Progress Monitoring in Reading:
Why, What, and How
A module for pre-service and in-service
professional development
MN RTI Center
Authors: Lisa Habedank Stewart, PhD & Adam Christ, graduate
student Minnesota State University Moorhead
www.scred.k12.mn.us click on RTI Center
MN RtI Center
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MN RTI Center Training Modules


This module was developed with funding from the MN legislature
It is part of a series of modules available from the MN RTI Center
for use in preservice and inservice training:
Module Title
Authors
1. RTI Overview
Kim Gibbons & Lisa Stewart
2. Measurement and RTI Overview
Lisa Stewart
3. Curriculum Based Measurement and RTI
Lisa Stewart
4. Universal Screening (Benchmarking): (Two
parts)
Lisa Stewart
What, Why and How
Using Screening Data
5. Progress Monitoring: (Two parts)
Lisa Stewart & Adam Christ
What, Why and How
Using Progress Monitoring Data
MN RtI Center
6. Evidence-Based Practices
Ann Casey
7. Problem Solving in RTI
Kerry Bollman
8. Differentiated Instruction
Peggy Ballard
9. Tiered Service Delivery and Instruction
Wendy Robinson
10. Leadership and RTI
Jane Thompson & Ann Casey
11. Family involvement and RTI
Amy Reschly
12. Five Areas of Reading
Kerry Bollman
13. Schoolwide Organization
Kim Gibbons
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Overview

This module is Part 1 of 2
 Part 1: Why, What, How to Progress Monitor
 Why
do it?
 What
 How

do we mean by progress monitoring?
do you do it?
Part 2: Using Progress Monitoring Data
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words correct per min (grade level passage)
Is this student making progress?
Adam Gr 4
Repeated Reading 1:1, 20 min day
140
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Repeated Reading 1:1, 10 min 2xday
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
wrc
errors
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
week
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Assessment: One of the Key
Components in RTI
Curriculum and
Instruction
Assessment
School Wide
Organization &
Problem Solving
Systems
(Teams, Process, etc)
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Adapted from Logan City School District, 2002
Assessment and Response to
Intervention (RTI)

A core feature of RTI is identifying a
measurement system

Screen large numbers of students

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Identify students in need of additional intervention
Monitor students of concern more frequently

1 to 4x per month

Typically weekly
Diagnostic testing used for instructional planning to
help target interventions as needed
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Screening Data and Progress Monitoring
can be linked


The goal is
to have a
cohesive
system.
If possible, use the
same measures for
both screening and
progress
monitoring
(e.g, CBM).
MN RtI Center
Screen ALL students 3x per year (F, W, S)
Strategic Support and Monitoring
Students at Some Risk
Intensive Support &
Monitoring for
Students at Extreme
Risk
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Why Monitor Progress?

When teachers USE progress monitoring




Students learn more!
Teachers design better
instructional programs
Teacher decision
making improves
Students become more
aware of their performance
Safer & Fleishman, 2005
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Why Monitor Progress?
“In God we trust…
All others must have data.”
Dr. Stan Deno
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Why Monitor Progress?
We do NOT KNOW ahead of time
whether an intervention will be
successful for an individual
student
Do they ASSUME in the hospital that
your heart is working just fine after
your bypass surgery? After all…
the surgery works well for MOST
patients…..
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Why Progress Monitor Frequently?

To change what you are doing with a student if it
is not working (formative assessment) so you are
effective and efficient with your time and
instruction

To help make decisions about instructional goals,
materials, levels, and groups

To aid in communication with parents

To document progress for special education students
as required for periodic and annual reviews
MN RtI Center
DRAFT May 27, 2009
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Credit: based on slide by Dr. Kim Gibbons, SCRED
Change (and Keep Changing) if
Instruction isn’t Working…
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Credit: SCRED
You Can Also Use Monitoring
Data to Celebrate Success!
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What is Progress Monitoring?

Standardized measures


Reliable
Valid

Tied to important educational outcomes

Given frequently (e.g., weekly)


Simple, brief, efficient, and cheap 
Sensitive to growth over short periods of time
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Measurement and RTI: Progress Monitoring



Reliability coefficients of r=.90+
Well documented treatment validity!
Test and scores are very sensitive to increases or
decreases in student skills over time


Evidence of what slope of progress (how much growth in a day,
week or a month) is typical under what conditions can greatly
increase your ability to make decisions
VERY brief, easy to use, affordable, alternate forms,
and results/reports are accessible immediately
MN RtI Center
Standards for Scientifically Based
Progress Monitoring
National Center for Progress Monitoring
www.studentprogress.org
MN RtI Center
Reliability
Quality of a Good Test
Validity
Quality of a Good Test
Sufficient Number of Alternate Forms and of
Equal Difficulty
Essential for Progress
Monitoring
Evidence of Sensitivity to Intervention Effects
Critical for Progress
Monitoring
Benchmarks of Adequate Progress and Goal
Setting
Critical for Progress
Monitoring
Rates of Improvement are Specified
Critical for Progress
Monitoring
Evidence of Impact on Teacher Decision-Making
Critical for Formative
Evaluation
Evidence of Improved
Instruction
and Student
DRAFT
May 27, 2009
Achievement
Gold Standard
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Many tools that meet
standards are
members of the
Curriculum-Based
Measurement (CBM)
“family.”
www.studentprogress.org
click on “Tools”
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Buyer Beware!

Many tools may make claims about
monitoring progress but…

Is it reliable and valid?

Is it tied to important educational outcomes?

Can it be given frequently (e.g., weekly)?


Simple, brief, efficient, and cheap 
Sensitive to growth over short periods of time
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Short Term (Mastery) and Long Term
Progress Monitoring
Short Term
Mastery Monitoring
Test subskill mastery
and individual lesson effectiveness
Ex: Q&A, worksheets
following directions
unit tests, “hot” reads
accuracy, skills “checks”
CBE, cba
MN RtI Center
Long Term
General Outcome Measures
Test retention,
generalization and progress
toward overall
general outcome (reading)
Ex: CBM, DIBELS
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Both Mastery Monitoring and Long Term
Progress Monitoring are Important

Sometimes mastering subskills doesn’t generalize to
the general outcome or students don’t retain the
information over time

For example:

Melissa is very good at decoding letters and reading
individual words, but is not generalizing these skills to
reading text with automaticity and comprehension.

Adam was really good at using his comprehension
strategies and using those when they were working on
these skills in class (showed mastery), but when they
moved on to another unit he quit using the strategies.
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How Often Do I Need to Monitor Progress?

Informally we do this all the time!


For small instructional adjustments
(repeat the lesson, how much help to give, etc.)
In a standardized way to make sure we are
“on track” with this student?- depends on
level of concern

For students in reading who are behind already,
monitor progress toward generalized outcome
1 to 4x per month, ideally weekly
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How Do You Collect Frequent
Progress Monitoring Data?

Which students?

What measures?

What materials?

How often?

Who collects the data? Where? When?
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Which students?

Students of concern

Below target

Getting “extra” intervention or help

Tier 2 or Tier 3 services
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What measures?

Web-based sources for information on
measures as well as access to materials,
web-based data management, etc.



www.aimsweb.com
dibels.uoregon.edu
www.edcheckup.com

Disclaimer: More data management systems are being
developed and marketed all the time to provide information,
resources, and data management. This is just a sample of the
types of web-based resources available. Be a critical consumer!
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What materials?

When possible, students are monitored using grade
level materials


E.g., student reads a different grade level passage or “probe”
each week
If this is not possible due to frustration “test down”
and use the highest grade level of materials possible

Periodically “check” how the student is doing on grade level
materials and move into grade level materials as soon as
possible
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Example of Testing Down:
Reading “Survey Level” Data for Gus, Gr 4
200
190
180
170
Note:
160
-slightly lower
(4-8) in Gr 3 & 2,
-and much lower
(1-4) in Gr 1.
150
140
words correct per minute
-Error rates high
(5-15) in Gr 4,
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
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Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
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Grade 6
What Material Should We Use…

To “instruct” Gus?

To monitor Gus’ progress?
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How Often Do We Monitor Progress?

Depends on the sensitivity of the measure
and the level of concern we have about the
student, but 1 to 4x per month typically

For CBM Oral Reading Fluency


Weekly with 1 passage (this is most common)
Every 3 weeks with 3 passages
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Who does it? When? Where?

Anyone trained in the procedures can collect
progress monitoring data



Classroom teachers, special education teachers,
Title teachers, aides, related services staff, adult
volunteers
Be creative but careful
When and Where?


At a time and place that will provide valid information
Use common sense
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Sharing the Data

Just having progress monitoring data is not
enough. You need to USE it.

Scheduled graph review dates

Grade level meetings

Problem solving meetings
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Using Progress Monitoring Data:
Is this intervention working?
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words correct per min (grade level passage)
See MN RTI Center Module 2 for information on
graphs, decision rules, etc
Adam Gr 4
w rc
errors
31
Remember:
Garbage IN…. Garbage OUT….

Make sure your data have
integrity or they won’t be good
fer nuthin…



Training
Integrity checks/refreshers
Well chosen measures and
materials
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Avoid Common Mistakes


Don’t use the same passage/probe every
week! 
Have an organized system in place




Progress monitoring schedule for students
Preprinted passages/probes in a binder
An easy way to graph and look at the data
Scheduled time to share/look at the data
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Remember:

When teachers USE progress monitoring




Students learn more!
Teachers design better
instructional programs
Teacher decision
making improves
Students become more
aware of their performance
Safer & Fleishman, 2005
MN RtI Center
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Web Resources

Research Institute on Progress Monitoring


http://progressmonitoring.net/
Includes…
A Study Group Content Module with 15 sections on CBM
including activities

http://progressmonitoring.org/pdf/cbmMOD1.pdf

Progress Monitoring Leadership Team Content Module
with 6 sections (e.g. measureable goals, decision making)
including activities

http://progressmonitoring.org/pdf/cbmMODldrshp.pdf

Handouts, videos, and power point presentations

Technical reports of CBM measures
MN RtI Center
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Web Resources, Cont’d

www.studentprogress.org


http://www.rti4success.org/


click on Progress monitoring on right side
www.interventioncentral.org


http://www.studentprogress.org/chart/chart.asp
look for information on CBM, graphing, etc.
www.aimsweb.com, www.edcheckup.com,
dibels.uoregon.edu

Look for information about progress monitoring as
MN RtI Center
DRAFT May 27, 2009 and graphing for
well
as access to materials
progress monitoring
36
Recommended Texts

Riley-Tillman & Burns. (2009). Evaluating
Educational Interventions. Guilford Press.
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Print Resources available with this
module




Safer & Fleishman. (2005). How student progress monitoring improves
instruction, Educational Leadership, 62(5), 81-83.
Fuchs. Progress monitoring within a multi-level prevention system.
Retrieved June 5, 2009, from RTI Action Network Web site:
http://www.rtinetwork.org/Essential/Assessment/Progress/ar/MultilevelPrev
ention
Fuchs & Fuchs What is scientifically-based research on progress
monitoring? From the National Center on Student Progress Monitoring
(studentprogress.org). Retrieved June 14, 2009,
Jenkins, Hudson, & Hee Lee. Using CBM-Reading assessments to
monitor progress. Retrieved June 5, 2009, from RTI Action Network Web
site: http://www.rtinetwork.org/Essential/Assessment/Progress/ar/Using
CBM/1
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Activity for Teachers or Practicum
Students

Obtain progress monitoring probes and graphs

Passages and graphing materials self-created or downloaded



Sign up for an account with AIMSweb (instructor accounts and
student accounts available)




www.interventioncentral.org
dibels.uoregon.edu
www.aimsweb.org
Practice administration and scoring
Progress Monitor a “real” kid (ideally 2-4 kids of varying risk
levels monitored for at least 7-10 weeks)
Graph, analyze, and use data
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Quiz



1.) What are at least four reasons why
teachers should monitor progress?
2) What is the difference between mastery
monitoring and frequency progress
monitoring toward a general outcome?
3) How often should you monitor progress
for students receiving extra help ?
MN RtI Center
DRAFT May 27, 2009
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Quiz (Cont’d)

4.) When possible, students are monitored
using…




A.) above grade level materials.
B.) grade level materials.
C.) below grade level materials.
5.) Who can collect progress monitoring
data?
MN RtI Center
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Quiz (Cont’d)

6.) To have integrity, your data collection
must include what?




A.) trained data collectors
B.) integrity checks/refreshers
C.) well chosen measures and materials
D.) all of the above
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Quiz (Cont’d)

7.) True or False? The most important use
of frequent progress monitoring is to aid in
communication with parents.
MN RtI Center

Note: The MN RTI Center does not endorse any particular
product. Examples used are for instructional purposes only.

Special Thanks:


Thank you to Dr. Ann Casey, director of the MN RTI Center, for
her leadership
Thank you to Aimee Hochstein, Kristen Bouwman, and Nathan
Rowe, Minnesota State University Moorhead graduate
students, for editing, writing quizzes, and enhancing the quality
of these training materials
MN RtI Center