This technical report provides a summary of feedback from teachers, administrators, and support personnel who used the easyCBM progress monitoring and benchmark assessment system during school year 2009/2010. Data were gathered from semi-structured focus groups conducted during the 2010 easyCBM August Institute at the University of Oregon. Results…

This study describes validation data for qualitative and quantitative writing measures useful with a full range of students, including special education students, in grades three through five. The study looked for consistent administration and scoring, sensitivity in differentiating groups of students, relation to other accepted assessments, and…

The focus of this study was on the visual analysis of time series data for evaluating educational programs. Two characteristics of the data--changes in slope and variability--and two characteristics of evaluation--training in data utilization and the use of aimlines/decision rules--were manipulated. A total of 51 students and/or teachers in…

A system-level analysis of the effectiveness of special education was conducted in an educational cooperative comprised of six school districts. In total, 96 students (grades 1-6) were assessed three times during the year on direct, curriculum-based measures of achievement in math, reading, and spelling. Analyses of student performance data were…

Concurrent use of two direct observation instruments (momentary time sample of task engagement and event recording of discrete student responses) were evaluated in six middle school resource rooms using either of two reading programs. Findings tended to be program specific with differences lost or diluted when data were combined across programs.…

The study examined the hypothesis that different evaluative interpretations of studies of special education effectiveness may be a function of the manner in which data are summarized and reported. Four metrics are compared including raw score, grade-equivalent score, z-score, and discrepancy index. Criteria for selecting metrics for program…

The Pine County (Minnesota) Special Education System has adapted a database for use in decision making regarding programs for learning disabled and behavior problem students. The system is used for decisions in seven areas: identification, initial assessment, eligibility determination, individualized education program (IEP) selection, IEP…

The review examines evaluations of the efficacy of special education programs for mildly disabled children. The author suggests that serious methodological flaws make our present knowledge in this area very weak and proposes a methodology to address and overcome many of the limitations of previous research. (Author)