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This study represents an initial examination of the potential of word dictation (WD), a form of curriculum-based measure, to identify risk in writing for young English language learners (ELs). The sample included 73 ELs with beginning to advanced English language proficiency in the first to third grades attending schools in one U.S. Midwestern school district. This district used an English-only model of instruction and students completed two forms of WD in the fall, winter, and spring. The criterion measure, a common English language proficiency assessment, was administered in the winter. Results indicated that WD maintained similar reliability and validity coefficients between the ELs in this study and previous studies with the general population. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

This study examined the technical adequacy of Picture Word, a type of Writing Curriculum-Based Measurement, with 73 English learners (ELs) with beginning to intermediate English language proficiency in Grades 1, 2, and 3. The ELs in this study attended schools in one midwestern U.S. school district employing an English-only model of instruction and spoke a variety of native languages. ELs completed two forms of Picture Word in the fall, winter, and spring. The criterion measure, a common English language proficiency assessment, was administered in the winter. Results indicated that Picture Word was not appropriate for the first-grade EL participants but showed promise for second- and third-grade ELs.

Intervention dosage is an often-overlooked aspect of implementation fidelity. Tracking intervention dosage is critical for ensuring students with disabilities were present for and received the intervention for as many minutes as intended. Used in tandem with student performance data, intervention dosage can provide a clearer picture of intervention success. This article presents strategies for how teachers can plan for, collect, and use intervention dosage data to inform instructional data-based decision making.

Few teachers receive adequate preparation to provide effective individualized instruction for children with intensive early writing needs. In this article, the authors describe an attempt to close this learning gap, by developing Data-Based Instruction-Tools, Learning, and Collaborative Support (DBI-TLC), a comprehensive professional development (PD) system that provides tools, learning opportunities, and ongoing collaborative supports for teachers to implement DBI in early writing. They describe the theoretical framework that has guided this work, the teacher population with whom they worked, their approach to assessing important teacher outcomes, and their development process. They highlight key findings that align with their theory of change, and discuss implications for further research and teacher preparation.

Fluent production of a variety of grammatically correct sentences is essential to overall writing quality across genres. Sentence-production skills become increasingly important as students prepare to transition from the elementary grades to middle-school. Many students in the upper-elementary grades, however, struggle with sentence production skills--especially writers with a learning disability. This paper provides useful information for educators focusing on improving the quality of sentence-level writing skills for students with learning disabilities in Grades 3-5. Specifically, guidance is provided for using: (1) assessment to inform sentence-level intervention; and (2) a sequence of instructional practices for improving foundational sentence-level production skills.

We examined the effects of a professional development (PD) system designed to support teachers' use of data-based instruction (DBI) to improve early writing outcomes for children with intensive needs. The PD system, called "DBI-TLC," provided tools for early writing assessment and intervention, learning modules including face-to-face workshops followed by classroom application, and ongoing coaching to support DBI implementation. Special education teachers in 19 classrooms in 2 Midwestern districts were assigned randomly to receive DBI-TLC or to a business-as-usual control group. All teachers completed pre- and posttests of DBI knowledge and skills and self-efficacy, and DBI-TLC teachers' fidelity to DBI was assessed. Fifty-three students (2 to 3 from each classroom) completed pre- and posttests of early writing using curriculum-based measures (CBM) and the Test of Early Written Language-3 (TEWL-3). DBI-TLC teachers outperformed controls at posttest on DBI knowledge and skills (Hedge's g = 2.88) and reported a more explicit writing instruction orientation compared to controls (g = 1.63). DBI fidelity varied (on average, 84% for assessment, 79% for intervention, and 52% for decision-making). Students whose teachers implemented DBI showed a pattern of stronger early writing performance compared to control students on CBM, with effect sizes of 0.23 to 0.40, but not on the TEWL-3 (0.02 to 0.13). We discuss the promise of DBI-TLC to improve teacher practice and student outcomes, as well as the need to continue to explore ways to support teachers' implementation of DBI with fidelity. [For the corresponding grantee submission, see ED595445.]

Making connections to students' lives while addressing content standards within the constraints of the school day is one of elementary school teachers' greatest challenges. One way to address these challenges is to use an instructional routine such as a shared story reading. A shared story reading can support teachers' instruction across content areas, create connections to students' experiences, promote students' social-emotional learning, and maximize instructional time. Teachers can use shared story reading with interdisciplinary lessons to simultaneously advance students' mathematics, literacy, and social-emotional competencies. In this article, the authors use the book, "Two of Everything," to illustrate how this routine can be used in K-2 classrooms.

This replication study examined the alternate form reliability, criterion validity, and predictive utility of two curriculum-based measurement (CBM) tools in science, Vocabulary-Matching (VM) and Statement Verification for Science (SV-S), for the purpose of screening. In all, 205 seventh-grade students from four middle schools were given alternate forms of each science CBM tool. Scores from the Idaho Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) science assessment were obtained. Stronger evidence of reliability and validity with the ISAT was found for VM compared with SV-S. With regard to predictive utility, VM more accurately classified students' at-risk status compared with SV-S for identifying proficiency on the ISAT. Practical implications and directions for future research are also discussed.

Early academic skills and behavioral characteristics in students are predictive of later school achievement, but academics and behavior are commonly compartmentalized in research and practice. This study investigated to what extent first‐grade early numeracy (EN), literacy, and behavior ratings predicted fourth‐grade mathematics achievement. In fall of first‐grade, 501 students were given EN and literacy measures and a behavior rating scale completed by their teachers. In spring of fourth‐grade, students were given mathematics computation and concepts assessments. Regression analyses indicated EN, early literacy, and behavior uniquely predicted 39% of the variance in participants' fourth‐grade mathematics achievement. Significant predictors were EN and behavior ratings (p <.001), which accounted for 29% and 9% of the variance in mathematics scores, respectively. Practitioner points: Early numeracy skills and scores on behavior screeners in first grade predict mathematics achievement in fourth grade.Schools may wish to incorporate both mathematics and behavioral screening measures when identifying young students in need of remediation in mathematics.Interventions that integrate behavior and academics may be desirable and important for young students exhibiting difficulties in either or both areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, two types of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) tools in science, Vocabulary Matching (VM) and Statement Verification for Science (SV-S), a modified Sentence Verification Technique, were compared. Specifically, this study aimed to determine whether the format of information presented (i.e., SV-S vs. VM) produces differences in alternate form reliability and validity of scores or any differences in accuracy of prediction of scores on the state standardized science assessment. Overall, 25 eighth-grade science students were administered two SV-S and two VM forms with identical items along with spring eighth-grade maze passages from Aimsweb. Students had recently taken the eighth-grade state science test. Results regarding technical adequacy for each CBM tool were consistent with past findings. However, this study extends the literature base on CBM tools in science by providing evidence for using standards to develop VM forms. In addition, despite probable ceiling effects, additional evidence was found for the potential of SV-S as a CBM tool in science.