BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH & TEACHING > Meet Us > BRT News > About Us
About Us
Headliner – Dr. Julie Alonzo August 2016 With a $1.5 million research grant from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) launching in August of 2016, Dr. Julie Alonzo, Co-Director of BRT, is excited about the future. “The funding for Project DATA for RTI,” she explains, “came at the perfect time, exactly one decade after we received the initial funding that enabled us to develop the easyCBM system. The initial work, funded by the Office of Special Education Programs, gave us…
Read more
Using Explicit and Systematic Instruction to Support Working Memory. Differences in working-memory capacity affect how students learn new skills and complete activities. Students with learning disabilities often experience challenges associated with limited working-memory capacity. This article offers strategies both for recognizing and supporting working-memory processing constraints and to facilitate working-memory processing during reading and math instruction. Smith, J. L. M., Sáez, L., & Doabler, C. T. (2016). Using explicit and systematic instruction to support working memory. Teaching Exceptional Children, 48, 6,…
Read more
The Relation Between Smarter Balanced and easyCBM Mathematics and Reading Assessments. This study investigated the relation between the easyCBM Benchmark Assessments in both mathematics and reading and the Smarter Balanced assessment, widely adopted across the United States Alonzo, J. (2016). The relation between Smarter Balanced and easyCBM mathematics and reading assessments. Journal of School Administration Research and Development, 1, 17-35. Access article through http://www.jsard.org/
Project DATA for RTI Grant- Developing Adept Teams for Advancing RTI Program: Professional Development for Teachers and Related Service Providers Fiscal Year: 2016 Name of Institution: University of Oregon Principal Investigator: Alonzo, JulieTitle: Project DATA for RTI: Developing Adept Teams for Advancing RTIGoal: DevelopmentAward Number: R324A160032Award Amount: $1,499,997Award Period: # years (08/01/2016-07/31/2020)Co-Principal Investigator(s): Gerald Tindal DESCRIPTIONPurpose: The purpose of this project is to develop an individualized web-based professional development (PD) program to support teachers’ effective implementation of Response to Intervention…
Read more
Individual Differences in Kindergarten Through Grade 2 Fluency Relations. Despite long-standing interest in reading fluency, little has been documented about the specific factors that developmentally contribute to individual differences. Consequently, precursory relations were longitudinally examined for students grouped at the end of Grade 2 as low, average, or high fluency readers to describe early alphabetic and word fluency contributions to later passage reading fluency outcomes. Using structural equation modeling, we modeled Kindergarten letter sounds, Grade 1 word reading, and Grade…
Read more
Date: Spring 2016The Oregon Extended Assessment was redesigned in the 2014-15 school year in order to develop a vertical scale that would support modeling of academic growth for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The test design was also structured to support future tablet administrations. Behavioral Research & Teaching will be conducting a study in the spring of 2016 where students who take the ORExt will participate in the assessment in the typical format (paper/pencil), will wait approximately two weeks, and…
Read more
Date: 2015-2020Sample: In Year 1 we work with one development preschool site. In Year 2, we add a new preschool and a kindergarten site. In Years 3 and 4, we work with four new sites (two preschool and two kindergarten). In Year 5, we work with 10 dissemination sites (seven preschool and three kindergarten). Project Description: Using the Learning Receptiveness Assessment (LRA) as the universal screening tool, we will develop and refine online features and products (e.g., guides, reports, training)…
Read more
Lai, C. F., Irvin, P. S., Alonzo, J., Park, B. J., & Tindal, G. (2012). Analyzing the reliability of the easyCBM reading comprehension measures: Grade 2 (Technical Report No. 1201). Eugene, OR: Behavioral Research and Teaching, University of Oregon. TechRpt_1201
Park, B. J., Anderson, D., Alonzo, J., Lai, C. F., & Tindal, G. (2012). An examination of test-retest, alternate form reliability, and generalizability theory study of the easyCBM reading assessments: Grade 3 (Technical Report No. 1218). Eugene, OR: Behavioral Research and Teaching, University of Oregon. TechRpt_1218
Technology-based Assessment and Problem Analysis This chapter discusses features of technology-based assessments particularly relevant for applications in school settings implementing response to intervention (RTI). Using easyCBM®, a popular learning management system developed to support RTI, the chapter illustrates measurement development and delivery that can provide instructionally relevant reports. Three important constructs are addressed that need additional research and development: measurement sufficiency, instructional adequacy, and data-based decision making. Consideration of these areas has received little attention in the empirical literature but…
Read more