Argyle Central School District will be completing Curriculum Based Measurements (CBM) with our students in grades Kindergarten through grade Six. This type of assessment will be administered three times a year to give us benchmark scores and is another measure to help us monitor student progress. These tests are different from the current standardized New York State Tests that are given yearly to students. CBM are quick one to five minute assessments that allow your child’s teacher to use the test results to decide how to help your child learn better and help your child’s teachers teach more effectively and make better decisions about the type of instruction that will work best with your child.
If your child is meeting or exceeding the set benchmark, the teacher continues to teach your child in the same way. If your child’s performance on the measurement does not meet the benchmark, then the teacher changes the instructional methodology and establishes goals for the student to meet the benchmark. The teacher might change the method being used, the amount of instructional time, the grouping arrangement (for example, individual instruction versus small-group instruction), or some other aspect of teaching. In this process, the teacher is looking for the type and amount of instruction that will enable the child to make enough progress toward meeting the goal. The measurements take from 1 to 5 minutes, so the child should not have the feeling of constantly being tested. In addition, since the teacher measures progress frequently – usually once a week – he or she can revise the instructional plan as soon as the child needs it, rather than waiting until a test or the state assessment shows that the child’s' instructional needs are not being met. After each weekly measurement, the teacher notes your child’s performance level and compares it to previous measurements and to expected rates of learning. The teacher tracks the measurements on a graph as a way of showing the success of both the teacher and the student.
Parents will get updated yearly letting you know how your child has done.