Meta-Analysis of Validity and Review of Alternate Form Reliability and Slope for Curriculum-Based Measurement in Science and Social Studies

Meta-analysis was used to examine curriculum-based measurement in the content areas of social studies and science. Nineteen studies between the years of 1998 and 2020 were reviewed to determine overall mean correlation for criterion validity and examine alternate-form reliability and slope coefficients. An overall mean correlation of .59 was found for criterion validity; however, there was significant heterogeneity across studies, suggesting curriculum-based measure (CBM) format or content area may affect findings. Low to high alternative form reliability correlation coefficients were reported across CBM formats between .21 and .89. Studies investigating slopes included mostly vocabulary-matching formats and reported a range from .12 to .65 correct items per week with a mean of .34. Our findings suggest that additional research in the development of these measures in validity, reliability, and slope is warranted.