Milena A. Keller-Margulis

Differences in Growth on Math Curriculum-Based Measures Using Triannual Benchmarks.

Recent research on annual growth measured using curriculum-based measurement (CBM) indicates that growth may not be linear across the year and instead varies across semesters. Numerous studies in reading have confirmed this phenomenon with only one study of math computation yielding a similar finding. This study further investigated the presence of differences in growth across triannual benchmarks using math computation and concepts and applications CBMs. Results indicated that there are differences in growth across semesters at certain grade levels with only first-grade computation and fourth-grade concepts and applications yielding linear growth. The practical implications for understanding student growth and for setting progress goals are addressed and future directions for research are suggested.

Reading Curriculum-Based Measures in Spanish: An Examination of Validity and Diagnostic Accuracy.

Substantial research exists to support the use of reading curriculum-based measures (R-CBMs) for screening and progress monitoring in schools; however, nearly all of this work has been done in English. The changing demographics of students who attend public school includes children who speak other languages. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between R-CBMs in Spanish used as a universal screening measure and performance on the state achievement measure in Spanish. Results included moderate correlations at third and fourth grade. Diagnostic accuracy results using the 25th percentile and the selection of cut scores using receiver operating characteristic curves suggest the utility of R-CBMs in Spanish for screening purposes. Practical implications and future directions for research are discussed.

Validity and Diagnostic Accuracy of Written Expression Curriculum-Based Measurement for Students With Diverse Language Backgrounds

The use of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) for screening is well established, but there has been less research regarding the technical adequacy of written expression CBM (WE-CBM) for screening and the utility of this type of measure when used with students with diverse language backgrounds. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity and diagnostic accuracy of various WE-CBM indicators for 139 4th-grade students from diverse language backgrounds (89 native English-speaking students, 19 English language learners, and 31 Monitored students). We examined the validity of WE-CBM with the statewide writing achievement test and studied the diagnostic accuracy of WE-CBM for determining students at risk using receiver-operating characteristic curves. Results suggest that WE-CBM varies in validity and diagnostic accuracy across students and depending on the WE-CBM scoring indicator used. Additional research on the use of WE-CBM, particularly with diverse groups of students, is greatly needed.

Screening Assessment Within a Multi-Tiered System of Support: Current Practices, Advances, and Next Steps

Within multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), screening assessments play an important role in identifying students who are in need of supplemental support strategies. In this chapter, the authors review the tools and methods commonly used in MTSS for academic skills screening, identify limitations with these practices, and highlight potential areas of improvement regarding assessment methods and content of screening tools, decision-making processes used to identify students in need of support, and methods used for evaluating screening tools. A set of recommendations and directions for future work are offered for advancing screening assessment and improving decision-making processes in schools with MTSS.

Measuring annual growth using written expression curriculum-based measurement: An examination of seasonal and gender differences.

The purpose of this study was to examine annual growth patterns and gender differences in written expression curriculum-based measurement (WE-CBM) when used in the context of universal screening. Students in second through fifth grade (n = 672) from 2 elementary schools that used WE-CBM as a universal screener participated in the study. Student writing samples were scored for production-dependent, production-independent, and accurate-production indicators. Results of latent growth models indicate that for most WE-CBM outcome indicators across most grade levels, average growth was curvilinear, with increasing curvilinearity on all indicators as grade level increased. Evidence of gender differences was mixed with girls having higher initial scores on all WE-CBM indicators except for total words written (second and third grades), correct minus incorrect writing sequences (fourth grade only), and percent correct writing sequences (second-fourth grades) where differences were not statistically significant. Despite differences in initial level, there were few gender differences in growth and limited overall between-student variability in linear slope. The results of this study extend research on annual patterns of growth and gender differences in WE-CBM by analyzing all 3 types of WE-CBM indicators, including upper elementary grades, and assessing skills more frequently (i.e., 4 to 5 times in 1 year) than in prior research on annual growth. The findings have implications for universal screening in WE-CBM and for understanding gender differences in writing performance.

Generalizability theory reliability of written expression curriculum-based measurement in universal screening.

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of written expression curriculum-based measurement (WE-CBM) in the context of universal screening from a generalizability theory framework. Students in second through fifth grade (n = 145) participated in the study. The sample included 54% female students, 49% White students, 23% African American students, 17% Hispanic students, 8% Asian students, and 3% of students identified as 2 or more races. Of the sample, 8% were English Language Learners and 6% were students receiving special education. Three WE-CBM probes were administered for 7 min each at 3 time points across 1 year. Writing samples were scored for commonly used WE-CBM metrics (e.g., correct minus incorrect word sequences; CIWS). Results suggest that nearly half the variance in WE-CBM is related to unsystematic error and that conventional screening procedures (i.e., the use of one 3-min sample) do not yield scores with adequate reliability for relative or absolute decisions about student performance. In most grades, three 3-min writing samples (or 2 longer duration samples) were required for adequate reliability for relative decisions, and three 7-min writing samples would not yield adequate reliability for relative decisions about within-year student growth. Implications and recommendations are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Effect of videogame play and extracurricular activities on parent perceived socio-emotional functioning in children and adolescents

Background: Videogames have become a large part of children and adolescents’ everyday life and social interaction. Tanner (2007) reports that over 90% of children play videogames and this is likely an understatement. Previous research has shown a significant effect between playing videogames and aggressive and hostile behavior; however, there is some disagreement about the magnitude of the effect and what factors contribute to aggression and social skills. Purpose: The current study aimed to add to the literature regarding videogames and adolescent socio-emotional functioning, specifically the impact of videogame play on social skills and problem behaviors of children and adolescents as perceived by parents using a regression analysis. In addition, a relatively unknown predictor in this area, involvement in extracurricular activities, was included in the analysis. Material and Method: The sample included parents (N = 114) of 4 to 17 year old children who were recruited through a social networking site. Parents completed a demographic form and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in order to assess for social/emotional functioning. Results: The results suggested that none of the predictors were significant in predicting social skills and socio/emotional functioning at the .05 level. Future directions and limitations are discussed. keywords: Videogames, Social Functioning, Emotional Functioning, Extracurricular Activities. Tanner (2007) reports that over 90% of children play videogames and that figure may be an underrepresentation. Videogames have become 1 This paper was completed as part of a doctoral candidacy/thesis project. Address for correspondence is The University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Road, Farish Hall Ste. 491, Houston, TX 770204-5027; e-mail: adboyce@uh.edu. ISSN 1941-7233, e-ISSN 2345-024X http://dx.doi.org/10.7220/1941-7233.12.2 Aaron Boyce, G. Thomas Schanding Jr., Andrea Backscheider Burridge, Milena Keller-Margulis 30 part of American culture and play a major role in entertainment in children’s daily life (Kallio, Mayra, & Kaipainen, 2011; Newman, 2004; yee, 2006). In fact, United States consumers spend an estimated 4.5 billion dollars annually on videogame consoles, content, and accessories (NPD Group, 2011). The recent increase in videogame use has lead researchers to examine the effects of videogames on various domains such as aggression (Carnagey & Anderson, 2005; Gentile, Lynch, Linder, & Walsh, 2004), addiction (Chappell, Eatough, Davies, & Griffiths, 2006; young, 2009), psychotherapy (Ceranoglu, 2010), school performance (Din & Calao, 2001; Ip, Jacobs, & Watkins, 2008), and healthcare (Kato, 2010). Videogames encompass a wide array of hardware and mediums including cell phones, game consoles, computers, and handheld systems. The types of videogames have expanded exponentially since the early years of gaming. For example, one of the most iconic and simple games is Pong, where the user simply had to keep a ball from entering their side of the screen by bouncing it off of a paddle; however, current videogames range from basic concepts to full encompassing story lines, online interactions, and even gameplay that can take over 100 hours to complete. The prevalence of videogame use and impact on culture has become so engrossing that videogames are now advertised on soft drink cups, pizza boxes, and in commercials. Colwell and Kato (2003) suggest that playing videogames may replace friends for some children and social isolation is a possible outcome of spending too much time engaged with videogames as opposed to peer interactions. Although this connection between playing videogames and potential impact on socio-emotional functioning has been recognized, the literature has been inconsistent in findings and further exploration is warranted. EFFECTS oF VIdEogAmES oN SoCIo-EmoTIoNAl FuNCTIoNINg

Validity and Diagnostic Accuracy of Early Written Expression Screeners in Kindergarten

Many students struggle with the basic skill of writing, yet schools lack technically adequate screening measures to identify students at risk in this area. Measures that allow for valid screening decisions that identify students in need of interventions to improve performance are greatly needed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and diagnostic accuracy of early writing screeners. Two early writing screening measures, Picture Word and Word Dictation, were administered to a diverse sample of 95 kindergarten students, almost half of whom were classified as English language learners and almost 70% identified ethnically as Hispanic. It was hypothesized that the early writing screening measures would demonstrate moderate to strong relationships with a standardized norm-referenced measure of written expression and adequate diagnostic accuracy for identifying kindergarten students at risk. Findings indicate that concurrent validity coefficients for both Picture Word and Word Dictation tasks ranged from .32 to .70 with the Written Expression cluster of the Woodcock–Johnson Tests of Achievement–IV and .26 to .61 with the Writing Samples and Sentence Writing Fluency subtests. Diagnostic accuracy results suggest these measures are a promising option for screening early writing skills. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.

Identifying Students at Risk: An Examination of Computer-Adaptive Measures and Latent Class Growth Analysis

ABSTRACT Multitiered systems of support depend on screening technology to identify students at risk. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of a computer-adaptive test and latent class growth analysis (LCGA) to identify students at risk in reading with focus on the use of this methodology to characterize student performance in screening. Participants included 3,699 students in Grades 3–5. Three time points of administration (fall, winter, and spring) of the computer-adaptive reading measure were selected. LCGA results indicated 6–7 classes, depending on grade, informed by level and growth in student performance that significantly predicted failure on the statewide test administered at the end of the year. The lowest-performing classes had failure rates above 90% across all grades. The results indicate that identifying homogeneous groups of learners through LCGA may be valuable as an approach to determining students who need additional instruction. Practical implications and future directions are discussed.

Assessing Teacher Usability of Written Expression Curriculum-Based Measurement:

National test data indicate that some students do not perform well in writing, suggesting a need to identify students at risk for poor performance. Research supports Written Expression Curriculum-Based Measurement (WE-CBM) as an indicator of writing proficiency, but it is less commonly used in practice. This study examined the usability of WE-CBM compared with Reading Curriculum-Based Measurement (R-CBM). Participants included 162 teachers who were given examples of WE-CBM and R-CBM and then completed a usability measure for both curriculum-based measurement (CBM) types. Teachers not only rated WE-CBM as usable but also rated R-CBM significantly higher in usability, with no significant differences in acceptability. Practical implications that may inform modifications to WE-CBM are discussed.