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Form effects on the estimation of students' oral reading fluency using DIBELS
David J Francis1, Kristi L Santi, Christopher Barr
1Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics, University of Houston, 126 Heyne Building Houston, TX 77204-5022, USA. dfrancis@uh.edu
Journal of School Psychology
|December 17, 2008
Summary
Passage difficulty significantly impacts oral reading fluency assessments in second graders, affecting growth estimates. Equating passages is crucial for accurate progress monitoring and reliable results.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Reading Science
- Assessment
Background:
- Progress monitoring is vital for tracking student learning.
- Oral reading fluency (ORF) assessments are common in early grades.
- Passage comparability is assumed in standardized assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of passage selection and order on ORF progress monitoring.
- To determine if passage difficulty affects growth trajectory estimates.
- To evaluate the necessity of passage equating for reliable ORF data.
Main Methods:
- 134 second-grade students participated.
- Students read six one-minute passages in randomized orders over seven weeks.
- Passages were initially equated using readability formulas.
Main Results:
- Significant variation in ORF estimates (67.9-93.9) was observed across passages, not presentation order.
- Passage difficulty altered growth trajectory shapes and linear growth rate estimates.
- These passage effects were eliminated through explicit equating.
Conclusions:
- Passage difficulty is a critical factor in ORF progress monitoring.
- Readability formulas alone do not guarantee passage equivalence.
- Explicit equating of assessment forms is essential for accurate and reliable ORF data.
