A behavioral validation of curriculum-based measurement: Effects of task demand and context on oral reading rate across time

A behavioral validation of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) was conducted by examining the effects of task demand and setting on oral reading performance of elementary students across time. An alternating treatment design was used to examine the effects task demand (timed vs. untimed) and context (teacher in the classroom vs. school psychologist in an office) with 4 students receiving Title 1 services for reading in 3rd and 4th grades. All participating students were exposed to 4 experimental conditions per week for a total of 8 to 10 weeks. Counterbalancing procedures were used to ensure that each condition occurred an equal number of times each week as well as to alleviate order effects. Results of the study revealed an idiosyncratic outcome for each student participant. One of the most consistent findings was the differential effect of timing students when they read. For all students, timing their performance resulted in decreased variability in nearly all conditions of assessment. Additionally, timing performance resulted in an increase in rate of performance across time for 3 of the 4 students. The context of the testing situation (i.e., classroom or office) resulted in differential effects for only one student. The findings of the current study at least partially support previous research indicating differential responding to the conditions of assessment.