Curriculum Based Evaluation

Gary L. Cates, Ph.D.

Steps to CBE

• Identify the problem– Observe accuracy and fluency in specific skills (Probes/Assignments)

• Develop a plan to address the problem– Instructional Hierarchy (Acquisition, Fluency, maintenance,

Generalization, Adaptation)• Implement the plan

– Intervention Articulation Form• Evaluate the plan

– Single Case Research Design• Adapt the plan as needed

– React to students responding

Curriculum Based Evaluation in Reading

Gary L. Cates, Ph.D.

Decoding

• AKA Reading• Carnine: – Teachers need right materials– Teachers need right training

• Adams– Code instruction with meaning better for ALL readers

• Rate of Decoding is essential in understanding differences in effects of various reading methods.

Important Points

• Perceptual Processes: They matter very little.

• Early Reading Skills: Teach older kids that do not have early literacy skills these skills?

• Reading Levels: within text, across curricula– What about Grade Equivalents?

• The right question: What skill does the student need to learn?

Error/Miscue Analysis

• Variable empirical support• Problem with Operational Definitions• Should be an appropriate error sample (i.e.

must make enough errors – 80-85%)

Pre-reading readiness

• Book Orientation• Sentence, word, letter boundaries,• Letter names• Symbol recognition?• Word recognition• Word/sentence manipulation: Rain/Bow• Segmenting, rhyming, blending,

Hypothesis: Won’t do

• Provide reinforcer for reading accurately (50% increase?)

Hypothesis: Error not important to meaning

• Tally errors and get percent of words that violate meaning (i.e. would give you a different sentence understanding).

• Shouldn’t be out of specified range.

Hypothesis: Code Structure is the issue

• Read a passage and note errors.• Errors related to pattern in words?• Be sure to base this on opportunity for error

not just percentage of errors.

Hypothesis: Word Substitutions are?

• Related to phonics?– Misses phonetically regular portions of words– Can’t read non-sense words

• Not related to phonics?– Provide assisted self-monitoring – Maybe not a problem (Check if affects to meaning)

CBE: Comprehension

Let’s Change our Thinking

• Comprehension is a complex process• Let’s talk about how a reader “reacts” to their

reading.– Answering questions, retelling, paraphrasing,

cloze, maze, t/f etc.

9 Causes of Comprehension Failure

• These are 9 things that a good reader does that a poor reader doesn’t.

• If you want a cool round number (the top “10” reasons) the 10th is Insufficient reinforcement.

Strategies of Comprehension

• Monitor for meaning and self-correct• Selective attention to text: Skimming, going

over closely• Adjust for Text Difficulty: Change rate,

rereading, highlighting• Connect with Prior Knowledge: • Clarify: Figure it out in some way to make it

make sense (Ask for help?; Google)

Enablers of Comprehension

• Decoding: 140 wcpm (after 3rd grade)• Vocabulary (Semantics) – 70% of the variability!– Definitions– Determining Word Meaning

• Grammar (Syntax): Rare, but could be ESL• Prior Knowledge

Curriculum Based Evaluation in Math

Gary L. Cates, Ph.D.

Mark

• Mark is having difficulty with multiplication of fractions. An example of such a problem is:5/6 x 3/9 = ?His answer to such a problem was 15/45

• Take some time to write down your thoughts about how to assess this problem fully and generate an intervention that may be helpful given a fictional hypothesis that you may formulate based on your assessment.

Mathematics Areas

• Computation: Accurately and quickly responding with symbols of quantity

• Concepts: Rules• Strategies: Need to be efficient• Facts: Numerical statements• Application: Using math– Sub-domains: Tool use, content knowledge, and

Vocabulary • Problem-Solving: Using both computation and

application.

Math Assessments

• Irrelevant standards• Irrelevant formats• Lack empirically validated sequencing• Inadequate samples of student behavior• Provide little insight into why errors are made• Not aligned with instructional objectives

Interviewing & Error Analysis

• 2 ways of collecting information for the development of a hypothesis

• Interviewing• Error Analysis: Need a lot of problems of the

same type (Facts, operations, applications)

Setting Goals with BMC considered

• Consider Basic Movement Cycle (BMC)– Think of it as a “handicap”

• Task Mastery Rate (TMR)= 50/minute• Current BMC = 75/minute• Expected BMC = 100/minute• Formula: (TMR * Current BMC)/(EBMC)– (50*75)/100 = 37.5– With current BMC student should be able to make

37.5 DCPM

Let’s try an Example

• Complete a probe and make a few errors (with pattern or without).

• Exchange probes with a colleague.• Analyze a colleague’s probe for errors• Develop a hypothesis• Develop and intervention• Describe how you would evaluate the

intervention

Curriculum Based Evaluation in Written Expression

Gary L. Cates, Ph.D.

The writer as an Author

• Purpose: Intent– The reader must know writer’s intent

• Process– Planning: • Pre-writing: Intent and Style• During: Ongoing changes of style

– Reviewing: constant recursive steps– Revision: Improvement of clarity of intent– Transcribing: “Editing” (Writer as secretary)

Writer as Author Continued

• Product– Fluency: TWW and CWS– Syntactic Maturity: Complexity of sentences– Vocabulary: Sophistication and non-repeating– Content: Holistic rating/attention to organization– Conventions: Errors in mechanics

Assessment Options

• Permanent products• Story Starters (younger kids)– Picture prompts could result in description only

• Essays (older kids)

Measurement Options

• Qualitative Scale (1 to 5 rating)– Not a normative Scaling!– Criterion Scale

• Holistic Scale (4 tiers of papers?)– Teachers at each grade level divide best from worst and

rate the others accordingly– How about for benchmarking?

• Direct Measurement– NCW/L or W/LS– Important to adhere to “traits” you have chosen

Setting Goals

• Develop Cut Scores (1.5 or 2x discrepancy from standard)

• Set goal to close the gap between current performance and expectation

Instructional Ideas

• Balanced Instruction: Pre-writing Planning• Teach The process: Planning, reviewing,

revising, transcribing, peer collaboration• Teach fluency of expression: Read/write a lot.

In different ways for different people• Balanced Mechanics: COPS• Note about spelling: Morphograph instruction

and not word lists!