity/resources Intervention Options

A School-wide Approach Instructional Design  Re-teaching of skills/strategies  Review and practice of skills/strategies  Features of effective instruction  Explicit instruction  Scaffolded instruction  Opportunities to practice with high quality feedback 20% intensity/resources Intervention Options

A School-wide Approach Program/Materials  “Double dose” of core materials  Intervention component of core materials  School designed strategies/activities  Highly scripted/systematic program 20% intensity/resources Intervention Options

A School-wide Approach Interventionist  Student  Volunteer  Paraprofessional  Classroom Teacher  Specialist Interventionist Expertise  Amount of training with intervention  Experience implementing intervention  Student success  Availability of coaching/support 20% intensity/resources Intervention Options

A School-wide Approach Grouping  Size of intervention group  10 students, 4 students, one-on-one  Within class grouping  Across class grouping  Across grade grouping 20% intensity/resources Intervention Options

A School-wide Approach Dosage  How much time per day?  How many days per week?  How many weeks? Scheduling  When will intervention take place?  Where will intervention take place? 20% intensity/resources Intervention Options

A School-wide Approach Intervention Implementation  Continuum of scheduling, grouping, and delivery alternatives are coordinated at a school-wide level to best leverage personnel, expertise, materials, and resources 20% Intervention Options

A School-wide Approach Intervention  Programs/Materials  Evidence based  Consistent & Coordinated  No intervention “silos”  Implemented with fidelity and quality 20% Intervention Options

Additional Resources National Center on RTI Florida Center for Reading Research What Works Clearinghouse

Thank you! Contact Information: Susan Loftus