Damien C. Cormier

A systematic review and summarization of the recommendations and research surrounding Curriculum-Based Measurement of oral reading fluency (CBM-R) decision rules

Research and policy have established that data are necessary to guide decisions within education. Many of these decisions are made within problem solving and response to intervention frameworks for service delivery. Curriculum-Based Measurement in Reading (CBM-R) is a widely used data collection procedure within those models of service delivery. Although the evidence for CBM-R as a screening and benchmarking procedure has been summarized multiple times in the literature, there is no comprehensive review of the evidence for its application to monitor and evaluate individual student progress. The purpose of this study was to identify and summarize the psychometric and empirical evidence for CBM-R as it is used to monitor and evaluate student progress. There was an emphasis on the recommended number of data points collected during progress monitoring and interpretive guidelines. The review identified 171 journal articles, chapters, and instructional manuals using online search engines and research databases. Recommendations and evidence from 102 documents that met the study criteria were evaluated and summarized. Results indicate that most decision-making practices are based on expert opinion and that there is very limited psychometric or empirical support for such practices. There is a lack of published evidence to support program evaluation and progress monitoring with CBM-R. More research is required to inform data collection procedures and interpretive guidelines.

Siblings exposed to intimate partner violence: linking sibling relationship quality & child adjustment problems.

Although the majority of families that experience intimate partner violence (IPV) have more than one child, most research to date has focused upon a single child within these families. A significant body of research has indicated siblings play an important role in childrens adjustment and well-being. To address this gap, the three main goals of the present study were to compare the adjustment of older and younger siblings exposed to IPV, to describe and compare the quality of these sibling relationships from multiple perspectives, and to investigate how sibling adjustment and relationship quality influence childrens adjustment. Forty-seven sibling pairs and their mothers were recruited from the community. Mothers self-reported on their violent experiences using the Conflict Tactics Scale, and also estimated the length of time their children were exposed to IPV. Mothers and children completed assessments of child adjustment and the quality of sibling relationships. Observers also assessed the quality of sibling interaction. Results indicated that adjustment between siblings was highly inter-related. On average, mothers reported sibling relationships as less positive but also as less hostile than did siblings themselves. Higher levels of sibling hostility, lower levels of sibling warmth and higher levels of disengagement each significantly predicted child adjustment; however, these effects were predicated upon the adjustment of the other sibling. The sibling relationships of children exposed to IPV made a difference in their individual adjustment, and their adjustment issues influenced how they feel about and interacted with their sibling. Sibling hostility played a stronger role in adjustment issues than sibling warmth. The nature of sibling influences and the direction of future research were discussed.

Assessment of Ecological Factors as an Integral Part of Academic and Mental Health Consultation

The assessment of ecological factors that affect individual mental health or academic functioning is an important component of educational and psychological consultation. Researchers and practitioners have conceptualized such ecological or environmental factors in a variety of ways and from a broad range of perspectives. In this article we identify and describe important components of a students environment that affect both instruction and mental health. The integration of these components into present educational and psychological assessments is discussed in light of available research. We conclude by highlighting specific needs for further research and development in ecological assessment, including expansion and improvement of assessment methods, improvement of available instrumentation, and increased attention toward effective implementation.

States’ Accommodations Policies and Development of Alternate Assessments Based on Modified Achievement Standards A Discriminant Analysis

The characteristics of a state’s accommodations policy may affect a state’s decision about whether to develop an alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). A very restrictive accommodations policy may make it more difficult for some students to participate in the state’s regular assessment used for accountability purposes. Descriptive discriminant analysis was used to identify whether differences in the number of allowed accommodations in five categories (presentation, equipment and materials, response, scheduling and timing, setting) differentiated between states that planned to offer an AA-MAS and those that did not. The results of this study provide preliminary evidence that the number of presentation accommodations a state’s policy allowed may be related to the decision the state made about whether to develop an AA-MAS.

Quantifying the "Degree of Linguistic Demand" in Spoken Intelligence Test Directions

The linguistic demand of spoken instructions on individually administered norm-referenced psychological and educational tests is of concern when examining individuals who have varying levels of language processing ability or varying cultural backgrounds. The authors present a new method for analyzing the level of verbosity, complexity, and total demand of spoken directions for individually administered test batteries. This preliminary methodological investigation suggests it is possible, and relatively easy, to gather useful empirical information regarding the complexity of spoken test directions using existing (readily available) text readability programs. It is suggested that best practice for individually administered psychological and educational tests may benefit from including this information when tests are published and/or compared.

Alternative Routes to Earning a Standard High School Diploma

States are working to improve their graduation rates, in part because of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) high school accountability requirements. This is taking place at the same time that 26 states have implemented exit examinations to determine, in part, whether a student has gained the knowledge and skills to earn a standard diploma and be prepared for a career or postsecondary education. This study examined the alternative routes that states have established for all students with and without disabilities to earn a standard diploma. Across the exit examination states, a total of 46 alternative routes were identified, with 23 each for all students or only for students with disabilities. The nature of the alternative routes and their passing criteria are presented. Although the alternative routes were fairly balanced across groups in what they required students to do (ranging from waivers, to other tests, to project/portfolios/performances, to comparable evidence), overall those routes for all students tended to emphasize meeting the same performance standards as the regular route compared with those for students with disabilities.

Revisiting the Relations Between the WJ-IV Measures of Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Cognitive Abilities and Reading Achievement During the School-Age Years

This study examined associations between broad cognitive abilities (Fluid Reasoning [Gf], Short-Term Working Memory [Gwm], Long-Term Storage and Retrieval [Glr], Processing Speed [Gs], Comprehension-Knowledge [Gc], Visual Processing [Gv], and Auditory Processing [Ga]) and reading achievement (Basic Reading Skills, Reading Rate, Reading Fluency, and Reading Comprehension) in a nationally representative school-age sample. Findings indicate that some cognitive abilities were stronger predictors of reading achievement than previously found (e.g., Gf, Ga, and Gs). Most notably, the Woodcock-Johnson–IV Gf cluster was found to be the strongest and most consistent predictor of reading achievement. A secondary analysis suggests that this effect was likely due to the new Number Series test. The results of the study suggest revisions to previous conceptualizations of the associations between the broad Cattell-Horn-Carroll abilities and areas of reading achievement.

The Influences of Linguistic Demand and Cultural Loading on Cognitive Test Scores.

The increasing diversity of the U.S. population has resulted in increased concerns about the psychological assessment of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. To date, little empirical research supports recommendations in test selection and interpretation, such as those presented in the Culture–Language Interpretative Matrix (C-LIM). The current investigation was conducted to empirically evaluate the validity of the C-LIM classifications for the Woodcock–Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities, Third Edition (WJ III COG). The WJ III Normative Update standardization sample was used to determine the extent to which the two dimensions of the C-LIM (i.e., cultural loading and linguistic demand) influence performance on 20 of the WJ III tests. Results provide support for a re-classification of the C-LIM. Implications for research and school psychology practices are discussed.

The messiness of LD identification: Contributions of diagnostic criteria and clinical judgment.

To make a diagnosis, clinicians rely on both diagnostic criteria and clinical reasoning. In the case of learning disabilities (LDs), reliance on the latter (clinical reasoning) is likely to be heightened, given the current absence of a consistent LD diagnostic approach or definition. This study investigated the agreement between diagnostic decisions of reading LD (RLD) made by clinicians and those produced from strict adherence to 3 commonly employed diagnostic models (i.e., low achievement, ability-achievement discrepancy, processing strengths and weakness). Using a clinical sample of 313 elementary-aged children, the level of agreement between clinician and models was determined using kappa. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (4th ed.: Canadian; WISC-IVCDN; Wechsler, 2003) and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (3rd ed.: Canadian; WIAT-IIICDN; Wechsler, 2010) were used in the comparisons. Overall, the results indicate varying levels of agreement between: (a) clinician and model identification of reading disabilities, and (b) model-model agreement. The strongest agreement was between the clinician and low achievement model (LAM)—the model with the broadest LD definition. Clinicians should carefully consider the rationale for their diagnostic approach and be mindful of additional factors influencing their clinical judgment. Résumé Pour établir un diagnostic, les cliniciens se fondent sur des critères diagnostics et sur le raisonnement clinique. Dans le cas des troubles d’apprentissage, il est probable que l’on se fonde davantage sur le raisonnement clinique pour poser un diagnostic, en raison de l’absence actuelle d’une approche ou d’une définition homogène de ces troubles. Cette étude s’est penchée sur la concordance entre l’établissement de diagnostics de trouble d’apprentissage de lecture par des cliniciens et les diagnostics établis grâce au recours à trois modèles couramment utilisés, à savoir : le modèle de performance sous le seuil de réussite (low achievement model), le modèle des différences entre aptitudes et réussite (ability achievement discrepancy) et les points forts et les points faibles des processus cognitifs (processing strengths and weakness). Se fondant sur un échantillon clinique de 313 enfants de l’âge du primaire, le niveau de concordance entre le diagnostic clinique et les modèles a été évalué selon le test de concordance Kappa. L’échelle d’intelligence de Wechsler destinée aux enfants (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children; 4th ed.: Canadian; WISC-IVCDN; Wechsler, 2003) et le test de rendement individuel de Wechsler (Wechsler Individual Achievement Test; 3rd ed.: Canadian; WIAT-IIICDN; Wechsler, 2010) ont été utilisés pour établir les comparaisons. Dans l’ensemble, les résultats montrent des niveaux variés de concordance entre : (a) l’identification clinique et à l’aide de modèles des difficultés de lecture, ainsi qu’entre (b) les divers modèles. La meilleure concordance s’observe entre le diagnostic clinique et l’identification à l’aide du modèle de faible réussite, soit celui qui propose la définition la plus vaste des troubles d’apprentissage. Les cliniciens devraient évaluer soigneusement la justification de leur approche diagnostique et tenir compte des autres facteurs pouvant influer sur leur jugement clinique.

An Examination of the Relationship between Computation, Problem Solving, and Reading.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship of mathematics calculation rate (curriculum-based measurement of mathematics; CBM-M), reading rate (curriculum-based measurement of reading; CBM-R), and mathematics application and problem solving skills (mathematics screener) among students at four levels of proficiency on a statewide test. It was hypothesized that CBM-M provides insufficient information to make good screening decisions and that other measures with content more similar to that of large-scale tests of mathematics would function to improve screening. One hundred and seventy students in third grade from a rural elementary school in the Midwestern United States participated. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate direct, mediator, and latent growth models. In general, CBM-R mediated the relationship between the mathematics ability screener and passing the state assessment, while CBM-M did not have any significant paths within these models. Results are discussed in terms of the utility of CBM-M and CBM-R procedures in screening for success on state test performance in mathematics.