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Abstract. This article reported the concurrent, predictive, and diagnostic accuracy of a computer-adaptive test (CAT) and curriculum-based measurements (CBM; both computation and concepts/application measures) for universal screening in mathematics among students in first through fourth grade. Correlational analyses indicated moderate to strong relationships over time for each measure, with correlations between CAT and CBM measures across the three assessment periods low to moderate, with the strongest relationships between the CAT and CBM concepts/application measure. Relationships to the state assessment for math for third- and fourth-graders was found to be stronger for the CAT measure than for either the CBM computation or concepts/application measures, with the CAT measure the only significant predictor of the state assessment. Diagnostic accuracy indices found all measures to produce acceptable levels of specificity but limited levels of sensitivity. The study offered one of the first direct comparisons of CAT and CBM measures in screening for mathematics. Implications of using CAT and CBM measures in conducting screening in elementary mathematics were discussed.
Response to intervention (RTI) is a multitiered system of supports designed to provide high-quality instruction to all students along with early identification and intervention of students likely to develop academic and behavioral difficulties (Batsche et al., 2005). At the center of the RTI process is the use of universal screening of students' academic performance in order to identify students who, despite a strong core instructional program, are still showing potential difficulties in academic performance (Johnson, Jenkins, & Petscher, 2010). Currently, there is relatively little research on universal screening in mathematics.
Among the available methods, curriculum- based measurement (CBM) has been found to meet the criteria needed for effective universal screening (Fuchs & Deno, 1991). Two types of CBM measures are used for math, one that examines the acquisition of computational skills and the other that assesses mathematical concepts and applications across grade level curriculum objectives. The score obtained on these measures embeds within it a student's performance on skills related to grade level computational or concepts/ application development.
Research examining CBM math found computational and concepts/applications CBM have sufficient psychometric properties as screening measures of mathematical constructs (e.g., Christ, Scullin, Tolbize, & Jiban, 2008), and a growing body of research supports the use of CBM math as school-wide, universal...