An Investigation of the Validity and Utility of Two Curriculum-Based Measurement Writing Tasks

Abstract

We investigated 2 curriculum-based measurement tasks for writing with 170 students in 2nd and 3rd grade. The 2 tasks, Story Starter and Picture Story, varied on topical support. Both tasks used production and accuracy scores, and we developed a qualitative score for Picture Story. All production and accuracy scores and the qualitative score demonstrated low to moderate validity coefficients with the Woodcock–Johnson Test of Achievement Writing Samples subtest and a teacher rating of overall writing ability. All scores were sensitive to grade-level differences in performance, with 3rd-grade students performing higher than 2nd-grade students. Two scores for Picture Story were sensitive to growth only for 3rd-grade students, and 5 scores were sensitive to bimonthly growth for both grade levels. There was moderate classification accuracy for both tasks.

Notes

Note. WW = total words written; WSC = words spelled correctly; CWS = correct word sequences; WJ3 = Woodcock–Johnson Tests of Achievement–Third Edition/Normative Update; SS = standard score.

Note. Point 1, Grade 2, is below the diagonal; Grade 3 is above the diagonal. WW = total words written; WSC = words spelled correctly; CWS = correct word sequences; QUAL = qualitative score. All correlations are significant at p < .05.Q16.

Note. Correlations with teacher ratings were calculated by grade using Spearman rho coefficients. WJ3 = Woodcock–Johnson Tests of Achievement–Third Edition/Normative Update; WW = total words written; WSC = words spelled correctly; CWS = correct word sequences; QUAL = qualitative score. All correlations are significant at p < .05 except r = .15, p = .20.

Note. WW = total words written; WSC = words spelled correctly; CWS = correct word sequences; QUAL = qualitative score.

Note. FNR = false negative rate; FPR = false positive rate; AUC = area under the curve; WJ3 = Woodcock–Johnson Tests of Achievement–Third Edition/Normative Update; WW = total words written; WSC = words spelled correctly; CWS = correct word sequences; QUAL = qualitative score.