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Importance of Educational Research

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| | | | | | | | | | | Research NotesBrief Notes on Science and Practice from Joseph Witt, PhD, Senior Scientist Why Research is ImportantSchool professionals have an increased awareness of the way the term "research based" is being used by publishers. It has become a completely meaningless phrase in recent years. Every type of intervention, assessment, or curriculum product now carries the label research based. In particular, intervention publishers shamelessly proclaim that their products are based upon research despite a complete absence of scientifically based research. Reasonable care can be taken by school-based professionals to determine if a product has …show more content…

These skills or behaviors are arranged in an instructional hierarchy which, when properly understood and used, takes students to very high levels of achievement. This view has influenced the development and nature of iSTEEP assessments. The assessments used in RTI are most frequently those which derive from curriculum-based measurement (CBM). CBM type assessments originated in Precision Teaching (PT) with individuals such as Clay Starlin using oral reading fluency probes and phonemic awareness probes in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s prior to the “invention” of CBM by Stan Deno in the late 1970’s. The use of assessment in iSTEEP is more aligned with the original goals of PT than with CBM as it has evolved. A major difference between PT and CBM is the manner in which performance criteria are established used. Binder (1990) conducted an analysis of CBM and PT and observed differences in how standards for performance (now called benchmarks) are developed and used. PT uses performances standards. A performance standard is the level of performance for a skill that will support retention, maintenance and application of the skill. Data are used to set performance standards for important prerequisite skills such as phonemic awareness and oral reading fluency so that acquisition of these tool skills leads to smooth and quick progression through a curriculum or skill hierarchy. In contrast CBM

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