Are DIBELS considered as diagnostic measures?
DIBELS may be considered as the first step in the diagnostic process but are not typically thought of as a diagnostic tool. They are best suited to screening students for weaknesses in the phonemic awareness, phonics and reading fluency areas; and they are an efficient and practical progress monitoring measure for K – 3 students. In many cases, a student who performs in the at-risk range on DIBELS may not need additional assessment (e.g., a diagnostic measure) before the teacher is able to implement remedial strategies. In other cases, when the remediation is not successful, the teacher may seek additional data from a diagnostic test of reading to better target the areas of weakness that are impeding the student’s progress.
Related Questions
- When students are known to be well below grade level, shouldn’t we be using DIBELS measures at their functioning level rather than their assigned grade level?
- What are some of the more common errors that might be made when first learning to administer the DIBELS measures?
- Are DIBELS considered as diagnostic measures?
