Date of Award

2011

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

First Advisor

Catherine Roberts

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of curriculum based measures using the oral reading fluency measure (ORF) of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) and the maze measures of the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR) to predict the success of third and fourth grade students both with and without emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Knowledge of valid and early predictors of student performance on high stakes assessments is critical in the identification and instructional planning of students who require early intervention in order to support their academic success. Method Archival assessment data across a two year period were collected from a convenience sample of students with EBD (n = 55) and a comparison group of students without EBD (n = 55) matched across ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender and age in order to control for differential selection. All participants (N =110) were enrolled in several suburban public elementary schools in southwest Florida. t-values were used to examine mean differences between both student groups. Additionally, correlational and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between the ORF and maze measures with the developmental scale score in reading on the FCAT and with specific demographic variables to determine which assessment was a better predictor of FCAT success for students with and without EBD. Major Findings The results of the study indicated that a significant difference in scores existed for all assessments for students with EBD when compared to their peers without EBD (with t values ranging from -3.110, p < .05 to -5.565, p < .001). Correlations of ORF and maze measures with the FCAT were significant for both populations, suggesting a high level of predictability of student performance for both assessments (r values ranging from .447 to .695, p < .001). The results of multiple linear regression analyses demonstrated both ORF and maze measures can be used with some accuracy to predict success on the FCAT for students with and without EBD while the demographic variables of ethnicity, socio-economic status, and gender did not significantly contribute to the model. Overall, the ORF measures appeared to be a stronger and more stable predictor of success for students with EBD.

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