Curriculum-Based Measurement in Math 1 Running Head: CURRICULUM-BASED MEASUREMENT IN MATH

The Use of Curriculum-Based Measurement in Special Education Rhonda D. Williams University of Calgary

Curriculum-Based Measurement in Math 2 Curriculum-based assessments (CBA) are measurement tools used to identify areas of strength and weaknesses of a students skill base in local curriculum objectives (Hintze, Christ, & and Methe, 2006). There have been two different categories of curriculum-based assessments discussed in research literature: specific subskill mastery and general outcomes (Christ, Scullin, Tolbize, & Jiban, 2008; Clarke, 2009; Hintze et al. 2006; Kelly, Hosp, &Howell, 2008). This paper will focus on the use of general outcomes within curriculum based measurements (CBM). Excellent job of identifying the parameters of your paper (both in terms of making this more manageable and allowing the reader to know the context of your study). CBM differs from other types of CBA by focusing on the broad long term goals using a standardized procedure and scoring methods to assess levels of academic performance and track areas of growth over the course of a school year. It also assesses retention and the generalization of material across the whole curriculum (Clarke, 2009; Hintze et al., 2006). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of CBM to assess student mathematical skills in special education settings. Excellent introduction to your paper and clear statement of purpose. Curriculum-based measurements (CBM) can be used for screening, identifying instructional placements, evaluating student responsiveness of instruction and individual curriculum designs. CBM in mathematics (CBM-M) has been used to assess computation, concepts and applications and problem-solving (Christ et al., 2008; Fuchs, Fuchs, & Courey, 2005; Fuchs, Fuchs, & Zumeta, 2008). These are also areas that can be assessed using standardized measure what does CBM-M uniquely contribute to the field? This allows the teacher to make changes to instruction style or focus on specific computation and concept subskills the student is struggling with. It is extremely useful for special education teachers to identify gaps in prior knowledge and create an effective set of strategies to help struggling students learn a variety of math skills. CBM takes into account the individual needs and diverse backgrounds of special education students. How does it do this? How

Curriculum-Based Measurement in Math 3 can in take into the account the diverse background of students? The instructional plan is based on the student need rather than curriculum sequence but the criterion is still the curriculum so it would stand to reason that the results of CBM-M are used to identify where in the curriculum one should target instruction - yes? (Kelly et al., 2008). Historically, special education has focused mostly on computation skills in math (Christ et al., 2008; Fuchs et al., 2008). Some research suggests that concepts and applications as well as problem solving can also be assessed within the CBM framework (Fuchs et al., 2005; Fuchs et al., 2008). ** This latter point is key what is the research evidence to support this? Provide specific details of this study. Linking statement , e.g., Another use of CBM in the area of mathematics is CBM computation (CBM-COMP) is used as an overall indicator of students skill level of computational skills within grade specific curriculum such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions and decimals. Each computation test is comprised of 25 randomly organized questions taken for the year long curriculum resulting in the same level of difficulty on each test. The tests are representative of the types of computation the students are expected to know by the end of the year. Tests are administered in short timed intervals according to grade. Progress is tracked each week and graphed to monitor progress towards long term goals (Fuchs et al., 2005). This type of assessment may cause some resistance from special education students who have experienced years of frustration and failed attempts to learn specific math concepts. Students may view this process as just another test they struggle with. Fuchs and her colleagues (2008) suggest that this reaction can be minimized by teaching students to expect difficult questions prior to administering the first test. They are also assured that over the school year they will learn how to complete the questions that seem difficult. Linking/transition statement. Potential limitation of CBM-COMP include focuses strictly on computation and doesnt take into account the language demands of word problems, conceptual knowledge or spatial and numeric components (Christ et al.,

Curriculum-Based Measurement in Math 4 2008). Generalizations can not be made regarding the overall mathematical ability of a student due to narrow range and limited assessment of CBM-COMP. Cite specific studies that have looked at CMB as an effective measure of computational skills. In an attempt to assess a wider range of mathematical abilities, CBM typically focuses on CBM-COMP and CBM concepts and applications (CBM-APP). Like CBM-COMP, CBM-APP tests are comprised of 25 randomly organized questions sampled from the year curriculum. CBMAPP assesses skills related to number concepts, numeration, applied computation, geometry, measurement, money, charts and graphs and word problems. The scoring of the CBM-APP is based on the total number of digits or blanks correctly answered on the test. This makes the assessment more sensitive to student improvement because it takes into account minor errors students make allowing for partial credit for correct thinking (Fuchs et al., 2008). When reviewing the weekly tests, teachers also have the opportunity to conduct an error analysis to identify areas where specific instruction is needed. Fuchs and her colleagues (2008) have provided several tables to help teachers determine where to begin measurement levels and the appropriate length, end of the year benchmarks and improvement slope for CBM-APP tests. When compared with other well accepted and commonly used math assessments, the reliability of the CBM-APP was considered moderately high to high (coefficients ranging from .81 to .93)(see Fuchs et al. 2005 for more detail). In special education, the flexibility to match curriculum instruction to the students needs allows for individuality (what do you mean by this?) and an opportunity to identify and measure the effectiveness of specific strategies in math instruction. The goals set can be integrated into the Individual Program Plan as long term goals. The final aspect of CBM mathematical assessment involves real life math problem solving (CBM-RLM). The goal of CBM-RLM is to assess students strategies and processes on how to solve real-life dilemmas by presenting a multi-paragraph narrative describing a problem situation.

Curriculum-Based Measurement in Math 5 Questions focused on utilizing core skills, discriminating between relevant and irrelevant information in the narrative, generating information, explaining mathematical work and generating written communication regarding mathematics (Fuchs et al., 2005). When compared with other math assessments, the reliability of the CBM-RLM was considered low (coefficients ranging from . 62 to .67)(see Fuchs et al. 2005 for more detail). Although CBM-RLM attempts to assess an important component in mathematical abilities, more research is needed regarding the assessment and procedures for implementation. It is difficult to distinguish math assessment when there is such a large reading comprehension component to the narratives. Assessing CBM-RLM is a complex task that requires extensive teacher training and can be difficult to connect assessment to instructional programs. Curriculum-based measurements in mathematics provide a wealth of information based on grade specific skill sets. The frequency of test administration gives teachers direct feedback about student levels and effectiveness of instructional strategies. This fits nicely (wc) with the individualized nature of special education classrooms and diverse learners. However, teachers require time to score and graph weekly assessments and perform error analysis to evaluate instructional effectiveness. School administrators also need to support teachers in the implementation of CBM by providing training opportunities and computer programs to manage data efficiently and accurately. In special education, documenting growth can be a challenging task because long term goals may not reflect gains accurately. As such, CBMs may need to be used in conjunctions with [The use of] subskill mastery measures such as curriculum-based evaluation (CBE) may provide the opportunity to target specific short term goals, creating a more sensitive measure to assess the growth of special education students.

Curriculum-Based Measurement in Math 6 Rhonda this is a generally well developed paper that provides an overview of CBMs. What is missing from this paper is evidence of a critical analysis of the research in this area. What specific research evidence is there in support of CBMs? While the articles you selected likely provided this type of detail, it appears that most of the presented information in this report came from the introductory sections of the selected research articles. The intent of these discussion papers is to get you to give greater attention to and critically examine the methods and results section of these studies. (For example in your reading paper you did a better job at describing the studies within the body of your paper). Again, you need to work on your linking (how does one point relate to the subsequent point).

Curriculum-Based Measurement in Math 7 References (see APA for Levels of Headings) Christ, T. J., Scullin, S., Tolbize, A., & Jiban, C. L. (2008). Implications of recent research: Curriculum-based measurement of math computation. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 33(4), 198-205. (no extra spaces after each reference). Clarke, S. (2009). Using curriculum-based measurement to improve achievement. Principal, 88(3), 30-33. Fuchs, L. S., Fuchs, D., & Courey, S. J. (2005). Curriculum-based measurement of mathematics competence: From computation to concepts and applications to real-life problem solving. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 30(2), 33-46. Fuchs, L. S., Fuchs, D., & Zumeta, R. O. (2008). A curricular-sampling approach to progress monitoring: Mathematics concepts and applications. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 33(4), 225-233. Hintze, J. M., Christ, T. J., & Methe, S. A. (2006). Curriculum-based assessment. Psychology in the Schools, 43(1), 45-56. Kelley, B., Hosp, J. L., & Howell, K. W. (2008). Curriculum-based evaluation and math: An overview. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 33(4), 250-256.