The Relationship between Student Performance under Training Conditions and under Probe Conditions and the Implications for Interpretation of Student Performance Data

Abstract

Teachers need to evaluate student performance to make instructional decisions, but student performance can be affected by the conditions under which the data are collected. This study explores the relationship between student performance under training conditions and under two types of probe conditions: (a) multiple-opportunity (student is given the opportunity to perform every step in a task analysis), and (b) single-opportunity (student is not given the opportunity to complete the task after the first error). Eighteen randomly selected sets of classroom data collected on performance of multiple-step functional tasks by students with severe disabilities were used for the analysis. Correlations were calculated to describe the strength of the relationship between training and probe data, and X-tests were run to examine the differences between probe conditions. The relationship between probe and training varied. Single-opportunity probe data were more variable than multiple-opportunity probe data, and the difference between training and probe scores was greater under the single-opportunity probe condition than under the multiple-opportunity condition. The results indicated that: (a) students do not react to probe conditions as if they were extinction conditions: (b) training data do not consistently reflect performance under probe conditions: and (c) teachers may need to use different criteria to interpret data collected under different probe conditions. The implications of different data collection conditions on data for visual analysis and teacher interpretation of student performance data are discussed.