DIBELS

Question 1

What does DIBELS stand for?

Answer 1

Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills

Question 2

What are DIBELS benchmark goals?

Answer 2

They are target scores that show if a student is making good reading progress.

Question 3

What does a benchmark goal tell us?

Answer 3

It shows if a student is on track to reach the next reading goal.

Question 4

How are benchmark goals set?

Answer 4

They are based on research that checks if a score now predicts future reading success.

Question 5

What happens if a student meets a benchmark goal?

Answer 5

They are more likely to succeed in reading later if they get good classroom instruction.

Question 6

What do cut points for risk indicate?

Answer 6

They show when a student is unlikely to meet future reading goals without extra help.

Question 7

What happens if a student scores below the cut point for risk?

Answer 7

They likely need intensive support to improve their reading skills.

Question 8

What is intensive support?

Answer 8

It includes extra or different instruction beyond the core curriculum, such as:
- Smaller group instruction
- More practice and instructional time
- Breaking skills into smaller steps
- More modeling and scaffolding

Question 9

Why should students receiving intensive support be monitored frequently?

Answer 9

Because they may have unique needs, and their intervention should be adjusted to help them progress.

Question 10

What is the range of scores between a benchmark goal and a cut point for risk?

Answer 10

It’s a range where a student’s future reading success is harder to predict.

Question 11

What type of support should students in this range receive?

Answer 11

Strategic support, which includes targeted help in skill areas they struggle with, regular progress monitoring, and modified support if needed.

Question 12

What happens if a student scores at or above the DIBELS Composite Score benchmark goal?

Answer 12

They are likely to reach future important reading goals.

Question 13

What is the DIBELS Composite Score?

Answer 13

It is a combination of multiple DIBELS scores and provides the best overall estimate of the
student’s early literacy skills and/or reading pro!ciency

Question 14

Can a student scoring at or above the benchmark goal still need help?

Answer 14

Yes, if they have a low score on an individual DIBELS measure (like FSF, PSF, NWF, DORF, or Daze), they might need extra support.

Question 15

Why can’t the DIBELS Composite Score be used to measure growth over time?

Answer 15

Because the scores used in the calculation change by grade and time of year.

Question 16

What can be compared across grades and times of the year?

Answer 16

The percent of students at or above benchmark, even though their average scores can’t be compared directly.

Question 17

Why doesn’t Letter Naming Fluency (LNF) have benchmark goals?

Answer 17

LNF is used to predict reading risk, not as a learning goal. While knowing letter names can predict later reading success, studies show that teaching letter names does not directly improve reading skills. Instead, learning letter sounds is more important for reading development. Because of this, LNF does not have benchmark goals, but it is included in the DIBELS Composite Score for kindergarten and early first grade.

Question 18

Why are the sixth grade benchmark goals lower than the fifth grade goals?

Answer 18

The difficulty of the reading passages increases as the grades go up, but student performance doesn’t increase at the same rate. Most growth happens in the earlier grades, and in sixth grade, the difficulty increases faster than students’ performance, so the benchmark goals are lower for sixth grade compared to fifth grade.

Question 19

What is DIBELS Next?

Answer 19

DIBELS Next is an updated version of DIBELS. It’s a tool that helps assess early literacy skills and provides accurate, quick, and useful results.

Question 20

DIBELS Next is used to:

Answer 20

• identify students who may be at risk for reading difficulties;
• help teachers identify areas to target instructional support;
• monitor at-risk students while they receive additional, targeted instruction; and
• examine the effectiveness of your school’s system of instructional supports.

Question 21

What are the grade ranges for the DIBELS Next?

Answer 21

Kindergarten through 6th grade

Question 22

What are the basic literacy skills?

Answer 22

• Phonemic awareness
• Phonics
• Accurate and fluent reading of connected text
• Reading comprehension
• Vocabulary and language skills

Question 23

What is phonemic awareness?

Answer 23

Hearing and using sounds in spoken words.

Question 24

What is phonics?

Answer 24

The system of letter-sound relationships that serves as the foundation for decoding words in print.

Question 25

Alphabetic principle & basic phonics:

Answer 25

Knowing letter sounds and sounding out simple words.

Question 26

Advanced phonics & word attack skills:

Answer 26

Knowing all letter sounds and combining them to sound out more complex words.

Question 27

What is accurate and fluent reading of connected text?

Answer 27

Reading stories and passages easily and confidently with few mistakes.

Question 28

What is reading comprehension?

Answer 28

Understanding what is read.

Question 29

What is vocabulary and language skills?

Answer 29

Understanding and using a variety of words correctly.

Question 30

Is DIBELS appropriate for English Language Learners (ELLs)?

Answer 30

Yes, DIBELS is suitable for English language learners who are learning to read in English. Research shows that ELLs can develop reading skills in English as well as their native English-speaking peers.

Question 31

Can DIBELS be used for students in special education?

Answer 31

Yes, DIBELS is appropriate for special education students if learning to read is an IEP goal. However, adjustments to goals, timelines, and materials may be necessary.

Question 32

Who is DIBELS not appropriate for?

Answer 32

DIBELS is not suitable for: - Students learning to read in a language other than English - Students who are deaf - Students with fluency-based speech disabilities (e.g., stuttering, oral apraxia) - Students with severe disabilities for whom reading is not an IEP goal

Question 33

What is benchmark assessment in DIBELS Next?

Answer 33

Benchmark assessment involves testing all students in a school or grade three times per year to identify those at risk for reading difficulties. It is conducted using grade-level material and varies depending on the grade and time of year.

Question 34

What is progress monitoring in DIBELS Next?

Answer 34

Progress monitoring is more frequent testing for students identified as at risk for reading difficulties. It assesses the specific skill areas where students receive instruction to ensure they are making progress. This can be done using grade-level or out-of-grade materials based on individual student needs.

Question 35

How do benchmark assessment and progress monitoring fit into the Response-to-Intervention (RtI) model?

Answer 35

Both assessments are essential for RtI models, such as the Outcomes-Driven Model, as they help educators identify struggling students and track their progress over time.

Question 36

What are the five steps in the Outcomes-Driven Model?

Answer 36

1. Identify need for support early: Conduct universal screening through benchmark assessments. 2. Validate the need for support: Confirm assessment results with additional data and teacher observations. 3. Plan and implement support: Provide research-based instruction and interventions for struggling students. 4. Evaluate and modify support as needed: Use frequent progress monitoring to adjust interventions. 5. Review outcomes: Analyze data to improve instructional strategies at the school level.

Question 37

How often should progress monitoring be conducted?

Answer 37

It depends on the student's level of need. It can be conducted once per month, every two weeks, or as often as once per week for students requiring intensive support.

Question 38

What role does the final step, reviewing outcomes, play in the process?

Answer 38

Reviewing outcomes helps educators determine if interventions are effective and if instructional changes are needed to improve student reading success.

Question 39

What is reading comprehension?

Answer 39

Reading comprehension is the ability to understand what is read, and is demonstrated by making inferences, getting the gist, filling in the gaps, and understanding the big ideas of the text

Question 40

What skills are required for reading comprehension?

Answer 40

Reading comprehension requires decoding skills, linguistic knowledge (syntax, semantics, word morphology), prior knowledge, and reasoning skills.

Question 41

Why are decoding skills alone not enough for reading comprehension?

Answer 41

While decoding skills are necessary, comprehension also depends on a reader’s language knowledge and understanding of the world.

Question 42

How do students improve their reading comprehension over time?

Answer 42

Students improve by developing stronger decoding skills, expanding vocabulary, increasing linguistic awareness, and gaining real-world knowledge.

Question 43

Why would teachers use the DIBELS?

Answer 43

- To determine whether students are improving with extra assistance - To set up reading groups and make changes if needed - To identify students in need of more assistance - To enhance parent conferences

Question 44

How often should all students be doing benchmarking? About how long does it take per child?

Answer 44

All students should be assessed at critical times (e.g., Fall, Winter, Spring), about 10 minutes per child