Robert Antoniewicz

Artifact #3
SPED 743 – Reflection – M3 Measurement Assignment

Purpose

The purpose of this assignment was to practice operationally defining target behaviors,

and then determining an appropriate measurement system based on the behavior dimension of

interest. After that, I needed to collect data from primary and secondary observations, calculate

the interobserver agreement, and finally create a graph the clearly represented the data that was

collected. The purpose of all of these tasks within the assignment, was to help gain experience in

collecting data and determining the correct measurement systems to use in order to document

that data. By doing this the assignment allowed for the familiarization of the different

measurement systems that can be used to document that data. The assignment also provided the

opportunity to become familiar with the process of data collection using the different

measurement systems.

Addressing the assignment requirements

For the first part of the assignment, I was to operationally define the target behavior of a

student in a special education class. After defining the target behavior, I then needed to

determine two separate measurement systems to use in order to document the data that was being

collected. I then had to observe the student’s behavior in two separate classes, using one system

in one class and another system in the second class. I was also required to have a secondary

observer to document the student’s behavior to go along with my observations. After all the data

was collected by the parties involved, I needed to calculate the Interobserver Agreement (IOA).

The next required task of the assignment was to graph the appropriate data for each of the

corresponding measurement systems. The final requirement of the assignment was to calculate
Robert Antoniewicz
Artifact #3
SPED 743 – Reflection – M3 Measurement Assignment

and determine the reliability of the collected data by dividing the primary observer’s data by the

secondary observer’s data.

Revisions

For this assignment, I received a score 88 total points out of 100. The reason for losing

points, was because I described the wrong measurement system from what I used. I stated in my

assignment that I used “latency”, when in actuality I used “duration” as the measurement system.

So, I corrected my paper and stated that I used “duration” as the measurement system. Apart

from that mistake I did not need to make any other revisions.

Things learned and how it contributes to development as a special educator

This assignment contributed to my development as a special educator, because it gave me

the opportunity to practice collecting and analyzing data. As a result of this assignment, I learned

about the various different measurement systems to use during data collection. By learning this

skill, I am able to better look at the information regarding student behavior and how to

understand different graphs or methods used when collecting data. This is obviously an

important skill to have when analyzing data, because if I didn’t know how to correctly read or

even collect data, I would not be able to properly help my students. I also learned how to

properly define different behaviors and make it clear what a student’s target behavior would be.

Again, without this ability I wouldn’t be to properly document or address particular behaviors

that the students were partaking in. This has allowed me to improve upon my communication

skills with colleagues in order to describe certain behaviors or tendencies to them.