Administer Progress Monitoring Measures to All Students
Key Concepts
Use in-program assessments to determine if students are mastering the skills in each lesson.
In-program assessments are typically unit tests from a comprehensive reading program, which are used to identify those students who have mastered targeted skills and those who have not. Data from in-program assessments are important to analyze. They allow the teacher to determine if the majority of students have mastered targeted skills and to identify students who may need additional instruction in a particular area.
Use progress monitoring assessments for ELs to determine the effectiveness of instruction.
ELs will benefit from the same progress monitoring checks that are used with native speakers. Use the resources provided here to aid in the process of team decision-making regarding the instruction provided for ELs.
Coordinating Spanish and English Reading Instruction
This presentation developed by Baker and Katz (2006) provides a rationale for delivering small group instruction and building a strong connection between progress monitoring assessment data and instructional decision-making. Although DIBELS is used as the example assessment tool, the procedures described can be applied with any progress monitoring system. Use this presentation in a staff meeting or grade level meeting in the early elementary grades to practice using data to make grouping decisions for ELs. Goal setting is also modeled. Examples and real data are provided.
Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in the Elementary Grades
This IES Practice Guide gives an overview of the needs of ELs and provides 5 recommendations for schools to follow to ensure that they are meeting those needs. Recommendation 1 is particularly relevant: Screen for reading problems and monitor progress.
Screening older students for reading difficulties may take some creativity.
Unfortunately, existing ORF and Cloze measures are not readily available beyond eighth grade; therefore, high schools in particular may need to create their own screening measures.
In addition, finding the time and resources to implement a broader, content area specific approach to screening can be challenging. If professional development has instilled in teachers the importance of literacy across content areas, the easiest solution is to have content area teachers administer the reading screening measures specific to their content area. This approach benefits teachers in that training will enhance their understanding of what fluent reading is and how to judge it. Furthermore, administering the assessments themselves will help illuminate for teachers what aspects of content area texts cause their readers to stumble individually and collectively.
Frequently administer standardized, out-of-program assessments to provide ongoing information about whether students are making adequate progress toward end-of-year goals.
Out-of-program assessments should be administered to all students at least 3 times a year and more frequently to students performing below grade level. Out-of-program assessments help the teacher identify which students need additional instruction and/or intervention in order to achieve end-of-year goals. Furthermore, for students performing below grade level standards, out-of-program assessments are critical in determining whether or not changes to an intervention are necessary for a student to make adequate progress toward their goals.
Effective screening of older readers may require using multiple measures.
State test results are a good first step for screening adolescent readers, but additional measures can add substantially to a school’s ability to identify struggling readers and provide them with the interventions they need.
Curriculum-based measures, such as Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) and Cloze (or Maze) are popular, but often schools choose to use one or other rather than both. The older a reader is, the more important it is that he/she is reading fluently and with comprehension. ORF assessments can predict comprehension pretty well for younger students, but they do less well for older students. Thus, it is important to assess comprehension more directly. (This is also an important issue for English learners at any age).
You may also want to develop versions of ORF and Cloze measures that represent each of the four major content areas: English language arts, sciences, social sciences, and mathematics. Screening across content areas can identify reading problems specific to one or more content areas. They can also help teachers understand why students may need reading support in some or all of their classes.
Set ambitious and achievable goals for students, then monitor progress toward those goals.
We know from the research that setting specific goals leads to higher student achievement. This is especially true when the goals are ambitious, yet realistic, rather than meager. Monitoring progress toward these goals also enhances achievement.
Use graphs and decision rules to determine if students’ rate of progress is sufficient.
Using graphs and decision rules helps teachers examine student progress toward their goals and determine if changes to an intervention are needed. A graph makes data easier to interpret. If the graph indicates that a student is not likely to achieve their goals, teachers then know to make instructional changes. Establishing and following decision rules is a critical component of progress monitoring. This is a procedure used to analyze data and make decisions about the effectiveness of an intervention. The 3-point decision rule and trend analysis are two examples of decision rules. In short, graphs provide a visual display of student progress, and decision rules are needed to make a decision about whether to continue with the current intervention or make a change to the intervention.
Use progress monitoring data to determine instructional effectiveness.
By using progress monitoring data, teachers and administrators can determine the effectiveness of instruction for individual students, classes, and even for the school as a whole. By monitoring student progress, educators can ascertain which students are meeting goals and which students continue to lag behind. Using progress monitoring data in conjunction with decision rules helps educators know when instructional adjustments are needed to prompt better student growth.
Use progress monitoring assessments for ELs to determine the effectiveness of instruction.
ELs will benefit from the same progress monitoring checks that are used with native speakers. Use the resources provided here to aid in the process of team decision-making regarding the instruction provided for ELs.
Continually evaluate the effectiveness of instructional support by routinely examining progress monitoring data.
By examining progress monitoring data on a routine basis, students are less likely to “fall through the cracks.” The overall effectiveness of the instructional program will improve by meeting the individual needs of students as soon as they begin to struggle.
Evaluate your school progress monitoring system for ALL students.
A strong schoolwide formative assessment system in reading involves all teachers and students, including bilingual/English as a Second Language staff and English learners. English language development teachers and reading teachers (including reading teachers who teach reading in the student native language) should be involved in meetings and discussions related to the reading performance of ELs. See the activity below to reflect on your current progress monitoring practices (in English only or in English and the native language) and develop the next steps to build or refine these pratices.
Progress Monitoring with English Language Learners
With your team, reflect on your current progress monitoring practices as they pertain to English Learners. Complete the Self-Assessment of Screening and Progress Monitoring Progress [for English Language Learners] from the Doing What Works website. After rating your school on the self-assessment, consider next steps. Choose no more than 3 top priority areas to complete for next steps. Determine who will take action towards the next steps and when the steps will be completed. Don’t forget to set a date for when the team will return to check off completed items and add new next steps.
Professional Development Presentation
Use this presentation to gain knowledge on the two types of assessments for monitoring student progress – in-program assessments of content and standardized, out-of-program assessments. The purposes of each type and how the resulting data is useful in determining if students are benefiting from instruction are explained. You will learn the importance of analyzing this data to continually evaluate instructional support and to make individual instructional decisions.
Apply the Concepts
Practice Activities
1. Current Progress Monitoring Practices
Review a list of students in your class or school and discuss with colleagues questions regarding current practices for determining student progress.
1. Setting Reading Goals (Part 2)
Use the information provided to discuss and set goals for three kindergarten and three second grade students.
2. Evaluating In-Program Assessments
Examine unit tests in your current core reading program and answer the questions provided. Think about or discuss with colleagues the adequacy of the unit tests in your core reading program. If possible, repeat this activity addressing unit tests in supplemental and intervention programs.
2. Graphing Student Progress and Data-Based Decision Making (Part 2)
Use the materials provided to practice graphing a student’s data and making instructional decisions regarding the student.
3. Evaluating Progress Monitoring Tools
Use the questions to evaluate your school’s current progress monitoring tool, OR develop a plan for selecting a progress monitoring tool.
Resources
1. Analyzing Progress Monitoring Data: Trendline Analysis
This short presentation walks through the specific steps involved in determining a trend line through a series of data points, and making decisions based on the trend line. An example is provided using data from a real student. Schools can use this presentation to gain a better understanding of how to use trend line analysis as their decision rule when looking at progress monitoring data.
2. National Center on Response to Intervention’s Users Guide to Progress Monitoring Tools Chart
The National Center on Response to Intervention has established a systematic review process to determine characteristics and qualities of progress monitoring assessment tools. The Users Guide describes the review process and specifies the criteria used to determine the ratings of the assessment tools. In addition, the Users Guide below suggests some action steps for schools or districts to use in order to choose the progress monitoring tools that best meets the needs of their school.
3. Common Web-based Applications in Reading
This resource is an excerpt from a presentation by Pamela Stecker and John Hintze for the Center on Student Progress Monitoring. The presentation introduces viewers to four different web-based student progress monitoring tools in reading including AIMSweb, DIBELS, Ed Checkup, and Yearly Progress Pro.
Links
1. National Center on Response to Intervention, Training Modules
The American Institutes for Research and researchers from Vanderbilt University and the University of Kansas -- through funding from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) -- have established the National Center on Response to Intervention. The Center’s mission is to provide technical assistance to states and districts and building the capacity of states to assist districts in implementing proven models for RTI/EIS. The Center has a series of Progress Monitoring Training Modules. This link provides information on the use of Curriculum Based Measures (CBMs) for progress monitoring reading, math, and written expression. In addition, there is information on using CBM for progress monitoring within a response to intervention model.
2. National Center on Response to Intervention, Progress Monitoring Tools Chart
The National Center on Response to Intervention has a committee of eight national experts on progress monitoring. These experts reviewed several progress monitoring tools and displayed the results in the Tools Chart. The purpose of the Tools Chart is to assist educators in selecting a progress monitoring tool that best meets the needs of their school. This link provides the results of the reviews, as well as, a guide on how to use the results.
3. National Center on Student Progress Monitoring
The National Center on Student Progress Monitoring’s mission is to provide technical assistance to states and districts and disseminate information about progress monitoring practices proven to work in different academic content areas. The Center, although no longer funded and active, maintains a website that is a valuable resource for educators wanting to learn more about progress monitoring. This link provides several downloadable presentations, webinars, and archived newsletters and discussion boards related to progress monitoring.
4. Research Institute on Progress Monitoring
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has funded the Research Institute on Progress Monitoring to identify and validates progress monitoring strategies in reading, math, writing, and science, and to evaluate the effects of progress monitoring on student performance and teacher instruction. The Institute’s website has several resources available including technical reports, journal articles, and films on progress monitoring.