Translating research into practice: Preservice teachers' beliefs about curriculum-based measurement

in this study, we examined the beliefs of preservice teachers following the ir viewing of one of two videotaped presentations on curriculum-based measu rement (CBM). In one presentation, statistical information that supported C BM's validity and utility was provided. In the second presentation, anecdot al "first-person" accounts supporting CBM's utility and validity were provi ded by a teacher who supposedly used CBM in her classroom. Following the vi deotape, participants responded to a questionnaire addressing their beliefs about CBM's utility and validity. Questions fell into five categories and were asked from three different orientations. Results revealed no effects f or presentation format (statistical or anecdotal), but an interaction betwe en category and question orientation was noted. In general, participants' b eliefs were more positive about the utility of CBM than about its validity. This difference was most pronounced for student-oriented questions. Across all question types, participants rated as least positive their beliefs abo ut the validity of the number of words read in 1 minute as an indicator of reading comprehension. Implications for practice are discussed.