Effecting Superior Achievement Using Curriculum-based Measurement: The Importance of Individual Progress Monitoring.

The purpose of this study was to examine the importance of designing students' programs based on individual progress-monitoring data. For 20 weeks, 22 special education teachers monitored the mathematics progress of 42 students with mild to moderate disabilities, most of whom had learning disabilities, using curriculum-based measurement (CBM). For these 42 students in Grades 2 through 8, teachers made instructional adjustments based on CBM data. In addition, for each of the 42 students, teachers made the same instructional adjustments for a matched partner. Results indicated that students for whom teachers tailored instructional adjustments based on those students' own CBM data performed significantly better on a global achievement test than did their partners whose instructional adjustments were not based on their own assessment data. Implications for using CBM to effect superior achievement are discussed.