Assessment and Intervention
Domain 8: Assessment and Intervention
This domain tests how teachers use data to make instructional decisions. It covers screening, diagnosis, progress monitoring, outcome assessment, reliability, validity, and MTSS/RTI.
Core rules
- Screening identifies risk; diagnostic assessment pinpoints skills; progress monitoring tracks response; outcome measures evaluate programs.
- Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) is brief, standardized, repeatable, and sensitive to growth.
- Running records and miscue analysis reveal reading behaviors: substitutions, omissions, insertions, self-corrections.
- MTSS/RTI tiers: Tier 1 core, Tier 2 targeted small-group, Tier 3 intensive individualized.
- Interventions should be evidence-based, explicit, systematic, and monitored for fidelity.
Worked example
A universal screener flags a second grader. Diagnostic phonemic awareness shows weakness in blending; the student reads 45 WCPM with 90% accuracy. Reasoning: the data point to a decoding and phonemic awareness need, not just comprehension. Tier 2 small-group instruction should target blending and connected decoding, with biweekly progress monitoring and a decision rule.
Traps
- Using one assessment for screening, diagnosis, and progress monitoring.
- Changing instruction without collecting baseline data.
- Ignoring fidelity and attendance when judging intervention response.