Relationship of reading fluency assessment data with state accountability test scores: A longitudinal comparison of grade levels

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mandated statewide accountability testing and focused the accountability conversation on reading. Therefore, the current study examined the relationship between curriculum-based measurement for reading (R-CBM) and state accountability test scores, potential grade differences in relationship magnitude, and differences in relationship magnitude among R-CBM and Maze as they compare to state test scores. Data for 5,472 students in Grades 3, 5, 7, and 8 were correlated and resulted in corrected coefficients that ranged from. 51 (eighth graders) to. 71 (third graders) for R-CBM and .49 (eighth graders) to .54 (seventh graders) for Maze. The coefficients between R-CBM and state test scores were significantly larger for third and fifth graders than those for eighth graders. No significant differences in magnitude were found between the correlation coefficients for state test scores to R-CBM and to Maze among seventh or eighth graders. Potential implications and suggestions for future research are included.