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Opportunity-based data

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Opportunity-based data records whether a student used a skill each time a natural chance to use it came up, reported as a fraction or percent.

Topic: Measurement and data collection

In plain terms

Many social, communication and self-help skills cannot be tested with a worksheet. Instead, the observer notes each opportunity, such as a peer saying hello or a needed item being out of reach, and whether the student responded with the target skill. The score is the number of times the skill was used out of the opportunities that occurred.

How it shows up in an IEP

Opportunity-based goals read: "will respond to peer greetings in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 consecutive days." Staff should agree on what counts as an opportunity so the denominator is consistent.

Example

During snack, a student has 6 chances to request items that are out of reach and uses a device to request in 4 of them, so the score is 4/6, or 67%.

Related terms

  • Trial-by-trial dataTrial-by-trial data records the student's response on every teaching trial in a session, usually as correct, incorrect or prompted.
  • Percent accuracyPercent accuracy is the number of correct responses divided by the total number of responses or items, multiplied by 100.
  • GeneralizationGeneralization is a student's use of a learned skill in new settings, with new people or materials, and without the original teaching supports.
  • Operational definitionAn operational definition describes a behavior in observable, measurable terms, so different people would agree on whether it happened.
  • Data sheetA data sheet is a form for recording a student's performance on an IEP goal in a consistent way each session.

On IEP Atlas

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