DIBELS
The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) is an assessment which allows us to predict literacy skills/achievement for your child. The assessment is given three times a year and we use the information collected to work with your child to help strengthen the necessary skills. There are specific goals for each area for your child to achieve; however, if your child does not meet the goal it does not mean they will not be able to read. It means it is an area where we need extra practice. DIBELS is an assessment to help predict reading acheivement. In Second Grade, your child will be assessed on Nonsense Word Fluency and Oral Reading Fluency. You can visit the DIBELS reading website for more detailed information (http://reading.uoregon.edu/)
Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF)
Children with strong phonics skills know the sounds of letters and are able to blend them together to form words. On the NWF assessment, your child is shown a “nonsense word” containing 2 or 3 letters (e.g. bim, ob) and asked to read the word. Your child is given credit for each correct sound (Correct Letter Sound– CLS) and added credit if he/she simply reads the word without saying each individual sound (Whole Words Read– WWR). Nonsense words are used so that the teacher knows your child is connecting the sound to the letter rather than recognizing the word by sight.
DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency (DORF)
On the DORF assessment, your child will read three passages appropriate for his/her grade level for one minute and then asked to retell what was read. The teacher will calculate the words read correctly (Words Correct– WC), your child’s accuracy rate, and the number of words your child uses to appropriately retell what was read. Retelling the story or text is important because it gives the teacher an indication if your child not only can read the words, but can understand what he/she is reading as well. The median WC, accuracy and retell will be used as your child’s score on this assessment. The teacher may also judge the quality of your child’s retell on a 1-4 scale (1– 2 or fewer details; 4– 3 or more details that captures the main idea). Although this scale is not used to determine your child’s overall score, it provides helpful information for instruction.
Scores:
Core
An instructional recommendation of “core” means that the odds are in your child’s favor of achieving later reading goals with a continuing effective curriculum and instruction.
Strategic
An instructional recommendation of “strategic” means that the odds of achieving later reading goals are approximately 50% without added instructional support in addition to core reading instruction. If your child’s performance fell within this category, he/she will likely require intervention in addition to core reading instruction. Small group instruction targeting specific skills may be required. This intervention may be provided by your child’s classroom teacher and/or a reading specialist.
Intensive
An instructional recommendation of “intensive” means that your child’s odds of achieving later reading goals are approxi-mately 10-20% without substantial intervention and support in addition to core reading instruction.
The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) is an assessment which allows us to predict literacy skills/achievement for your child. The assessment is given three times a year and we use the information collected to work with your child to help strengthen the necessary skills. There are specific goals for each area for your child to achieve; however, if your child does not meet the goal it does not mean they will not be able to read. It means it is an area where we need extra practice. DIBELS is an assessment to help predict reading acheivement. In Second Grade, your child will be assessed on Nonsense Word Fluency and Oral Reading Fluency. You can visit the DIBELS reading website for more detailed information (http://reading.uoregon.edu/)
Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF)
Children with strong phonics skills know the sounds of letters and are able to blend them together to form words. On the NWF assessment, your child is shown a “nonsense word” containing 2 or 3 letters (e.g. bim, ob) and asked to read the word. Your child is given credit for each correct sound (Correct Letter Sound– CLS) and added credit if he/she simply reads the word without saying each individual sound (Whole Words Read– WWR). Nonsense words are used so that the teacher knows your child is connecting the sound to the letter rather than recognizing the word by sight.
DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency (DORF)
On the DORF assessment, your child will read three passages appropriate for his/her grade level for one minute and then asked to retell what was read. The teacher will calculate the words read correctly (Words Correct– WC), your child’s accuracy rate, and the number of words your child uses to appropriately retell what was read. Retelling the story or text is important because it gives the teacher an indication if your child not only can read the words, but can understand what he/she is reading as well. The median WC, accuracy and retell will be used as your child’s score on this assessment. The teacher may also judge the quality of your child’s retell on a 1-4 scale (1– 2 or fewer details; 4– 3 or more details that captures the main idea). Although this scale is not used to determine your child’s overall score, it provides helpful information for instruction.
Scores:
Core
An instructional recommendation of “core” means that the odds are in your child’s favor of achieving later reading goals with a continuing effective curriculum and instruction.
Strategic
An instructional recommendation of “strategic” means that the odds of achieving later reading goals are approximately 50% without added instructional support in addition to core reading instruction. If your child’s performance fell within this category, he/she will likely require intervention in addition to core reading instruction. Small group instruction targeting specific skills may be required. This intervention may be provided by your child’s classroom teacher and/or a reading specialist.
Intensive
An instructional recommendation of “intensive” means that your child’s odds of achieving later reading goals are approxi-mately 10-20% without substantial intervention and support in addition to core reading instruction.