Curriculum-Based Measurement in Middle and High Schools: Critical Thinking Skills in Content Areas.

Since its inception, curriculum-based measurement (CBM) research and practice have developed in a number of areas, with the primary purpose of validating instructional programs (Deno, 1990). In general, however, CBM has been confined to the basic skill areas and has been studied and implemented in elementary schools. When used within middle and high schools, the emphasis has been on basic skills or general classroom functioning (Espin & Deno, 1993; Tindal & Germann, 1991 ). In this article we take the major tenets of CBM and extend them into content area learning, the primary concern of middle and high schools. To develop this extension adequately, though, we must consider the essential features of CBM and compare it with other forms of measurement currently represented in the wave of alternative assessments.