CURRICULUM-BASED MEASUREMENT REPORT 1

Curriculum-Based Measurement Report

Joah Hickel

Fort Hays State University

SPED 805 VE

Abstract
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This paper describes and interprets the results of Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) for a

student who will be referred to as JP. The CBM selected for JP is over multiplication and

division with numbers 1-12. JP was assessed twice for a baseline score and then a growth goal

was calculated, and an intervention was selected and implemented. JP was given the assessment

the following five weeks and the data is compared to the aim line for his growth goal. This paper

provides background information on JP, analyzes the results of the CBM, and provides

recommendation for further instruction. The effectiveness of CBM, as well as strengths and

weaknesses, are included in the paper as well.

Key Words: curriculum based measurement, intervention

Identifying Information
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The curriculum-based measurement assessment chosen to administer to JP is an

assessment of multiplication and division facts. These skills are foundational to the ability to

excel in math and after teaching JP for a whole school year I have noticed that he struggles with

some of the foundational skills of multiplication and division. That is the reasoning for focusing

on these skills. As JP grows in his ability to multiply and divide, this will translate to greater

success in his further math classes and with his desired career path. He was given two baseline

assessments the two days prior to the week one assessment. Then after collecting baseline data

and calculating an aim line, he was assessed every Thursday for five weeks: April 6, April 13,

April 20, April 27, and May 4. This assessment does not capture the whole picture of a student’s

mathematical capabilities because it does not consider that students could be struggling on the

day they are assessed. JP is 17 years old and was diagnosed with a learning disability. He is

currently a junior in high school and is in the ESOL program. JP resides with his grandparents

because his parents are still living in Mexico. He is in my inclusion Geometry class and is very

kind and social with his peers. He works hard when he needs to and has the desire to be a

mechanic or barber. There have been some identified struggles with tardiness, absences, and

losing focus throughout class. JP thrives when learning in a small group or in a 1:1 setting

because he is unable to disengage without being noticed. In math, JP was in the resource setting

for his freshman year and after receiving A’s he was moved to the inclusion setting where he has

averaged Cs throughout his sophomore and junior years.

Probe and Intervention

The multiplication and division probe consists of 49 problems that are around the third-

grade level equivalent. The student is allotted two minutes to complete as many of these

problems as possible. The number of digits correct per minute will be calculated at the end of the
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assessment and JP’s progress was monitored for five weeks. This assessment was selected

because I have observed potential gaps in JP’s ability to quickly compute and solve foundational

multiplication and division problems that most students have had memorized since 3rd grade.

These potential gaps could be part of the reason why JP appears to be disengaged and lacking

confidence in his math skills. The two interventions that I used with JP throughout this process

include flash cards for memorization and showing him multiple techniques to solve

multiplication and division problems. The purpose of the flashcards is to aid with both the

repetition and memorization needed to create a foundation of confidence in mathematics. The

variety of techniques serves to give JP the choice of which method makes the most sense in his

brain. The only modification that I provided to the intervention is providing manipulatives in

order for JP to physically engage with the process of multiplying and dividing. I would choose to

modify the content this way because of he loves to learn and work with his hands, evidenced by

his desire to be a barber or mechanic.

Test Results and Interpretation

JP enjoyed the weekly challenge of his multiplication and division assessment. He

approached every Thursday with excitement to better his score from last week. I calculated the

aim score by increasing his average baseline score (22) by incremental steps of three digits

correct each week to reach his goal of a 70% growth rate from his baseline score. He hovered

around his aim score all five weeks and was even slightly above the aim scores each week.

Figure 1 shows the comparison between each of the five weeks that JP was assessed.
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JP's Growth in Multiplication and Division

45
40

Digits Correct Per Minute

35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1 2 3 4 5
Weeks

JP's Score Aim Score

Figure 1. This bar graph represents the growth in the number of digits that JP can correctly

answer compared to the aim score. The blue bars represent JP’s score and the orange bars

represent his aim score. This is the simplest snapshot of the CBM results.

This bar graph depicts that week two contained the largest margin between JP and his aim score

with a difference of three. Weeks one and three contained the smallest margin between him and

his aim score with a difference of one. JP scored 39 digits correct on week six which placed him

at a growth rate of 77%.

JP completed two baseline assessments to come up with a goal prior to taking the official

week one attempt. He scored 22 on the first attempt and 21 on the second attempt. An error was

made on an average of seven problems during the baseline attempts. This proved the suspicion of

a need for intervention in the foundational skills of multiplying and dividing numbers 1-12. The

interventions that I selected of using flashcards and working with manipulatives for hands-on

learning proved to be effective as JP scored above the aim line all six weeks as shown in Figure

2.
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JP's Scores Pre- and Post- Intervention

45
40

Digits Correct Per Minute

35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Baseline Baseline 1 2 3 4 5
Weeks

JP's Score Aim Score

Figure 2. This line graph depicts the baseline scores that occurred pre-intervention, JP’s growth

post-intervention, and the aim line. The black line represents when the interventions began, the

blue line represents JP’s scores each week, and the orange line represents the aim line and JP’s

targeted growth.

JP displayed evidence of the interventions being successful. He took ownership of the

interventions by practicing the flash cards occasionally on his own and taking interest in the

hands-on learning. There would be great difficulty in interventions being successful without the

student taking any ownership.

The mixed nature of the assessment with both multiplication and division provoked

curiosity as to which of those two math operations he struggled with the most. After examining

the assessments, I found that most questions that JP answered incorrectly were division

problems. The breakdown between multiplication and division problems throughout the six

weeks is shown in Figure 3.

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Multiplication and Division Problems Correctly

Solved

Percentage of Attempted Problems

120%
100%
Correct 80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
1 2 3 4 5

Weeks

Multiplication Problems Division Problems

Figure 3. This bar graph depicts the breakdown between the percentage of multiplication and

division problems that JP answered correctly out of the ones that he attempted. The blue bars

represent the percentage of multiplication problems, and the orange bars represent the percentage

of division problems.

The data depicts that JP shows weakness in division problems and needs to focus more

on strategies to work through division problems effectively. Even more specifically, JP struggled

with division with multiples of six, seven, and nine. JP exhibited relative strength in

multiplication skills and his attitude and excitement to compete against his scores and to meet his

goal. JP’s displayed rapid growth in multiplication in weeks two through four but did not see

much growth in his division skills until week six.

Recommendation and Conclusion

JP will be taking “Extending Algebra and Geometry” next school year to continue

working on algebra and geometry skills that need remediation while receiving the final math

credit to graduate. The recommendation for JP’s math teacher next year would be to include
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these concepts in as much as possible for JP to get as many repetitions as possible. I would also

recommend his teacher use manipulatives like math tiles or even fake money for multiplication

and division problems. JP has difficulty getting started on problems that are presented at his

grade-level. The informal assessment and norm-referenced assessment placed JP in the 3 rd-4th

grade-level equivalent. The material given to him must need be lower than grade-level for JP to

master certain standards. Another recommendation would be to break up math problems into

smaller steps at a time for JP. There are options to do this on certain standard practice on Delta

Math or IXL. The foundational skills that JP has been able to grow in over these past five weeks

will serve him well in multiple areas. JP showed hesitancy and a lack of confidence when

practicing skills that required multiplication and division this past school year. Hopefully the

refinement of these skills will allow him to gain confidence in his ability to work through

problems in his math classes and in the workforce following high school. JP’s effort and growth

in these skills provide excitement in his pursuit of acquiring all the math skills necessary to

succeed in the career of a mechanic or barber.

Reflection

I have learned several valuable pieces of information from the administering of the CBM.

One idea that I learned about the CBM is the importance of having a consistent day and time for

the student to complete the task because they are more willing and excited when they know what

to expect. Another idea that I learned about the CBM is that no matter how great an intervention

is, it will require the student to be engaged and committed for it to be as effective as possible.

Lastly, I learned how valuable the art of repetition is in the interventions, the assessments, and in

the recommendations to continue refining the skills assessed.

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I will be using curriculum-based measurements in the future for a variety of reasons.

According to Deno (2003), one of the benefits of CBM is time efficiency because “samples are 1

to 3 minutes in duration, depending on the skill being measured” (pg. 185). This makes it easier

for teachers to fit this into their already busy schedules. Another reason that I will continue to use

CBM is that it provides quick and accurate feedback. According to Beltran (2022), this rapid

feedback is not only helpful for teachers’ schedules, but students also benefit from seeing their

results immediately because they can either celebrate or plan out how to improve the assessed

skills. I would also use this again because it creates space to be relational and get to know

students more.

CBM in the right setting with the right probe and the right teacher can be an extremely

effective tool to grow a students’ skills and help instruction. There are many strengths that CBM

provides to the classroom. According to Deno (2003), some of these strengths included time

efficiency, the ease of teaching, the improvement of the teachers’ instruction and planning,

screening for at-risk students for special education services, making communication easier, and

many more strengths. Weaknesses were more difficult to find for CBM, but one located

weakness that is present for any repeated assessment is the volatility in student attitude and

behavior on the day that they are being assessed influencing the results. Another weakness of the

CBM is that it requires students to be engaged and motivated to get better. If a student is

disengaged and does not care about growth, then it will be difficult to see growth regardless of

the thoroughness of the interventions and assessments.

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References

Beltran, O. (2022, March 10). Implementing Curriculum-Based Measurement: 6 Reasons to

Consider. https://educationadvanced.com/resources/blog/implementing-curriculum-

based-measurement/

Deno, S. L. (2003). Developments in Curriculum-Based Measurement. The Journal of

SpecialEducation, 37(3), 184–192. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ785942.pdf

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