Kelly Edwards

Tests and Measurements

Article Review #1: Mapping the Relationships Among Basic Facts, Concepts, and Application,

and Common Core Curriculum-Based Mathematics Measures

Part I

Codding, R. S., Mercer, S., Connell, J., Fiorello, C., & Kleinert, W. (2016). Mapping the

Relationships Among Basic Facts, Concepts, and Application, and Common Core

Curriculum-Based Mathematics Measures. School Psychology Review, 45(1), 19-38.

Part II

In the article Mapping the Relationships Among Basic Facts, Concepts, and Application,

and Common Core Curriculum-Based Mathematics Measures, Codding, Mercer, Connell,

Fiorello, and Kleinert discussed their concern for the connections between the use of curriculum

based math measures and students performance on assessments (pg. 19). They did a study

measuring three different things, which are basic facts, concepts and application, and measures

associated with Common Core (pg.19). They also used the patterns of annual growth and other

test scores to aid in predicting performance on other assessments. They concluded that the basic

facts predicted change on the concepts and application, which also predicted change in the

Common Core measure as well. There was some growth, however some classes remained the

same while none showed negativity (pg. 19).

The study was intended to highlight the relationship between reading and mathematics

curriculum, and focused on a single middle school consisting of grades sixth through eighth (pg.

23). The authors found that there was growth throughout the Common Core measurements as
well as the high-stakes measurements across all three of the grades. The need for the more basic

concepts progressively declined (pg. 35).

Part III

In my opinion, the research behind the article seemed to have a few issues. The study was

only done in one middle school, so it only represented one part of the country. There are many

factors that can influence test scores for both an individual child and a school as a whole.

Demographics is one large problem here. If the school were in a low income area, students may

or may not perform on the same level that they would if they were in a wealthier area. Students

may not have had proper nutrition, and hunger or classroom environment can easily effect their

focus. I will say that one thing the study did do well was having it cover grades six through eight,

because it was not isolated to one class in one grade. However, I think that the data would have

been a lot more accurate if the study observed multiple schools in multiple areas of the country

and compared them.

I believe that this article is relevant because it is important to study the connections

between various types of assessment in order to ensure that students are getting the proper

foundations for education. If a student does not understand something or the assessment is not

effective, it is the educators job to come alongside them and get them the help they need.

Because subjects often intertwine, such as reading and math in word problems, it is crucial to

catch issues in the curriculum early on when a concept is not covered as it should be.

Overall, the article would not be good as a stand alone reference, because of the limited

demographics covered. However, the article thoroughly covered the comparison of assessments,

and gave detailed diagrams and tables which presented the information clearly. To increase the

practicality of the application of the research, the article could be combined with other similar
studies from broader, more diverse populations. This would give the reader a better

understanding of the efficiency of the curriculum and their assessments.