SPED 311 Curriculum Based Assessment I

Name: Laura Van De Walle

Date: 10/12/2015
School/Setting: Adaptive Behavioral Classroom at Oakwood Intermediate
How does this project contribute to your skills as an educator?
This project has shown me that assessments need to be accurate and effective in
order to yield reliable results. There can be a lot of room for error if we are not careful in
creating these assessments, so it is vital to spend a good amount of time on the
curriculum based assessments.
In addition, these assessments are essential for maintaining an effective and
efficient classroom where learning is fostered and supported. After examining the results,
my mentor teacher and I were able to identify what the student needed as far as learning
supports and what we did not have to spend time focusing on because he had already
mastered that skill. Identifying where the student is academically and what needs to be
done to continue to help them understand and apply the concepts learned allows for the
educators to individualize learning. As a future educator I expect to utilize this curriculum
based assessment because even though it is time consuming, implementing this
assessment is worth it due to the more efficient learning it provides.
On my honor, as an Aggie, I have neither given nor received
unauthorized aid on this academic work.
Signature____________________________________________

Description of student:
C is a thirteen year old male who is a 6 th grade student at Oakwood Intermediate
School placed in an adaptive behavioral class. He has been diagnosed with oppositional
defiance disorder and depression, which frequently disrupts his education. C is served
under part B of IDEIA with various modifications such as having a cool down area for
the student to relax/regulate emotions, extended time on work, and allowing the student
to go to the AB room when needed. In addition to these modifications, my mentor teacher
implements a system of points to act as positive reinforcement for the student. The
student takes the point sheet to each class and has each teacher assess how the student did
during class and provide feedback. The more points the student receives from teachers,
the better the prize that the student can earn from the cupboard. This positive
motivation increases the desired behaviors from C because he is motivated to get the
prize.
The majority of the Cs issues deal with his lack of social skills, as implied by his
placement in the AB classroom. C struggles with regulating his emotions, acting out
against authority, and having appropriate conversations with people. C does not have
many friends, but does have one good friend that is also in the AB program at Oakwood
in the same grade. However, when these students are together they rarely complete any
work and often talk about inappropriate things for school. C has recently been placed on a
different school team from this friend (which means they have different classes except
for AB) to minimize distractions during classroom instruction.
Academically, C is on grade level for math, science, and history. The student is at
the 4th grade reading level, and struggles with his English and Language Arts class. Once

C is motivated and understands the content, he is able to complete his work without a
problem. However, as soon as a topic is covered in one of the courses that are a little
more difficult for C to comprehend, he has an outburst and refuses to do work until he is
able to cool down. This meltdown can last up to an entire day where C is unwilling to
cooperate or listen to instruction and has to remain in the AB room for the other students
safety. The student learns best in one-on-one situations, but is not often given this
opportunity because he is primarily placed in general education and the majority of his
classes are lecture based. C has trouble identifying the underlying concepts and meaning
behind why something is done, and mostly focuses on how to complete the task/solve the
problem. C does not need help with any DLS and can independently take care of himself.
Objective:
After instruction on social interactions and a task analysis, the student will be able to use
the steps in FEVER to have a conversation with 100% accuracy in 4 out of 5 trials.
IEP Goal:
By his next annual ARD, after instruction about social interactions, C will be able to have
appropriate conversations with 100% accuracy in 4 out of 5 trials.
TEKS: N/A
Measurement tool:
Directions:
Have student sit down at the round table for their check in at the beginning of class.
One teacher (or paraprofessional) will sit across from the student and have a conversation
with the student. The teacher will ask the student these specific questions in the order
provided. Here are the questions to ask the student:

1. What have you done today so far?

2. How has your day gone so far? Why?
3. What have you learned today in class?
4. What are you most excited about today?
While one teacher is asking these questions, another teacher (or paraprofessional) will
observe the students behavior and write the level of proficiency in the corresponding
element provided using the rubric. If the student is proficient (worth 2 points), write
down a P in the corresponding box. If the student is emerging (worth 1 point), write down
an E in the box and make a short note as to why the student received emerging. If the
student needs improvement (worth 0 points), write down N in the box and make a short
note as to why the student received an N. When the conversation ends and the elements
have all been filled out related to FEVER, add up the points for each corresponding
element to find the total number of points the students received in each area. Divide the
number of points earned by the number of possible points (10 points) to find the percent
of accuracy for each element.
This assessment requires two people to administrate because the person not
asking the questions will be able to better assess the student while they observe. The
student does not need any materials because the whole assessment is over the verbal
interaction and behaviors displayed by the student.
Elements

P=Proficient (2 pts)

E=Emerging (1 pt)

Face (F): Student

faces the person
talking during a
conversation

The students entire

body and head is
facing the other
person. The student
is standing up
straight.

The students entire

body is facing the
other person, but
their head is not.
The student is
standing up straight.

N=Needs Work (0
pts)
The students entire
body is not facing
the other person and
their head is not.
The student is not
standing up straight.

Eye contact (E): The

student holds
appropriate eye
contact

Voice (V): The

students uses an
appropriate voice
level for
conversation
Emotions (E): The
students emotions
match their feelings
during the
conversation
Relaxation (R): The
student was able to
be relaxed while
talking/listening

The students eyes

are looking at the
other persons eyes
with the exception
of looking away for
no more than 2
seconds at a time.
The student is using
a voice level
appropriate for
conversation and
speaking clearly.
The students
expressions are
appropriate and
match the feelings
during the
conversation.
The student is able
to be relaxed during
the conversation
with no outbursts.

Element s
Face (F):
Student faces
the person
talking during a
conversation

Trial 1
P

Trail 2
P

Eye contact
(E): The student
holds
appropriate eye
contact

E
The
student
was
zoned
out on
other
things

The students eyes

are looking at the
other persons
eyes/face and looks
away for more than
2 seconds.

The students eyes

are not looking at
the other persons
eyes/face.

The student is using

a voice level
appropriate for
conversation, but is
not speaking clearly
(ex. mumbling).
The students
expressions are
appropriate but do
not match the
feelings during the
conversation.
The student is able
to be relaxed for the
majority of the
conversation with
only one sign of
aggression or
inappropriateness.

The student is not

using a voice level
appropriate for a
conversation and is
not speaking clearly.

Trail 3
E
The
students
head was
facing me,
but their
body was
not.
P

The students
expressions are not
appropriate.

The student is not

able to be relaxed
during the
conversation and
shows multiple
signs of aggression
or
inappropriateness.

Trial 4
P

Trial 5
P

Total:
9

E
The
student
was
zoned
out on
other
things

N
The student
did not look
at me the
entire time.

and
looked
away for
more
than 2
seconds.
P

and
looked
away for
more
than 2
seconds.
P

Emotions (E):
The students
emotions match
their feelings
during the
conversation
Relaxation (R):
The student
was able to be
relaxed while
talking/listenin
g

Total:

10

E
P
The student
had one
inappropriat
e or
aggressive
behavior.
When
talking about
school, he
got worked
up and was
not relaxed.
8
9

Voice (V): The

students uses an
appropriate
voice level for
conversation

E
The student
was
mumbling
but was
speaking at a
voice level
conversation
.
E
The student
smiled while
talking about
a sad
situation.
N
Student
showed
multiple
signs of
aggression
and
inappropriate
behavior
throughout
the
conversation
.
4

40

Administration Discussion:
The CBM was administered in the Adaptive Behavioral classroom during the
students normal 6th period class. The CBM was implemented after a weeklong
instruction on FEVER and how to use it for social interactions. My mentor teacher (MT)
would have a conversation with C for 2 minutes a day at the round table in the corner of

the room. Each day, my mentor teacher would sit across from the student ask the same
questions to ensure that the reactions and test would be reliable. The student was not
aware that this was an assessment because the conversation was part of his daily check
in with my MT. Before we administered the assessment, my MT wanted to make sure
the student did not know that he would be assessed so that we could get a more accurate
depiction of how much he is actually using the FEVER strategy discussed in class.
However, my MT gave C a verbal reminder to use FEVER every day during his
interactions throughout the day. Here is the list of questions verbally used during the
assessment:
5. What have you done today so far?
6. How has your day gone so far? Why?
7. What have you learned today in class?
8. What are you most excited about today?
While my MT sat down and asked these questions to C, I filled out the assessment based
on the behaviors that the student was displaying. We administered the CBM every
Monday and Wednesday (when I was in my placement) for a total of 5 days.
The CBM was effective and gave me and my MT insight into if the student was
actually applying the FEVER social interaction strategies in his everyday conversations.
The student performed relatively well, but definitely needs some improvement in his
conversation skills. We were expecting that the student would struggle most with
relaxation because he tends to get worked up very easily. Even though this was one of the
categories he scored lower in compared to the others, he had the most trouble with eye
contact. We also predicted that the student would excel the most in facing (F) my MT

while talking, which was correct. However, C also excelled the same amount in emotions
(E) and voice (V) which was a pleasant surprise.
The CBM tool was very detailed, allowing for there to be little error when
assessing the students reactions. It was also practical and completed tied into what we
would like for the student to be working on. It was individualized for the student, and
provided a great way for us to tell what we need to reteach/work on more with C. A
strength of the tool is that we utilized the same questions each conversation, allowing for
consistency and reliability. However, there are some weaknesses with the tool. Some of
the attributes such as inappropriateness in the rubric can be difficult to gauge and
depends on each individuals personal opinion. We should have elaborated on what would
be inappropriate for C to do during conversations. Also, the questions we asked are not
like the typical questions that he will get form a peer, therefore the assessment does not
give us a substantial prediction of how C behaves with his classmates. We could have had
a better variety of questions to ask that would give us a better idea of how he acts socially
with his peers. In addition, we could have observed C talking to his peers to distinguish if
there is a difference between his social skills with my MT and with his classmates.
Discussion with Mentor:
While we discussed the data, my MT was so insightful in numerous ways. He was
able to provide more background knowledge about Cs strengths and weaknesses in
social interactions and how they have improved/changed in over a year. I am at somewhat
of a disadvantage when it comes to background knowledge because I only get two days
out of the week with C and my MT has already had him in his classroom since last year.
As stated previously, we expected C to have the highest score in face (F) and the lowest

score in relaxation (R). However, after we received the results we found that C scored the
lowest in eye contact (E) with relaxation (R) being a close second. According to my MT,
this is a huge improvement from last year when C would not be able to relax and show
inappropriate behavior in almost all of his conversations. We believe that his behavior
increased in this area compared to last year because of the individualized lessons that my
MT taught C about relaxation techniques. We also just went over the techniques again at
the beginning of the year, so it was encouraging to see that it helped improve Cs
behavior even if it was slight. It was alarming to both of us that his eye contact was
struggling so much, especially because that is something that C tends to do well during
instruction. Our predictions about C having the highest score in face (F) were correct, but
we were also happy to see that face tied with emotions (E) and voice (V). My MT enjoys
focusing on the positive and wanted to make sure that he continues to use specific
positive praise when working with C to encourage him to continue displaying these
positive signs of social interaction. The results also showed us the importance of having
a good day. For Trial 5, we could tell that C was not having a good day and it caused his
FEVER results to dramatically decrease.
We discussed utilizing this measure again and decided that we could as long as
certain changes were made. FEVER is a conversational skill that the students will utilize
throughout their entire lives, so we want to make sure that they understand the
information and put it into practice. My MT said that before he administrates this
assessment again, he would want to go over the CBM and even have the student work on
the specific areas that needed improvement. We talked about the CBM allowing us to
focus in on the specific areas the student needs improvement, and being able to reteach

and provide resources for these areas. We would also make the changes discussed in the
administration section of this assignment depending on what my MT was wanting to
measure with FEVER.
Future Teaching:
After viewing the results, it is evident that C needs improvement in the relaxation
and eye contact areas of social interaction. He has a great understanding of facing,
emotions, and voice level, so we will not focus as much time on these aspects of
conversation. Since we have already taught about relaxation techniques in class, we can
find more resources to reteach this subject as well as utilize more application based
practice for C. The student has a basic understanding of what relaxation is and the
different strategies, but should be taught more of which strategy he should use depending
on the situation so we can find what works best for him. Another aspect that we will have
to go over is eye contact during conversations. He has only been taught this concept when
we went over FEVER as a whole, so we can focus more on techniques used to try and
keep eye contact with others during social interactions. C has an understanding of what
eye contact is and why it is important, so we will focus more on application and scenarios
with this area.

SPED 311 Curriculum Based Assessment II

Name: Laura Van De Walle
Date: November 3rd, 2015
School/Setting: A&M Consolidated High School/ Resource Math
How did you account for reliability and validity with this measurement tool?
Since the CBM was administered to M as well as the whole class, the reliability
type was inter-rater meaning that I could easily detect if there was a question on the
assessment that was not valid. The majority of the class did well on the assessment, so I
concluded that the functions represented were fair and clear. This is important because if I
had only given the CBM to M and there functions provided were confusing and poor
chosen, I would assume that she is having issues in areas that she may fully understand.
However, the CBM could have been more reliable if I gave it to M more than once
because she could have been having a bad day which would have skewed her results.
In terms of validity, this CBM utilized concurrent criterion because the multiple
assessments were given at the same time and received similar scores. The CBM also
exhibited external validity within the classroom, but this could differ depending on the
content and instruction that proceeds in other classrooms/school districts. In addition, the
CBM assessed content that is applicable to the students and appropriate since the students
recently completed their unit on functions.

On my honor, as an Aggie, I have neither given nor received

unauthorized aid on this academic work.
Signature____________________________________________

Description of Student:
M is a seventeen year old female at Texas A&M Consolidated High School. M is
in the 9th grade and attends the resource math class for Algebra due to her specific
learning disability and emotional behavioral disorder. She is serviced under part B of
IDEA and her accommodations include having extra time on tests, using a calculator,
guided notes for the lesson, and being able to go to the AB room to cool down when
needed. Academically, M is at the below average level in all of her classes, maintaining a
5th grade reading level. However, M shows an interest in Science. She is not motivated to
work in class has trouble participating in all of her other core classes. M plans on going to
cosmetology school and insists that she does not need to know the information being
taught at school despite the many efforts to sway her thinking. The main interest that the
student has is doing hair and makeup, which the teacher tries to incorporate into some
lessons to try and gain Ms interest. Once motivated, M is a diligent worker and will not
stop until she has completed a task.
Socially, M struggles to maintain friendships because of her anger issues and
inability to empathize with her peers. She has a strong personality that comes off
intimidating to the other students, and tries to use this to her advantage so that her peers
will let her have her way because they are scared of her. M is in an unstable and
unhealthy relationship with another student which causes frequent fights and emotional
highs and lows that affect her learning abilities in the classroom. M does not need any
help with daily living activities and can be fiercely independent to a fault.

Objective:
Given a worksheet with one domain for each of the five given functions f(x), the student
will be able to utilize algebraic methods to calculate the corresponding ranges and place
the domain and range in an ordered pair 4 out of 5 times with 100% accuracy.
111.39.C. (12) Number and algebraic methods. The student applies the
mathematical process standards and algebraic methods to write, solve, analyze,
and evaluate equations, relations, and functions. The student is expected to:
(B) evaluate functions, expressed in function notation, given one or
more elements in their domains;
Measurement Tool:
Directions: Give M the assessment sheet that includes five different function equations
with one domain given for each function along with a calculator and writing utensil. Here
is each function and its corresponding domains: Trial 1 f(x)=x with D{-7}, Trial 2
f(x)=3x-1 with D{4}, Trial 3 f(x)=2(x^2)-6 with D{-2}, Trial 4 f(x)=5-2x with D{5}, and
Trial 5 f(x)=(x-2)^2 with D{-4}. Tell the student to find the range for the given functions
and write each final answer in an ordered pair. Observe the student as they complete the
assessment and fill out the table with the corresponding components using the rubric
provided. When you have finished filling out each skill related section, total the points for
each skill to find the percentage for each concept.
Answers: Trial 1 R{-7}; Trial 2 R{11}; Trial 3 R{2}; Trial 4 R{-5}; Trial 5 R{36}
Key:
D = Domain (also known as the x values in an ordered pair)
R = Range (also known as the y values in an ordered pair).

P= Proficient (worth 2 points)

E= Emerging (worth 1 point)
N= Needs Improvement (worth 0 points)
Elements:

Proficient (P) = 2 pts

Distinguishing
relationship between
domain and range

The student will

independently use the
given domain to
substitute the x value
place in the function

f(x) is the same as y

The student will

identify that f(x) is the
same as saying y in an
equation and apply
this knowledge to
independently solve
for y also known as
the range

Ordered Pair

The student will

create an ordered pair
for each function
using the (x,y) format
with the correct
corresponding points.

Correct Calculations

Independently goes
through all the steps
to correctly calculate
the range

Elements:

Trial 1
f(x)=x
D{-7}

Emerging (E) = 1 pts

Needs Improvement
(N) = 0 pts
The student will use
The student does not
the given domain to
understand that the
substitute the x value
domain is the same as
place in the function
the x values and
after one or more
should be plugged
verbal prompts
into the equation to
find the range
After being given one The student does not
verbal prompt the
understand that f(x) is
student will identify
the same as y and/or
that f(x) is the same as does not calculate the
saying y in an
y or the range value in
equation and apply
the function
this knowledge to
solve for y also
known as the range
The student will
The student will
create an ordered pair create an ordered pair
after a verbal prompt
with more than one
for each function
verbal prompting for
using the (x,y) format each function using
with the correct
the (x,y) format or the
corresponding points
incorrect points were
used
Independently goes
Needs verbal prompts
through all the steps
throughout the steps
to calculate the range, or the calculation of
but needs a verbal
the range is incorrect
prompt to correct the
calculations for the
range

Trial 2
Trial 3
f(x)=3x-1 f(x)=2(x^2)-6
D{4}
D{-2}

Trial 4
f(x)=5-2x
D{5}

Trial 5
f(x)=(x-2)^2
D{-4}

Total:

Distinguishing P
relationship
between
domain and
range

f(x) is the
same as y
Ordered Pair

Correct
Calculations

E- the
P
student
needed a
verbal
prompt to
create the
ordered
pair
correctly
as (4,11)
because
they
mixed up
the
placemen
t of the x
and y
values
P
P

E- verbal
prompt
was
needed for
the
student to
substitute
the
domain
(5) for the
x value in
the
function
f(x)=5-2x
P

9/10

10/10

E- the
students
needed a
verbal prompt
to create the
ordered pair
correctly as
(-4,36)
because they
mixed up the
placement of
the x and y
values

8/10

E- the student 9/10

independently
went through
all of the steps
for solving the
range, but
needed a
verbal prompt
when
calculating

Total:

8/8

7/8

8/8

7/8

the range due

to a
mathematical
error
6/8

Administration Discussion:
The CBM was administered in the Math Resource classroom during the students
normal 2nd period class. The CBM was implemented after week-long instruction about
functions and how to find the range in a function. The assessment was administered on
Wednesday, and only administered once because it had multiple questions to determine
the students competencies regarding functions. Since M would be offended if I only gave
the CBM to her and would not do the work, I had everybody complete the CBM in class
as part of an assignment. I walked around and monitored all of the students, but made
sure to closely observe M and fill out the CBM without her knowledge. If I would have
given the test to her individually, she would feel uncomfortable like I as judging her and
would not perform as well due to the fear of being wrong. I gave M verbal cues when
needed as indicated by the table above, and was able to watch her complete most of the
questions entirely since the class is composed of seven students.
There were numerous strengths and weaknesses pertaining to the CBM. A
strength of the measure is that it was very detail, which allows for there to be little error
when assessing the students progress. The five functions provided were consistent for
everybody so that we could gauge where the student was compared to the class, and if we
needed to reteach a concept in the subject if the majority of the class missed a certain
element. Also, the functions provided varied in difficulty level and type which allows us
to have a better understanding of what M is struggling with specifically. An area of the

CBM that was a weakness in the assessment included not being able to give my full
attention to M while she was completing the task. This could have skewed my results
because I was not able to see if she self-corrected before I came back to her desk to check
on her progress. Also, the CBM was not individualized for M depending on her needs but
provided a more generalized assessment of her needs that would need to be pursued in
greater depth. In addition, some components of the rubric such as f(x) is the same as y
was difficult to tell if the student did not write it out on the paper or provide some way of
showing that they understood the concept.
There are multiple improvements that can be made for administering this CBM in
the future. Instead of having to monitor students progress throughout the room, I could
ask my mentor teacher to observe one side of the room while I observed the other. That
way it would not be so obvious that I was watching M in particular, but I would be able
to devote more time and attention to have more valid results. In addition, I would provide
a way that the students could better show me the concepts I am assessing them on such as
the one I discussed previously f(x) is the same as y.
Mentor Discussion:
My mentor teacher (MT) and I were able to discuss the results during her
conference period, which was three periods after the CBM was administered to M. We
had predicted previously that M would struggle most with correct calculations and the
relationship between domain and range because she was often confused by the
terminology utilized to describe the x and y values. However, once we received the data
we were shocked to discover that the area that needs most improvement is writing the
values of the function in an ordered pair. This is a concept that the students have been

using throughout the Algebra course, and a fundamental concept applies to multiple
mathematical skills such as plotting points on a graph, being able to solve equations only
provided points, etc. My mentor teacher and I were not aware that M struggled so much
in this area, and talked about having a mini-lesson/review to try and reteach it to her
individually because she was the only one in the class that struggled so evidently in this
concept.
My MT was able to provide insight on Ms academic skills in relation to the skills
we were assessing because my MT had Ms IEP goals for math and has worked with M
for a couple of years since M is a junior. We discussed providing M with references for
the academic vocabulary that she has to use in order to understand mathematical concepts
such as domain and range. This seems to be the main concern academically, and is more
than likely due to her low reading levels. In order to improve future teaching, we talked
about trying to accommodate by having the specific vocabulary read aloud to M or
providing a reference sheet that she can utilize while taking the test. One of the hardest
challenges that my MT faces when teaching M is the students inability to be motivated
to learn. We discussed possible motivations for her such as being able to have a rewards
system where if she actively participates, she can earn enough points to buy an item
from the store, which would more than likely be related to cosmetology.
Future Teaching Direction:
After viewing the results, it is evident that M needs improvement on the
fundamental knowledge of mathematics such as creating an ordered pair and identifying
the subject specific vocabulary. The best way to teach this practice is by explicit, direct
instruction and modeling. These are areas that will continue to be problematic if not

addressed completely and individualized to fit Ms learning needs. Since we know that
she is a visual learner, creating vocabulary charts such as the lincs or word maps will help
her to better organize the concepts and grasp the specific meaning.
Since the rest of the class understands the academic vocabulary that we have
already gone over in class, I will not waste class time going over these terms. However, I
will work with M outside of class to help her understand the vocabulary more efficiently.
When introducing new vocabulary, I will have all of the students create some sort of
visual and encourage using the specific vocabulary when discussing concepts.