While student progress monitoring sounds fairly self-explanatory, it has a distinct meaning when used in an MTSS model or as an element of a student's IEP. Student progress monitoring is a repeated measurement of performance, using equated probes, to inform instruction of individual students in general and special education, especially in grades K-8.

The purpose of progress monitoring is to measure the overall effectiveness of any intervention. Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) Probes are used for identified students and can serve as documentation as part of the tiered intervention process or for referral for special education testing. These probes have multiple forms equated for the same skills at the same level of difficulty. They truly measure progress and show retention of gains with successive test administrations.

The progress monitoring reports track results for every test instance during the intervention period and include targeted Rate of Improvement goals and a trend line to establish the student's current Rate of Improvement. As students complete their weekly CBMs, their progress monitoring results automatically inform their learning paths. This means the progress monitoring data and the intervention units automatically assigned are very tightly coupled, exactly where the student is ready to learn.