LOEL presentation

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• WO
• Studiejaar 1

The Riddle:

In a classroom, a teacher tracks her students' progress using CBM. She records weekly scores from fluency tests for three students: Alex, Bailey, and Casey. Their progress is graphed:

Alex: A steady climb, improving by 2 points each week.

Bailey: A rocky journey—big jumps some weeks, but a plateau in others.

Casey: An impressive start, but their scores begin to fall.

First we're going to start with a Riddle

In a classroom, a teacher tracks her students' progress using CBM. She records weekly scores from fluency tests for three students: Alex, Bailey, and Casey. Their progress is graphed:

Alex: A steady climb, improving by 2 points each week.

Bailey: A rocky journey — big jumps some weeks, but a plateau in others.

Casey: An impressive start, but their scores begin to fall.

The teacher asks:

“Who is on track to meet the year-end goal of 80 points?”

The data reveals:

Alex started at 40 points.

Bailey started at 50 points, with wild swings between 0 and 10 points per week.

Casey started at 70 points but loses 1 point every week.

Who is most likely to meet the goal, and what does the graph suggest about their learning journeys?

Who is most likely to meet the goal, and what does the graph suggest about their learning journeys?

The Riddle:

In a classroom, a teacher tracks her students' progress using CBM. She records weekly scores from fluency tests for three students: Alex, Bailey, and Casey. Their progress is graphed:

Alex: A steady climb, improving by 2 points each week.

Bailey: A rocky journey—big jumps some weeks, but a plateau in others.

Casey: An impressive start, but their scores begin to fall.

Who is most likely to meet the goal, and what does the graph suggest about their learning journeys?

Alex: Alex improves consistently by 2 points per week. Starting at 40 points, Alex will reach 80 points in 20 weeks, meeting the year-end goal.

Bailey: Bailey's inconsistent growth makes their progress unpredictable. Depending on whether they sustain their high weeks or plateau, they may or may not reach 80.

Casey: Casey's declining trend suggests they’ll fall short of 80 points unless intervention occurs.

The riddle demonstrates how CBM helps identify not only outcomes but also trends in learning, enabling targeted support.

Data-based decision-making with CBM data: 

Reading and interpreting the graphed data and linking it to instruction

Sanne van Bedaf, David van der Bijl, Manon Boerboom, Ylke Schrijvers

s2944979,  s2954877,  s2919265,  s2519887 

Sanne van Bedaf

David van der Bijl

Manon Boerboom

Ylke Schrijvers

The Riddle:

In a classroom, a teacher tracks her students' progress using CBM. She records weekly scores from fluency tests for three students: Alex, Bailey, and Casey. Their progress is graphed:

Alex: A steady climb, improving by 2 points each week.

Bailey: A rocky journey—big jumps some weeks, but a plateau in others.

Casey: An impressive start, but their scores begin to fall.

Articles of this week

1. Toste, J. R., Filderman, M. J., Clemens, N. H., & Fry, E. (2024). Graph out loud: Pre-service teachers’ data decisions and interpretations of CBM progress graphs. Journal of Learning Disabilities. Advance online publication: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219424123176

2. Van den Bosch, R., Espin, C.A., Chung, S., & Saab, N. (2017). Data-based decision-making: Teachers’ comprehension of Curriculum-Based Measurement progress graphs. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 32, 46-60.

3. Van den Bosch, R., Espin, C.A., Pat-El, R., & Saab, N. (2019). Improving teachers’ comprehension of Curriculum-Based Measurement progress-monitoring graphs. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 52, 413-427.

The Riddle:

In a classroom, a teacher tracks her students' progress using CBM. She records weekly scores from fluency tests for three students: Alex, Bailey, and Casey. Their progress is graphed:

Alex: A steady climb, improving by 2 points each week.

Bailey: A rocky journey—big jumps some weeks, but a plateau in others.

Casey: An impressive start, but their scores begin to fall.

Contents of this presentation

1. Activating prior knowledge: key components of a CBM graph

2. Warm-up: interpretation of graphs

3. Rules of CBM

4. Practicing with graphs

5. Reflection

Activating prior knowledge: key components of a CBM graph

Peer data

Goal line

Data points

Growth line

Vertical lines

Baseline

Van den Bosch et al. (2017)

Warm-up: interpretation of graphs

Create a puzzle with 4 pieces 

Warm-up: interpretation of graphs

Interpret the CBM graph with your group

Give answers to next question:

Based on this CBM graph, what would be your next step?

And provide good justification

1

2

3

Options

1. A student's trend line consistent with the target line suggests that the intervention is having the intended effect and should be continued. 

2. The student growth rates are lower than expected, an instructional change is needed. The teacher then adjusts the intervention and continues to collect data to evaluate the effects.

3. Continuing to collect data 

4. Adjusting a goal 

5. Reducing the intensity of an intervention 

6. Or maybe something else! 

After that we created 6 groups of 4!

Toste et al. (2024) 

Based on this CBM graph, what would be your next step?
And provide good justification!

(fill in with your group, 1 answer per group is enough)

Warm-up: interpretation of graphs

Warm-up: interpretation of graphs

Wagner et al. (2017)

Warm-up: interpretation of graphs

Warm-up: interpretation of graphs

There was just a big difference between one half of the class and the other!

Student background information

Van den Bosch et al. (2017)

Rules of CBM

*Back to your own table

1. Point rule

2. Slope rule 

The student’s most recent three or four consecutive data points are compared with the goal line. All of these consecutive data points being below the goal line suggests the need for an instructional change. 

Comparing the steepness of the student’s trend line (i.e., slope) to the goal line. A trend line that is less steep than the goal line suggests an instructional change is needed because the student’s rate of growth is such that they will fall short of their goal.

Toste et al. (2024)

Reading a CBM-graph

Three parts (Van den Bosch et al., 2019): 

1. Reading the graph

2. Interpreting 

- data to data

- data to goal 

3. Interpreting and linking

Do I need to change my instruction? 

Variability in datapoints

1. Instruction: needs to be adjusted 

2. Typical student variability: passage difference, student mood, background knowledge about the passage, environment...

Van den Bosch et al. (2019) & Toste et al. (2024)

Practicing with graphs

Sander is a 10-year-old student in grade 4 who struggles with reading. He reads slowly, makes errors in word recognition, and has difficulty with text comprehension. This affects his motivation and confidence during reading lessons. The teacher, in collaboration with Sander's parents, has decided to implement a targeted approach to improve his reading skills. The teacher has recently started using CBM to determine which intervention would suit Sander best. By selecting an intervention tailored to his needs, the teacher and parents hope that Sander will improve his reading and regain his confidence.

What would you advise
based on the graph?

Lars is a 9-year-old student in 4th grade of primary school. Since grade 3, his teacher has noticed signs that Lars struggles with reading. He reads slowly, has difficulty with text comprehension, and often becomes frustrated during reading tasks. His test results are below the national average. After discussions with his parents, the teacher decided to implement a targeted intervention to improve Lars' reading skills. They will use CBM, so Lars' reading progress can be regularly monitored. By using short, frequent assessments, the effectiveness of the intervention can be quickly evaluated and adjusted as needed.

What would you advise
based on the graph?

Max is an 11-year-old student in grade 5 who struggles with reading. He reads slowly and often makes errors in word recognition. During reading tasks, Max quickly becomes distracted and frustrated. His results for technical reading and reading comprehension are below the average for his age. After persistent requests from his parents to implement an intervention, the teacher, despite her busy schedule, decided to use CBM to improve Max’s reading skills. The teacher has recently started using CBM and has not yet been able to administer it frequently with Max. The main goal is to help Max improve his reading skills and boost his confidence.

What would you advise
based on the graph?

Lizzy is a 11-year-old student in grade 5 who struggles with reading. During reading tasks, Lizzy quickly becomes overwhelmed, making it hard for her to stay focused, which lowers her motivation. Her results for technical reading and reading comprehension are below the average for her age. After discussions with her parents, the teacher decided to explore an intervention to support Lizzy. To this end, CBM is being used. The teacher has been working with CBM for some time, gathering data to gain insight into Lizzy's progress and needs. However, finding the right intervention remains a challenge, as multiple factors contribute to Lizzy's reading difficulties.

What would you advise
based on the graph?

Reflection