Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills

Basics About DIBELS Next

DIBELS Next, the revised version of the DIBELS assessments, is a tracking system for educators. The vision of DIBELS is to create a road map for teachers and districts that tracks how students move from being nonreaders to becoming skilled readers. The goal of DIBELS is to enable teachers to know, at any given time, their students’ current reading skills and where their skills need to be for adequate progress. They also have information on the likely level of support needed for the student to be successful.

The DIBELS assessments are designed to be quick and efficient because every minute spent assessing a student is a minute in which instruction or intervention is not occurring. Therefore, the DIBELS measures are not intended to provide comprehensive, in-depth information on every component of proficient reading. Instead, they are designed to be indicators or critical components. An example of a common indicator is a mile marker on a highway that marks distance and indicates past distance traveled and further distance needed to reach the intended destination. Looking at the mile marker takes little time, but it signals progress toward the goal and can be a predictor of how long it will take to reach the destination.

Similar to the mile marker, DIBELS measures are quick indicators that give a “snapshot” of current reading skills within a developmental sequence of related reading skills. The point at which a student is making minimally acceptable progress is called a benchmark goal. Benchmark goals are based on research that examined the longitudinal predicative validity of a score at a particular point in time. The changing benchmarks across grades provide a continuum that links student performance on earlier skills with later skills. When a benchmark is attained at the designated time, the student is likely (generally 80–90% likelihood) to achieve the next benchmark at that designated time. Within each grade level, benchmarks are set [Page 556]for individual DIBELS components as well as for the DIBELS Next Composite score. The DIBELS Next Composite consists of all DIBELS components and represents overall reading proficiency, including reading at an adequate rate, with a high degree of accuracy, and for meaning.

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