You provide a good explanation of how DIBELS should be used. However, and, unfortunately, many administrators are looking for quick and easy assessments for comprehension. The administrators don't listen to classroom teachers who tell them that DIBELS is an effective fluency measure, but it can't measure comprehension, especially as students progress through the grades. What I find most troubling is administrators looking for a quick and easy assessment and then settling for an assessment that doesn't measure comprehension but using it to measure comprehension simply because it is a quick and easy assessment--all to meet the RTI requirements. Carol
----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, November 22, 2009 6:02:03 PM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] DIBELS DIBELS is meant to be a progress monitoring tool to assess the effectiveness of a specific intervention being used with a certain student. It is not meant to be a diagnostic assessment for all students. When used with Tier II and III students regularly to simply monitor fluency gains or lack thereof, it can be very useful to make decisions about the effectiveness of the intervention used with the student. It has gotten a lot of bad press because of its misuse by teachers who were told to use it without the proper training. It fits all of the components for a progress monitoring tool according to the RTI guidelines. Since comprehension is indirectly related to fluency it can be a general indicator of general comprehension for most children. However, just counting the words in a retell does not give you the in depth comprehension information you need to inform instruction, it is just an indicator of a possible problem. I have always used some form of IRI to really get to the meat of what is going on with a child's comprehension after noting that the DIBELS fluency score was below the benchmark guidelines. If you have a child that can read fluently with no comprehension (word caller), the DIBELS fluency assessment will not be a good measure of comprehension progress. I would suggest you investigate the Vanderbilt website (Doug and Lynn Fuchs) to review all of the background information so you can use the DIBELS tools for which they were intended. n Think of the DIBELS assessment as a thermometer to just measure reading health, not a diagnostic assessment used to plan instruction. Good Luck, Marianne -----Original Message----- From: Kendra Carroll <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Fri, Nov 20, 2009 2:15 pm Subject: [MOSAIC] DIBEL Our system has just chosen to assess using DIBELS. For those of you who use it, which students are you assessing? Do you use a different method to assess comprehension, if so, what? Thanks for your input!! Kendra Carroll Elementary Teacher Coach Sandy Ridge Elementary School: Amostown Rd; Sandy Ridge, NC 27046 Phone: 336 871-2400 Fax 336 871-2025 Pine Hall Elementary School: 1400 Pine Hall Road; Pine Hall, North Carolina 27042 Phone: 336 427-3689 Fax: 336 427-4944 Germanton Elementary School: 6085 NC 8 Hwy S; Germanton, NC 27019 Phone: 336 591-4021, Fax: 336 591-7013 Email Disclaimer: Please be advised that the contents of this message and any reply may be subject to disclosure under North Carolina law. This communication is for use by the intended recipient and contains information that may be privileged, confidential, or copyrighted under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby formally notified that any use, copying, or distribution of this communication, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. Please advise the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete this message and any attachments without retaining a copy. This communication does not constitute consent to the use of sender's contact information for direct marketing purposes or for transfers of data to third parties. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
