Building Tutor Capacity for Implementing Curriculum-Based Measures of Oral Reading Fluency

Recent trends in reading assessment data indicate that many elementary-school students are not getting the instruction they need to ensure adequate progress. (U.S. Department of Education, 2019). Emerging evidence supports data-based individualization (DBI) as an effective way to prevent or reduce reading difficulties. (Austin & Filderman, 2020; Filderman et al., 2018; Filderman & Gesel, 2022; Filderman & Toste, 2017; Jung et al., 2018; Lemons et al., 2019). Curriculum-Based Measures, or CBMs, are a commonly-used data source for DBI and must be administered with fidelity. At a mid-Atlantic university-based reading center, previous anecdotal observations suggested that tutors experience difficulty administering CBMs with fidelity, making it difficult to gauge student progress. This qualitative case study sought to begin to address this problem through a systematic examination of the efficacy of tutor training practices. Data were collected in the form of training module artifacts, observation checklists with field notes, and semi-structured interviews to learn about common challenges to fidelity, how tutors’ varied backgrounds impact fidelity, and how DRC might improve tutor training practices. Major findings include: 1.) Challenges in achieving assessment fidelity often stem from tutors’ care for their tutees’ comfort and confidence. 2.) While tutors were already invested in their tutees’ success, the training process heightened their investment in measuring success through CBMs. 3.) Many tutors made relevant connections across the data they collected, the instruction they provided, and next steps. These findings inform recommendations about future practices in tutor training as well as implications for DBI in the context of the university-based reading center.