The Potential for Diagnostic Analysis within Curriculum-Based Measurement

Abstract

Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) can enhance teacher planning by signaling teachers when a student's rate of improvement is inadequate and, therefore, revisions to the instructional program are needed. In reading, however, the diagnostic value of CBM to help teachers determine the nature of the required instructional changes is limited because it is difficult to extract descriptions of specific reading skills from the CBM performance. In this article, we describe recent efforts to develop a reading diagnostic analysis to be used in conjunction with CBM for informing teachers how to refocus their instruction to address individual needs.