The utilization of curriculum based measurements to predict comprehension performance in Reading First schools

This study investigated the use of curriculum based measures such as the Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) subtest of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) in respect predicting later reading comprehension on standardized tests such as the TerraNova Exam, 2nd Edition© . This was achieved by studying the three-year implementation of the Federal Reading First Program in a large urban school district in the northeastern United States. This study utilized existing archival data of a cohort of students ( N = 243) in grades 1–3 who participated in the Reading First Program for a three-year period beginning in fall 2005. Students were administered the DIBELS ORF subtest three times a year and the TerraNova Exam, 2nd Edition ©, comprehension, word analysis and vocabulary subtests once a year in the spring. Descriptive statistics, linear regressions, correlational statistics, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to analyze the data. A SEM methodology was used to test the hypothesis for all three research questions in terms of the theoretical relations among fluency, vocabulary skills, word analysis skills, and reading comprehension. An initial model was developed based on Chall\u27s developmental model of reading, which posits the acquisition of reading through a series of predictable stages. The findings of this research project revealed a statistically significant relationship between the DIBELS ORF subtest and the TerraNova Exam, 2nd Edition ©, comprehension subtest for 243 children tested in grades 1–3. ORF also was found to significantly correlate to the TerraNova Exam, 2nd Edition©, word analysis and vocabulary subtests. The findings of this study support findings of other research that highlights the correlation between ORF and norm-referenced comprehension assessments. This study further extends the findings on CBMs such as the DIBELS ORF in regard to their predictive utility on standardized comprehension assessments by determining the relationship between the ORF and the TerraNova Exam, 2nd Edition©, vocabulary and word analysis subtests