Duffard 1

SPED 311 Curriculum Based Assessment II

Name: Megan Duffard
Date: 11/3/15
School/Setting: Greens Prairie Elementary/ Life Skills
How did you account for reliability and validity with this measurement tool?
This Curriculum Based Measurement proved to be a reliable form of assessing
Charlotte's understanding of the letters A-J. The assessment was given five times on five separate
occasions and the results were consistent in determining the letters she knew well and those that
she did not. The measurement showed validity because it was tailored specifically to Charlotte's
needs both academically and physically. It is an appropriate assessment for her age and grade
level as it addresses the chosen TEKS standard as well as Charlotte's IEP goals. It is meaningful
in that it is a useful tool to monitor her progress in meeting those target objectives. It was useful
by pinpointing what areas Charlotte could use further instruction. This measurement was also
appropriate for Charlotte physically since it allowed her to use gestures to communicate rather
than verbalizing her responses.

On my honor, as an Aggie, I have neither given nor received unauthorized

aid on this academic work.
Signature____________________________________________

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Description of student:
Charlotte is a five year-old kindergarten student. She is served by IDEA because of her
epilepsy. She suffers from drop seizures and this has affected her education in many ways. After
a major episode last year she regressed significantly in many areas. She lost much of her memory
(including the words and phrases she had learned to say), lost much of her motor movement and
lost her ability to show emotion. She had to miss six months of school to undergo intensive
therapy.
This year she has made significant improvements. She is still nonverbal, but
communicates with her emotions and through hand gestures. She can walk again on her own, but
is required to wear a helmet in the event that she has another seizure. The helmet is also a
protective factor due to her difficulty with coordination and balance. Although this is a struggle
for her, Charlotte's favorite thing to do is walk and climb. Being mobile again has really helped
lift her spirits.
Charlotte is served in the life skills classroom for most of the day, but goes to inclusion
classes for Science and Social Studies. She is a very pleasant child who smiles often and has a
calm presence. She enjoys being around her peers despite the communication barrier and the
other students respond well to her company. She learns best one-on-one with a teacher and
requires a lot of hand over hand assistance for various activities.
TEKS:
110.11. English Language Arts and Reading, Kindergarten
(b) Knowledge and skills.
(1) Reading/Beginning Reading Skills/Print Awareness. Students understand how
English is written and printed. Students are expected to:
(B) identify upper- and lower-case letters

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Applicable IEP Objective:
By the next annual ARD, with no more than 3 verbal prompts from teacher, Charlotte will
identify (by gesturing pointing or touching) 5 out of 26 uppercase letters in 3 out of 5
opportunities across two six weeks grading periods.
Objective:
When shown two letter cards out of a set of 10 letters, the student will identify the letter
indicated by the teacher with 100% accuracy in four out of five trials.
Measurement tool:
Directions: Out of the set of ten letters, select two letters at random. Ask student to identify one
of the letters (example: Show me the letter A). Wait for student to respond. If the letter is selected
correctly put it in the "correct stack" and replace with another card. If the student gets it wrong,
put it in the "incorrect stack" and replace with another card. Do this until you have asked the
student to identify all 10 letters.
Legend:

+ Correct letter in less than one minute/no prompts

~ Correct letter in less than two minutes with prompt/self-correct

Elements
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
Total

- Incorrect letter/more than two minutes/ more than 1 prompt

Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 4
Trial 5

* Filled out chart attached to back!

Administration discussion:

Total

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This assessment was conducted in the Life Skills classroom one-on-one with Charlotte.
She sat across from me at the small group table as I administered the CBM and the assessment
was conducted on five separate occasions over a period of two weeks. Out of a set of ten cards, I
held up two letters at random and called out one of the letters for Charlotte to select. Once she
made her selection I would record my observations using the provided legend.
Since Charlotte is nonverbal this type of assessment allowed her to easily participate by
demonstrating her knowledge of the material in a physical way. I think it was also strong in that
it focused on a select set of letters rather than all the letters of the alphabet. This way the
assessment went quickly and was less overwhelming for her. As to weaknesses, the measure
could have included more specific direction over what could constitute as an acceptable
response. Occasionally Charlotte would look at the correct letter instead of pointing to it or
grabbing it and I was not sure if I should count it as correct. "Show me the letter A" is not very
specific directions for the student. I could have said something like "Point to the letter A"
instead.
I also noticed that sometimes Charlotte was very compliant and engaged with the
measure and sometimes very unresponsive. I believe this was due in part to the time of day the
CBM was administered. If it was administered in the morning Charlotte was less responsive than
in the afternoon. My assumption is that she had more energy after lunch and recess and therefore
was in a better mood to participate if it was done later in the day. For future CBMs consistency
might be very helpful in getting an accurate measurement of the students abilities.

Discussion with Mentor:

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The actual data obtained showed improvement for Charlotte. I noticed that the letters she
got correct most consistently were letters associated with her name. My mentor teacher said that
this was encouraging because another one of Charlotte's IEP goals is to recognize her written
name when compared with other words. Since she has frequent exposure to her written name it
would make sense that she would be more familiar with those particular letters.
The other letters she got correct most often were those that we had been working on in
ELA during the weeks the CBM was administered (the letters were J and K). If anything,
frequent exposure seems to be the most helpful form of instruction for Charlotte. Reflecting on
this, it would seem that reviewing the letters previously covered should be a daily activity so that
the memory of the letters is always fresh. My mentor teacher mentioned that it is not always
certain whether or not Charlotte's seizures will cause her to lose memory of what she has learned
so it is important to keep this in mind whenever planning for instruction. Constant exposure and
review is key to helping Charlotte succeed in any academic area.
Future Teaching:
As mentioned above, frequent exposure of the letters learned would be very beneficial to
incorporate into future instruction. I also believe that more interactive identification activities
could be provided as practice for Charlotte and the other students. This could be done for a few
minutes at the Smart Board to begin each ELA lesson. The Smart Board would be a perfect place
to incorporate this because it is a very interactive tool and the students enjoy using it. Having the
letters posted on the walls of the room and on the desks could also be helpful for the students to
reference throughout the day.
The letters Charlotte seemed to struggle with most (B and D) should be reviewed or
retaught as soon as possible. She may not have had as much exposure to these letters or she

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might have been absent for part of the period they covered them. Personally I believe she may
struggle with these letters because they look similar to one another. Having her form the letters
herself with play-dough or having her paint the letters on large pieces of paper may help her
become more familiar with their visual differences.

Legend:

+ Correct letter in less than one minute/no prompts

~ Correct letter in less than two minutes with prompt/self-correct

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- Incorrect letter/more than two minutes/ more than 1 prompt
Elements
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
Total

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Trial 4

Trial 5

Total