Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the difference between the district and teacher versions of easyCBM™?
The Lite Edition was developed for one aspect of the RTI process with limited content and number of progress monitoring measures. It is managed by the University of Oregon and provides a portal for research on new items. The district version contains a more robust set of measures and content, including both benchmarking and progress monitoring, with multiple levels of access at the classroom, school, and district levels. The district version is intended for the RTI process across a school or district. Click here for more details.
2. What sort of technical adequacy do the CBM measures in this system have?
The progress monitoring measures offered through easyCBM
have been designed using the most modern approaches to designing, testing, and revising
student assessments. Detailed information about the design considerations and technical
adequacy of each of the measures can be found in the individual Technical Reports
related to each type of measure. Please click on the link below to access our library
of Technical Reports. We will continue to add additional reports as we complete
further studies.
BRT website - Publications / Technical Reports
3. What are your assessments based on?
The math assessments now available on easyCBM are based on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Curriculum Focal Point Standards in Mathematics. Alignment to Common Core Standards is currently in development. In each grade, K–8, you'll find a total of 30 progress monitoring measures: 10 aligned to each of the three main Focal Point standards for each grade level.
The reading assessments available on the system are based on the 'Big Five' constructs of reading reported in the 2000 National Reading Panel report.
Video answer How are easyCBM items developed?
4. Can easyCBM be utilized at the High School level?
The Benchmarking (Universal Screening) and Progress Monitoring found in easyCBM are developed for Grades K–8. Nevertheless, high school educators may benefit from data provided by easyCBM for the intensive progress monitoring of Tier 3 at-risk students.
Technical questions related to the use of the website
1. What web browser should I use for the best performance?
The easyCBM system has been engineered to provide high-quality
student progress monitoring while at the same time reducing teacher workload. Because
there are many small differences between Web browsers, we have carefully selected
the ones that best accomplish our goals—delivering consistent high quality and ease
of use. In some cases, users might have to download a new browser. We feel this
inconvenience will be well rewarded: We can provide better support with a known
browser. Although the easyCBM Website will open with many
browsers, it will only work properly using one of the
recommended browsers.
2. Why can't I simply get a booklet containing all the possible tests my students might be taking this year?
Although on the surface it might sound like a good idea to have a single booklet with all possible test forms in it, the sheer number of tests makes this unworkable. To print out a single copy of each of the measures available on easyCBM would take over 2800 pages of paper.
Another important reason for not printing out entire paper versions of the assessments available on easyCBM is that we make revisions to the measures periodically, to ensure accurate measurement of student skills.
3. How do I "Group" my students?
Sometimes it is helpful to have sub-sets of your students grouped together so you can see how the whole group is doing when looking at the Group reports. When teachers work with multiple classes throughout the day or have students assigned to different levels of tiered instruction, this feature is particularly relevant.
Students can be put into groups using the "Students" section of easyCBM. Create a new group by clicking the Add Group button, then assign students to that group by marking their corresponding checkboxes.
Ideally, you should only put students into the same group if you want all of them to take the same measures. This means that if you have a particular student who is the only one to whom you want to assign certain measures, then he or she should be alone in a unique group. You can create as many groups as you'd like, and a single student can be in multiple groups at the same time. The grouping feature affects how the data are clustered in the Groups screen of the Reports page.
4. How can I provide feedback about this system?
Send all feedback to the RPC_Customer_Service@hmhpub.com We are especially interested in hearing about the features on the system you like (so we don't change them on you!) and the features on the system you find problematic (so we can change them for you).
