Week 4

Question 1

According to your text, what are 2 benefits of using Curriculum-Based Measurement?

Answer 1

1. It allows us to see how a student is doing in comparison to his peers and if special attention/instruction is required (Normative assessment)
2. It allows us to see if specialized intervention is working (RtI) (Formative assessment)

Question 2

The importance of developing stimulus control over academic responding: The text describes the importance of selecting the correct component skills to teach (towards the composite). Why is it important to select a valid and well sequenced composite teaching target?

Answer 2

• Targeting a wrong or unnecessary behavioral repertoire or incorrectly sequencing how they are targeted may slow down or stall the efficiency with which stimulus control develops while potentially having a negative cumulative effect on the terminal goal of real-world preparation
• As the student ascends through the curriculum and instructional tasks become increasingly more difficult, he or she must be able to coordinate multiple behavioral repertoires smoothly and in a timely fashion to be successful, which amounts to getting the right answer “on demand”
• Teachers will jump into a spot along this continuum by isolating and targeting specific subordinate or component response classes for instruction (e.g., teaching to segment phonemes versus teaching to improve oral reading fluency). This feature makes establishing both the validity and sequencing of component response classes absolutely critical

Question 3

When teaching a new skill, instructional prompts are often necessary to establish stimulus control over academic responding. However, instruction is not complete until stimulus control is transferred from the prompt to the natural stimulus. If stimulus control transfer does not happen spontaneously/naturally, what can you do about it? Name and describe 1 practice suggested in your text

Answer 3

Introduce a time delay before the modelling prompt is given following one or more trials with modelling. The time delay can be either constant (i.e., the same from one trial to the next or progressive (i.e., increasing over trials). Over time, as responding is strengthened, the learner will emit more and more responses before the modeling prompt is given. With two prompting methods—a combined modeling procedure (delivered first) and a subsequent constant time-delay prompting procedure—to incremental rehearsal (IR), a well-supported flashcard intervention that provides a strong dosage of repeated practice

Question 4

When teaching a student a new skill, accuracy is important (e.g., percent correct), but so is fluency. Using an example, explain the importance of developing fluency in academic responding.

Answer 4

• Fluency refers to the continuous performance of skills with both speed and accuracy and is widely recognized as being critical for the maintenance and generalization of basic academic skills like oral reading, math computation, and writing
• Example – Reading connected text at a rate of 100 WPM represents a functional fluency aim that promotes generalization to untrained passages

Question 5

Remember one of the “7 Dimensions of ABA” is Generalization. Explain the importance of generalized responding as the goal of academic intervention

Answer 5

• The intended outcome of ABA intervention is to foster the skills necessary for the client to achieve independence. To achieve this goal, all programs must be designed to promote generalization – essentially, the ability for concepts and skills to transfer across similar or even new conditions
• The effect of response generalization helps extend the effects of ABA intervention to new environments where ABA services may not be available. The skills being taught in any specific environment, like the clinic or the school, are more likely to be used in other places, like the home and the community when response generalization is a goal in treatment

Question 6

Which comes first in teaching and learning?
a. Generalization
b. Maintenance
c. Accuracy
d. Fluency

Answer 6

C - Accuracy

Question 7

7. Characteristics of Direct Instruction include (select all that apply):
   a. A carefully sequenced curriculum
   b. Signals from teacher to cue student response
   c. Following an instructional script
   d. Repetition and practice to mastery

Answer 7

A, B, C, D

Question 8

What’s the difference between a skill deficit and a performance deficit?

Answer 8

• A skill deficit (can’t do) is a problem with stimulus control and reinforcement contingencies alone will not remedy the problem. A performance deficit (won’t do) is when the stimulus control is established. Having insufficient MO, you need to address the SR and the contingencies
• Skill deficit refers to the absence of a particular skill or behavior whereas a performance deficit refers to a skill or behavior that is present, but not demonstrated or performed