Graph Out Loud: Pre-Service Teachers' Data Decisions and Interpretations of CBM Progress Graphs
| Title: | Graph Out Loud: Pre-Service Teachers' Data Decisions and Interpretations of CBM Progress Graphs |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Jessica R. Toste (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of Learning Disabilities. 2025 58(1):33-45. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 13 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Institute of Education Sciences (ED) |
| Contract Number: | R324A190126 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Preservice Teachers, Data Use, Decision Making, Progress Monitoring, Visual Aids, Special Education Teachers, Teaching Methods, Measurement Techniques, Protocol Analysis, Verbal Communication, Reading Difficulties |
| Geographic Terms: | Texas, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia |
| DOI: | 10.1177/00222194241231768 |
| ISSN: | 0022-2194 1538-4780 |
| Abstract: | Data-based instruction (DBI) is a process in which teachers use progress data to make ongoing instructional decisions for students with learning disabilities. Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) is a common form of progress monitoring, and CBM data are placed on a graph to guide decision-making. Despite the central role that graph interpretation plays in the successful implementation of DBI, relatively little attention has been devoted to investigating this skill among special education teachers. In the present study, we examined the data decisions of 32 U.S. pre-service special education teachers (29 females and 3 males). Participants viewed data presented sequentially on CBM progress graphs and used a think-aloud procedure to explain their reasoning each time they indicated they would make instructional changes. We also asked participants to make the same type of decisions in response to static CBM progress graphs depicting 10 weeks of data. Overall, there was inconsistency in pre-service teachers' responses related to "when" or "why" they would make an instructional change. Decisions were often influenced by graph-related features, such as variability in the data. Furthermore, responses suggested misunderstandings that led to premature instructional change decisions and reliance on individual data points. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| IES Funded: | Yes |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1453775 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| ISSN: | 0022-2194 1538-4780 |
|---|---|
| DOI: | 10.1177/00222194241231768 |
| Published in: | Journal of Learning Disabilities |
| Language: | English |