TECHNICAL ADEQUACY OF CURRICULUM-BASED MEASUREMENT FOR BRAILLE READERS

The reliability and validity of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) for Braille readers was evaluated. Passage sample lengths of 1-, 2-, and 3-minutes were examined for 15 students in Grades 3 through 7. Internal consistency coefficients ranged from .97 to .99, alternate-form reliability coefficients from .88 to .98, and percentage of agreement between independent examiners ranged from .97 to 98%. Test-retest reliability coefficients with a 14- to 16-day retest interval ranged from .95 to .98. Criterion-related validity coefficients with the Diagnostic Reading Scales (Spache, 1981) ranged from .60 to .82. Overall teacher ratings of students' Braille reading performance also correlated significantly with CBM results ranging from .80 to .85. A 2-minute passage length was found to be reliable, valid, and efficient with assessing and monitoring progress of Braille readers. The findings from this study were very similar to the data on technical adequacy for CBM when used with sighted readers.