CURRICULUM BASED MEASUREMENT (CBM)

CBM with Diverse populations

We also study the use of CBM with diverse populations. Given the exponential growth in the number of students who are English Language Learners locally and nationally, I have focused some of my work on the application of CBM with this population. My research has provided novel and timely information on the validity and diagnostic accuracy of reading CBM (Keller-Margulis, Payan, & Booth, 2012), annual growth rates (Keller-Margulis, Clemens, Im, Kwok, & Booth, 2012), the relationship between reading CBM performance in English and Spanish (Keller-Margulis & Mercer, 2014), and the technical adequacy of WE-CBM with English Language Learners (Keller-Margulis, Payan, Jaspers, & Brewton, 2016). The findings of these studies suggest a need for careful application and interpretation of CBM when used with diverse learners. 

Academic Skill Development for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD4ASD) 

It is also critical to examine the use of CBM with students who may have diverse developmental, behavioral, and social needs. This is particularly true of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We know that the format of norm referenced standardized tests may be incompatible with the unique skills of students with ASD and believe that CBM is a promising option for use with this population. We have a collaboration with UH colleague Dr. Sarah Mire to form the ASD4ASD research team where our mission is to contribute to the scholarly literature and best practices for supporting academic skill development for students with ASD.  Students with ASD also need the basic academic skills that will allow them to be successful in school and beyond. 

response to intervention (RTI or MTSS)

RTI is a tiered model of service delivery that provides increasingly intense and individualized interventions to children at-risk. In RTI models, technically adequate measures are critical for screening to identify children at-risk for poor academic performance.   

Children born preterm

Children born preterm often experience academic skills problems. Accordingly, our past research has focused on the development of a screening battery for use in pediatric clinical settings to readily identify children born preterm who are at the most risk for poor academic performance. Dr. KM has authored papers highlighting the academic needs of this population (Dempsey, Keller-Margulis et al., 2015; Keller-Margulis, Dempsey, & Llorens, 2011) as well as early intervention service utilization patterns (Keller-Margulis, Abrahamson, Llorens, & Dempsey, 2013).