Effects of Instrumental Use of Curriculum-Based Measurement to Enhance Instructional Programs

This study investigated the importance of instrumental use of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) to planning effective reading programs. Participants were 53 mildly handicapped students and their 29 teachers who had been assigned randomly to CBM and control groups. Teachers implemented their CBM or control treatments for 15 weeks. After the treatment period, student records were inspected to divide the CBM participants into two implementation groups. The CBM-measurement only group comprised 15 students and 9 teachers; these teachers measured students' reading performance as required but did not use the assessment information to structure students' reading programs. The CBM–measurement with evaluation group comprised 21 students and 12 teachers; these teachers measured student performance and used the assessment information to design instructional programs. Analysis of variance revealed that, compared to the control group, pupils in the measurement with evaluation group achieved better than students in the measurement only group. Implications for instructional assessment activities are discussed.