Validating Curriculum-Based Measurement for Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in Middle School

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the concurrent validity of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in middle school using the Maze (MAZE); Oral Reading Fluency (ORF); and the Woodcock-Johnson, Third Edition (WJ-III), Passage Comprehension (WJ-PC) and Reading Fluency (WJ-RF) subtests. Fifty-five students in grades sixth through eighth with emotional and behavioral disorders participated in this study. Results indicated a strong correlation between the MAZE and the WJ-PC, while moderate correlations were found between the CBM Oral Reading Fluency and the Woodcock-Johnson subtests (passage comprehension and reading fluency). Limitations of the study, implications for practice, and future research are discussed.