DIBELS

YEAH!!  DIBELS is now completed.  DIBELS is a yearly assessment in that measures reading fluency.  The Dynamic Indicator of Basic Early Literacy Skills is conducted three times per year.  All K-6th grade students will be assessed and their scores will be recorded.  Students will be judged based on a predetermined Benchmark.  Depending upon the number of correct words read per minute, students will be given a intervention status.  The levels of intervention are: Low-risk (meeting basic reading benchmarks), Some Risk (Within a level of confidence that without some intervention the student may drop below benchmark), and At-Risk.  For students in the At-Risk category, teachers are expected to monitor them frequently with intensive interventions to improve the reading fluency levels of the students. 

DIBELS also assesses retell fluency to determine if the student is understanding what it is he/she is reading.  For our youngest students, they are assessed in nonsense word fluency, phoneme segmentation and letter naming fluency.  These skills predict their ability to apply basic phonics in reading unfamiliar words and leter isolation in hearing and manipulating sounds.  Additionally, DIBELS  is widely accepted to determine academic success based on reading fluency.  Although, some students may not be "fast" readers, if they are comprehending what it is they are reading that may be a stronger indicator of success across the subject areas.

Parents will receive a copy of their child(ren)'s DIBELS scores at our next Parent/Teacher conference. This will be helpful for parents to become informed of where their child(ren) are reading in comparison to the grade level benchmarks.  Parent/Teacher conferences are scheduled for November 2,3,and 4.