How Often Should I Administer Writing CBMs?

Effective progress monitoring is done frequently, typically weekly. Because the response to intervention (RTI) model requires frequent progress monitoring of student performance, CBM is a logical choice for this framework. As the teacher collects CBM data over the course of the grading period or school year, these data points are plotted on a graph. The teacher compares each data point with the aimline, a diagonal line that connects the baseline where the student began the grading period and the performance goal. The teacher then makes instructional decisions based on the information provided by this comparison.

Bibliography: 1. Hessler, T., & Konrad, M. (2008). Using curriculum-based measurement to drive IEPs and instruction in written expression. Teaching Exceptional Children, 41(2), 28-37. Additional Online Resources: 1. www.aimsweb.com
A national sample of normed data and expected rates of improvement are available, as well as probe materials and scoring protocols.

How to Use CBMs To Drive Instruction In Written Expression For Secondary Students

2. www.easycbm.org
Provides teachers with a full suite of assessment and reporting options at every tier of the RTI process.

3. www.studentprogress.org
Sponsored by the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), this website provides information on monitoring student progress.

4. www.interventioncentral.org
A site developed especially for educators, downloadable content includes videos and manuals. Links to internet tutorials are also provided, along with various online tools like CBM chart makers and a behavior report card generator.

5. www.progressmonitoring.net
Federally funded by OSEP, this site provides resources and downloads related to progress monitoring, including one on utilizing CBM for the secondary population.

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John Arthur MAT 672

What is Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM)?

CBM is one tool teachers can use to assess academic skills, develop meaningful IEP objectives, monitor student progress toward those objectives, and target instruction. CBM is characterized by direct, reliable, and valid measures; simple, efcient, and inexpensive protocols; and easy-to-understand graphic displays of data.

What Can I Measure Using CBM for Writing?

There are several curriculum-based measures used in written expression including total words written, words spelled correctly, correct writing sequences, correct writing sequences minus incorrect writing sequences, correct punctuation marks, and total different words.

Why Should I Use CBM for Written Expression?

Not only is assessing writing a subjective and difcult task, but writing itself is a complicated task. CBMs are efcient indicators of overall writing performance, and help prioritize each students written expression decits. Only in recent years has the research literature seen an increase in the use of CBM in written expression. Valid measures for middle school students include correct writing sequences and correct writing sequences minus incorrect writing sequences; for high school students, a combination of measures is recommended. What is most important is that teachers use the error analysis matrix to drive their instruction.

How Do I Administer A Writing CBM?

Teachers should administer writing probes using consistent procedures to allow for comparison among students and to track individual growth. Teachers should provide students with a writing prompt, 1 minute of think time, and 3 minutes of writing time. Once students have nished writing, teachers should collect their samples using one or more of the measures. Its that easy!

Examples of common CBMs are number of words read aloud correctly in 1 minute for reading, and number of correct digits written in 2 minutes for math.