DIBELS
Encyclopedia
The DIBELS is a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of K-6 literacy skills. By giving primary school students a number of quick, simple tests, DIBELS allows educators to identify students who need additional assistance and to monitor the effectiveness of intervention strategies.
This formative early literacy assessment was created by Dr. Roland Good and Dr. Ruth Kaminski of the Dynamic Measurement Group. Research about this type of testing was first done at the University of Oregon . It is used by kindergarten
through sixth grade teacher
s in the United States to screen for whether students are at risk of reading
difficulty, and to monitor student progress and guide instruction.
The DIBELS comprise a developmental sequence of one-minute measures: recognizing initial sounds, naming the letters of the alphabet, segmenting the phonemes in a word, reading nonsense words, oral reading of a passage, retelling, and word use. The measures assess phonological awareness, the alphabetic principle, accuracy and fluency in reading text, vocabulary and comprehension . DIBELS results can be used to evaluate individual student development as well as to provide feedback on effectiveness of instruction.
In goals, the goals for reading achievement are clearly defined and are set to be commonly understood by all users. The assessment materials provided, like described above, measure essential skills and provided valid information about student performance. Instruction is based on the reading goals and the assessments. The program provides materials that are based on state standards and benchmarks and are adaptable for all learners. The DIBELS program allows for professional development opportunities so that reading teachers can align their lessons better to the DIBELS data and assessment. Leadership within the DIBELS program allows teachers to interact and share ideas with the use of the program.
The materials alleged by the creators to be formative assessments appear to have no relationship to definitions of such assessment as designed to provide specific, constructive feedback to students as to their progress and future growth and improvement.
This formative early literacy assessment was created by Dr. Roland Good and Dr. Ruth Kaminski of the Dynamic Measurement Group. Research about this type of testing was first done at the University of Oregon . It is used by kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
through sixth grade teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
s in the United States to screen for whether students are at risk of reading
Reading (process)
Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols for the intention of constructing or deriving meaning . It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas...
difficulty, and to monitor student progress and guide instruction.
The DIBELS comprise a developmental sequence of one-minute measures: recognizing initial sounds, naming the letters of the alphabet, segmenting the phonemes in a word, reading nonsense words, oral reading of a passage, retelling, and word use. The measures assess phonological awareness, the alphabetic principle, accuracy and fluency in reading text, vocabulary and comprehension . DIBELS results can be used to evaluate individual student development as well as to provide feedback on effectiveness of instruction.
In goals, the goals for reading achievement are clearly defined and are set to be commonly understood by all users. The assessment materials provided, like described above, measure essential skills and provided valid information about student performance. Instruction is based on the reading goals and the assessments. The program provides materials that are based on state standards and benchmarks and are adaptable for all learners. The DIBELS program allows for professional development opportunities so that reading teachers can align their lessons better to the DIBELS data and assessment. Leadership within the DIBELS program allows teachers to interact and share ideas with the use of the program.
Criticisms
Teachers sometimes remark that students subject to regular DIBELS testing throughout their K-3 years come to view reading as a meaningless exercise in making sounds or saying words. If this is the case, then these students would be severely handicapped in reading more complex texts later on, since an important strategy used in developing reading vocabulary is using contextual meaning to infer the meaning of an unknown word. If the reading process is viewed as inherently meaningless, students rely too much on orthographic rules, which are unreliable in English. Such teachers usually advocate for [whole-language instruction].The materials alleged by the creators to be formative assessments appear to have no relationship to definitions of such assessment as designed to provide specific, constructive feedback to students as to their progress and future growth and improvement.
Resources
- University of Oregon Center on Teaching and Learning
- Schoolwide model: Six components
- What are Dibels?
- Scholarly Papers and Reports on DIBELS