Examining Oral Passage Reading Rate Across Three Curriculum-Based Measurement Tools for Predicting Grade-Level Proficiency

Author Note. This research was supported by the Iowa Department of Education through contract #66511 to The University of Iowa. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the Iowa Department of Education.

Abstract

Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) for oral passage reading (OPR) is among the most commonly used tools for making screening decisions regarding academic proficiency status for students in first through sixth grades. Multiple publishers make available OPR tools, and while they are designed to measure the same broad construct of reading, research suggests that student performance varies within grades and across publishers. Despite the existence of multiple publishers of CBM tools for OPR, many of which include publisher-specific recommendations comparing student performance to a proficiency standard, the use of normative-based cut scores to interpret student performance remains prevalent. In the current study, three commercially available CBM tools for OPR were administered to 1,482 students in first through sixth grade. Results suggest differences between normative- and criterion-based approaches to determining cut scores for screening decisions. Implications regarding resource allocation for students in need of additional intervention are discussed.

Keywords:

• Universal screening
• CBM-reading
• AIMSweb
• DIBELS Next
• FAST

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jeremy W. Ford

Jeremy W. Ford, PhD, NCSP, is an assistant professor in the Department of Early & Special Education at Boise State University. His research interests include: curriculum-based measurement, explicit instruction, postsecondary transition and education for students with disabilities, multitiered systems of support, and screening and progress decision making.

Kristen N. Missall

Kristen N. Missall, PhD, NCSP, is an associate professor of school psychology at the University of Washington. Her research centers on child development from ages 3–8, and she specializes in school readiness and adjustment, early literacy and mathematics development, prosocial skill development, and data-based decision making in multitiered systems of support models.

John L. Hosp

John L. Hosp, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Student Development at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research focuses on aspects of implementing multitiered systems of support, including disproportionate representation of minority students in special education and aligning assessment and instruction, particularly in the areas of curriculum-based measurement and curriculum-based evaluation.

Jennifer L. Kuhle

Jennifer L. Kuhle, PhD, is a school psychologist for Mississippi River Bend Area Education Agency. Her main areas of interest include early reading development, functional behavior assessments, and the use of applied behavior analysis within a school setting.