Web 2.0

a5

A Guide to ChoosingWeb-Based Curriculum-

Based Measurementsfor the Classroom

Mrs. Jensen, a special education

teacher, faces a dilemma common to

many teachers: She is running out of

time to do what she knows her stu-

dents need. She knows, for example,

that frequent informal assessments

linked to the curriculum are important

indicators of her students' progress.

She knows that such probes, or quick

assessments, help her and her students

stay abreast of reading, writing, and

mathematics. She also knows that her

caseload of students has increased to

the point where she has found it

impossible to conduct such frequent

probes and provide regular feedback to

her students. What is Mrs. Jensen to

do? This article describes an Intemet-

supporied approach that is cost effec-

tive, is easy for students to use on their

own, and provides its own data-

management system—easily accessible

and applied to real situations: Web-

based curriculum-based assessment.

As the accountability for studentprogress has increased (No Child LeftBehind, NCLB, 2002), schools haveprogressively implemented curriculum-based measurement (CBM) to monitorindividual growth and make adequateinstructional changes. Students whoseteachers used CBMs to guide instruc-tion outperformed comparable stu-dents whose teachers did not usethese measures (Stecker & Fuchs,2000). Although CBMs are effective(Fuchs, Fuchs, Hosp, & Hamlett,

Minkowan Goo, Sarah Watt,

Yungkeun Park, and John Hosp

ciency of these tools are directly con-nected to the quality and quantity ofimplementation

Overview of CBMGBM provides educators a way to col-lect data regarding a student's progresson curriculum areas; it allows instruc-tors to make rational decisions aboutprograms or student placement or cur-rent needs (Hosp, Hosp, & Howell,2007). The power of a CBM is that thetool provides teachers with a valid and

The power of a CBM is that the tool provides teachers

with a valid and reliable way to determine a student's

level of performance, as well as the student's rate of

progress toward specific performance goals.

2003), teachers are rarely prepared toanalyze the data collected throughthese instruments and write measure-able goals and objectives in responseto the data (Codding, Skowron, &Pace, 2005). Yet, the efficacy and effi-

reliable way to determine a student'slevel of performance, as well as thestudent's rate of progress toward spe-cific performance goals (Deno, 2003).The data-collection process for eachindividual measure should take no

34 COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

more than a few minutes, allowingteachers to make immediate decisionsabout instruction.

Although special education teacherscontinue to use CBM to monitor stu-dents' progress, this same process canalso be used for all students to (a)assist with the assessment of interven-tion strategies within a response-to-intervention (RTI) framework (NationalCenter on Response to Intervention,2010), (b) assess speciflc content-areaskills, (c) measure the mastery of indi-vidualized education program (IEP)goals, and (d) predict the rates of suc-cess for bigh-stakes assessments(Deno, 2003). In this article, we pro-vide ways to help with the implemen-tation and use of these tools.

Issues Related toImplementation

As with any educational practice ormeasurement, the fldelity of use—which refers to the consistency andaccuracy of implementation—is criticalto the effects on overall studentachievement (Detgen, Yamashita,Davis, & Wraight, 2011). As teachersunderstand the importance of usingthe CBM with fidelity and as theyperceive this tool as feasible andacceptable, learning outcomes willshow promise (Stecker, Fuchs, &Fuchs, 2005). The practice of usingCBMs was founded on the feasibilityof their use in classroom settings. Forsuccessful implementation of CBM,teachers needs to create many replic-able forms for using CBM throughapproaches that save time and money(Deno, 2003).

Each measure should take limitedclassroom time to administer (anotherbonus); however, when each measureis aggregated around a full caseload ofstudents and muhiple content areas,teachers need time to look at the big

^ • • M W i ' l r ^

TEACHING EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN NOV/DEC 2012 35

Table 1 . Amount of Time (in Minutes) to Implement for Each CBM Type

CBM lype Administration Scoring & Grapiiing

Oral Reading Fluency

Maze

Writing

Spelling

Computation

Concepts/Applications

1

3

5

2

5-10^

11-16

2

2

2''

2

2

2

3

5

7

4

7-12

13-18

Note. CBM = curriculum-based measurement.^Scoring for total words written (TWW), words spelled correctly (WSC), and correct writing sequences (CWS).''Amount of time varies by grade level.

picture. Administrators should keep in

mind that with caseloads of students

growing larger each year, taking the

time to administer these measures can

seem a daunting task for teachers to

complete on their own. Table 1 pro-

vides some guidelines for administra-

tors and teachers to consider once all

of the CBMs are created related to scor-

ing and graphing overall classroom

results.

Increasing Hie Efficiency ofWeb-Based CBM (WB-CBM}

Four strategies to enable teachers toadminister CBMs in the most efficientway are provided by Wesson, Fuchs,Tindal, Mirkin, and Deno (1986).These four strategies decreased theamount of time needed to administerand score CBMs. In addition, thesestrategies increased the fidelity of CBMimplementation. In this article, we pro-

Growing Nëedi of Web-Based CBM (WB-CBM)

Mrs. Jensen is a special education teacher in a Midwestern school district in theUnited States. For the past 10 years, she has had caseloads of 8 to 12 students;but recently those numbers have increased to 15 to 18 students, with a range ofmild to moderate disabilities. Mrs. Jensen uses CBMs to track the progress ofeach of her students, according to their individualized education program (IEP)goals. Every Friday she sets aside time to administer reading, writing, and mathprobes to her students. She begins by administering the math probe to thewhole group. Next she administers the writing probe for 3 minutes. While thestudents are taking writing probes, she begins grading the math probes. Follow-ing the administration of these writing and math probes, she individually meetswith students to assess their reading fluency. During this assessment, the otherstudents are typically reading silently or working on other homework. Becauseher caseload has grown larger, it has become more time consuming to adminis-ter these various probes to her students—not to mention the scoring and man-agement of the data. There are weeks when Mrs. Jensen simply files the un-graded assessments into her cabinet until progress reports are due. She realizesby doing this she is not using them for the intended purpose, but it is all shecan do to stay afloat with so many new demands and initiatives in the building.

vide several examples of the use ofWB-CBM, its feasibility, and its benefitsrelated to increased caseload of stu-dents, as well as practical tips to dealwith these issues in a classroom set-ting. (See box, "Growing Needs ofWeb-Based CBM.")

To address Mrs. Jensen's concerns,using computers to reduce the amountof time to administer and score CBMsis a great option. By using computer-based CBMs (CB-CBMs), Mrs. Jensencould save an average of 5 hours perweek in administration and scoringtime (Fuchs, Fuchs, & Hamlett, 1993).

Mrs. Jensen also might use the newweb-based assessment systems thathave been developed (He & Tymms,2005). Teachers have reported thatweb-based assessment systems are auseful tool to improve student per-formance (Wang, 2011), as well as toenhance teachers' satisfaction with theprocedures of assessment (Wang,Wang, Wang, Huang, & Chen, 2004).Similarly, teachers can more easilyadminister and manage CBM datathrough WB-CBM (Tsuei, 2008). Theuse of these systems allows teacherslike Mrs. Jensen to easily makeinstructional decisions by providingvarious visual data to efficiently moni-tor students' progress—data presentedin graphs, charts, and tables. Mrs.

36 COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

Jensen can also share individualachievement data more efflciently withparents through these web-based sys-tems. The use of WB-CBMs allowsteachers to reduce the amount of timeneeded to implement CBMs andincreases teacher satisfaction. WB-CBMs allow quick and easy access tothe student CBM data at any time andthe ability to e-mail graphs and reportsto parents directly.

Selection of Web-Based CBM

When considering a WB-CBM for stu-dent assessments, teachers should havea strong voice in determining which ofthe different features to choose fromthat meets their students' needs, aswell as the district and state repordngrequirements. Although most WB-CBMs contain similar features, somedifferences involve compatibility, com-puterized administration, level of adap-tations and accommodations providedif electronically administered (e.g.,voice to text), and data managementand scoring analyses. Figure 1 providesquestions to guide the adoption of aCBM. Answering these types of ques-tions could help Mrs. Jensen select atool that could increase the amount ofdme she has to accomplish other tasksand be more efficient in her adminis-tration and scoring, thus allowing herto fully achieve the purpose of a CBM,to change student learning outcomes.(See box, "Selecdon of WB-CBMs.")

Teachers are often the best peopleto decide what tools are most helpful.To guide decisions about adoption ofWB-CBMs, Table 2 provides detailedinformadon on 11 options. The tableincludes (a) the WB-CBM names, (b)the web site addresses, (c) the gradelevels available, (d) the content areasavailable, (e) the costs of service, and(f) the methods of administration andreporting. Using information in thistable, teachers can select an appropri-ate WB-CBM for their educational set-ting. They can also easily choose a pro-gram that is within their budget andcontains the content areas (i.e., writ-ing, math, reading, behavior) in whichthey intend to monitor individual stu-dent learning gains.

Figure 1 . Questions to Consider When Selecting Your Web-BasedCurriculum-Based Measurement

1. Will this be easy for my students to navigate and use independently?

2. What is the cost of the system? Is it a per-student charge or does a classlicense need to be purchased?

3. What type of technology do I have available to access this new system(laptop, iPad)?

4. Do I want my system to administer, score, and manage data?

5. What types of reports will the system create that will be helpful for me?

6. How does the system ensure confidentiality?

7. Who do I need to receive approval from in my district to purchase andimplement this system?

As teachers select WB-CBMs, theyneed to keep in mind the grade level ofthe content areas covered by each sys-tem. Teachers will note that some WB-CBMs cover Crades K-12, while othersare designed for a narrower gradespans, such as Crades K-6 or 1-8.Most WB-CBMs provide reading andmath support, but some include addi-tional content such as writing, spelling,and behavior.

Table 2 also provides the method ofadministration. Teachers can ask stu-dents to take the test directly online,or they can print out test materialsand upload the data to the web site.Programs that do not administer thetest directly online may not score thetest. The scores will need to beuploaded to the web site manually.Some WB-CBMs, however, offer theoption to upload a scan of the test toenable the program to score it (e.g..Data Director). All programs listed willgraph the data and provide feedbackon student progress no matter how thescores were initially entered.

In addidon, the costs for using WB-CBMs vary depending on the publisherand the options selected by the user. Ifteachers are solely purchasing a data-management system, CBM materialswill need to be purchased or acquiredseparately. These costs are also contin-ually changing as programs expand.Adding up the overall costs in time andresources is important when selecting

the WB-CBM most appropriate for

classrooms.

As WB-CBMs are becoming more

commonly used, publishers are adapt-

ing this tool to keep up with the

changing curriculum and demands in

today's classrooms. Teachers can

adapt WB-CBMs as a way to assess

Selection of WB-CBMs

Mrs. Jensen attended a professionaldevelopment inservice at a localschool district regarding CBMs. Theteachers were talking about howefficient the new web-based CBM(WB-CBM) programs were that theyhad purchased for their classrooms.When she returned to her classroomthe next day, she decided to take acloser look at these WB-CBMs.First, she considered the requiredcontent, available technologydevices, and cost. She had a laptopin her classroom, but had limitedfunding to purchase software oradditional computers. She searchedfor some information about WB-CBMs and then discussed the infor-mation she found with her col-leagues. With the support of theprincipal, she purchased a low-costWB-CBM that would administer,score, and graph the assessments foreach student.

TEACHINC EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN | NOV/DEC 2012 37

Table 2 . Cemputer-Based CBM Assessment and Data-Management Tools

Content Cost Administration Reporting

WB-CBM/Web AddressWriting Student

Grade Reading Math /Spelling Behavior per lyr Web Paper Scoring Graphing Analysis

AIMSwebhttp://aimsweb.com

Data Directorhttp://edusoft.com

DIBELS Nexthttp://dibels.uoregon.edu

easyCBM Litehttp://easycbm.com

easyCBM™http://easycbm.com

Edcheckuphttp://edcheckup.com

FASThttp://fast.cehd.umn.edu

STEEPhttp://isteeplearning.com

mCLASShttp://wirelessgeneration.com

Vanderbilt RTI Monitorhttp://rtimonitor.com

Yearly Progress Prohttp://mhdigitallearning.com

K-8

K-12

K-6

K-8

K-8

K-8

1-6

K-12

K-3

1-8

1-8

i g

<m

m

@£

m

m

•m

m

§

Ê

§

Ê

»

§

§

/

$4-6

$5.25

$1.00

Free

$3.00

$3.00

Free

$5.00

$13.00

$5.00

$9.25

M

M

M

M

M

M

i/i

i/i

r/j

Í/J

\/\

•

. / - - • '

^y

' S

Noie. CBM = curriculum-hased measurement; WB-CBM = web-based CBM.

English language learners (ELLs) byproviding materials in languages suchas Spanish or French (e.g., DIBEL—https://dibels.uoregon.edu/idelinfo.php/; http://dibels.org/idapel.html).Several publishers have also devel-oped systems that provide data man-agement and interpretation of behav-ior, in addition to academic areas

(e.g., AIMSweb—http://www.aimsweb.com/behavior/).

Implementation of WB-CBM

Once teachers select a tool, the nextstep is to implement the WB-CBM.Table 3 shows the steps Mrs. Jensenwas provided to implementing a WB-CBM in the classroom. The road map

provided in Table 3 for implementa-tion can guide teachers from the ini-tial purchasing state to the data-analy-sis phase of implementation. (See box,"Implementation of WB-CBMs.")

Final Thoughts

Teachers like Mrs. Jensen are beingheld accountable for students'

Implementation of WB-CBMs

After purchasing the WB-CBM and reading information onhow to properly implement it within her classroom, Mrs.Jensen set up a schedule for administration. Each day twoto four students would sit down at the laptop during theirscheduled CBM time and complete the probes in their pro-file. In approximately 10 minutes, students complete thereading, writing, and math CBMs. The WB-CBM she pur-chased then scores, graphs, and places the information in adata matiagement spreadsheet for future use.

On Friday afternoons, Mrs. Jensen looks over the reportsprovided by each CBM for her students. On one particularFriday, she notices the graph for one student (Billy) shows

little increase in slope; and all the data points are below theaim line for their goal (see Figure 2). Based on this informa-tion and Mrs. Jensen's own teaching expertise, she altersthe instructional method for reading and increases theintensity to better fit Billy's needs. When evaluating thegraphs of two of her other students, Mrs. Jensen alsonotices that there is little difference between the aim linefor their behavioral goals and the slope of the students'individual trend lines. Based on this information, Mrs.Jensen continues with the same course of instruction, butwatches closely to see if she needs to increase the students'goals in the future.

38 COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

Table 3 . Gênerai Steps to implementing WB-CBM in tbe Classroom

Implementation of WB-CBM in the Classroom

Step 1: Planning

Step 2: C r e a t i n ^ ^ ^ ^ lAccounts ^ ^ ^ 1

Step 3: Training ^ H

Step 4: Administeringand Scoring

Step 5: Report

As with any assessment tool, the first determination is what question or questions the resultswill be used to answer. This is similar to buying a vehicle—the most appropriate one for yourneeds differs depending on whether you need to haul heavy objects, transport a lot of people,or drive really fast with the wind whipping through your hair. Table 2 contains information on avariety of WB-CBMs to help with this decision. Each WB-CBM has its own features and certainoptions are included in different ways. Ensuring that the WB-CBM is well designed to meet yourneeds is crucial.

After choosing a WB-CBM, you have to create an account or accounts. This is required to storeand manage students' data, which is the key to aggregating, reporting, and interpreting results.WB-CBMs require creating accounts for both teachers and students. Most WB-CBMs offer easystep-by-step guidelines on how to create these accounts. Issues of confidendality and accessparticularly related to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) should be consid-ered, such as who can gain access, if they have proper authority or educational need, and howthe system protects the data from those who should not have access to them.

Training is a pivotal factor to implement a WB-CBM. Before implementing WB-CBM, you shouldcarefully read the manuals for the WB-CBM and repeatedly practice each of the procedures. Youcould save administration and scoring dme for CBM procedures and obtain more accurate datathrough this training. Having preset standards for fidelity and reliability of administration andscoring will help determine the success of the training.

The means of administering and scoring vary in WB-CBMs (See Table 2). In general, WB-CBMsallow you to administer and score CBMs online or in a paper/pencil format. If you administerand score CBMs onUne, the results are automadcally stored; however, if CBMs are administeredin a paper/pencil fashion (some measurements are necessarily taken in a paper/pencil format),you have to score tests by hand and the scores have to be uploaded into your students'accounts.

The methods for reporting also vary in WB-CBMs. WB-CBMs provide data analyses on students'performances based on benchmarks or goals. Usually, these data analyses visually present stu-dents' progress with various types of graphs (e.g., line graphs, histograms, box plots, scatterplots, and class progress summaries). Feedback on instructional changes or goals is provided bysome WB-CBMs as well.

Note. CBM = curriculum-based measurement; WB-CBM = web-based CBM.

progress more than ever before. Asmore students with special education-al needs are being included in general

appropriate instructional changes. Theuse of WB-CBMs can support teachersin analyzing student growth and their

The use of WB-CBMs can support

teachers in analyzing student growth and

their own instructional practices.

education and class sizes are increas-ing, teachers are struggling to findtime to measure progress and make

own instructional practices.Implementing WB-CBMs can not onlyreduce the time spent measuring

progress and managing and analyzingdata, but can also help teachers investmore time on effective instruction,while improving students' academicachievement (Tsuei, 2008). In an edu-cational system that has placed astrong emphasis on individual studentgrowth, the use of effective and effi-cient assessment tools is no longeroptional, but is necessary to effective-ly monitor students' progress andmake instructional changes for them.The efficiency of WB-CBMs bringsthe advantages of CBM and feasibility

TEACHING EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN | NOV/DEC 2012 39

Figure 2 . Biiiy's Curriculum-Based Measurement Profile

of web-based systems into the class-room.

ReferencesCodding, R. S., Skowron, J., & Pace, G. M.

(2005). Back to basics: Training teachersto interpret curricuium-hased measure-ment data and create observable andmeasurable objectives. Behavioral Inter-ventions, 20, 165-176. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bin.l94

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Fuchs, L. S., Fuchs, D., Hosp, M. K., & Ham-lett, C. L. (2003). The potential for diag-nostic analysis within curriculum-basedmeasurement. Assessment for EffectiveIntervention, 28(3-4), 13-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/073724770302800303

He, Q., & Tymms, P. (2005). A computer-assisted test design and diagnosis systemfor use by classroom teachers. Journal ofComputer Assisted Leaming, 21, 419-429.

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Hosp, M. K., Hosp, J. L., & Howell, K. W(2007). The ABCs of CBM: A practicalguide to curriculum-based measurement.New York, NY: Cuilford Press.

National Center on Response to Interven-tion. (2010, March). Essentiat componentsof RTI—A closer look at response to inter-vention. Washington, DC: U.S. Depart-ment of Education, Office of SpecialEducation Programs, National Center onResponse to Intervention. Retrieved fromhttp://www.rti4success.org/pdf/rtiessentialcomponents_042710.pdf

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, 20 U.S.C.§ 6301 et seq. (2002).

Stecker, P. M., & Fuchs, L. S. (2000). Effect-ing superior achievement using curricu-lum-based measurement: The importanceof individual progress monitoring. Leam-ing Disability Research and Practice, 15,128-134. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/SLDRP1503

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Tsuei, M. (2008). A web-based curriculum-based measurement system for class-wideongoing assessment. Journal of ComputerAssisted Leaming, 24(1), 47-60. http://dx.doi.org/10.im/j.l365-2729.2007.00242.x

Wang, T. (2011). Developing web-basedassessment strategies for facilitating jun-ior high school students to perform self-regulated learning in an e-learning envi-ronment. Computers & Education, 57,1801-1812. http://dx.doi.0rg/lO.lOl6/j.compedu.2011.01.003

Wang, T H., Wang, K. H., Wang, W. L.,Huang, S. C , & Chen, S. Y. (2004). Web-based assessment and test analyses

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Wesson, C, Fuchs, L. S., Tindal, G., Mirkin,P. K., & Deno, S. L. (1986). Eacilitatingthe efficiency of on-going curriculum-based measurement. Teacher Educationand Special Education, 9, 166-172.http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/088840648600900403

Minkowan Goo (Iowa CEC), DoctoralStudent; Sarah Watt (Iowa CEC), DoctoralStudent: Yungkeun Park (Iowa CEC),Doctoral Student: and John Hosp (IowaCEC), Professor, Teaching and Leaming,University of Iowa, Iowa City.

Address correspondence conceming thisarticle to Minkowan Goo, 239a LindquistCenter, Iowa City ¡A 52246 (e-mail:phd.goo@gmail.com).

TEACHING Exceptional Children, Vol. 45,No. 2, pp. 34-40.

Copyright 2012 CEC.

ClassifiedEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Hays (KS) Area Children'sCenter, Inc. (HACC) seeks an ExecutiveDirector to oversee all programs of theagency, including an 82-child licensedchild care center, Infant/Toddler EarlyIntervention Services, Child Care Aware®of Northwest Kansas, and Healthy StartHome Visitor services. Applicants mustbe licensed in Kansas as a Director ofSpecial Education, Early ChildhoodSpecial Education Supervisor, and/orDistrict Leadership. A minimum of twoyears experience in the provision of PartC services is required; Early Childhoodendorsement preferred. HACC offers acompetitive compensation and benefitspackage, through employment with USD489/Hays School District. For more infor-mation about the position, the agency,and our community, or to download anapplication, visit www.hacc.info. Startdate is June 1, 2013. Applicationsaccepted until the position is filled.Submit application, resume, cover letter,and three references to:

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94 Lewis Drive, Hays, KS 67601

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