FAQ's

Instructional Support

October 23, 2006

1. I know that it has been shown that reaching DIBELS benchmarks will predict the percent of students passing state mandated tests. But what evidence do we have that this works in TUSD?

94% of TUSD 3rd graders who reached Benchmark on DIBELS last spring met or exceeded on AIMS Reading. From this we can predict that when students meet DIBELS Benchmarks on time, they have a very high likelihood of passing AIMS Reading.

2. Why do I need to progress monitor my students when I already know their reading level?

We progress monitor to make sure our students are making enough progress to reach their target goal by the timeline set. Otherwise they might not be doing as well as we thought they were.

3. Why can’t I just progress monitor all my below benchmark students on grade level? This would be much easier.

The controversy over whether to progress monitor on grade level or to survey back and find the student’s “Instructional” level (which is recommended for Intensive students) usually starts with 2nd grade and continues through 4th and 5th grades. Since those students only take ORF and Retell except for beginning 2nd graders who also take Nonsense Word Fluency, the issue really revolves around on what oral reading level to test. To answer this question, we need to look at whether the student is Strategic or Intensive. Strategic students are usually close enough to grade level that they can reach grade level proficiency levels by the end of the year so using the goal (or aim line) line on the grade level ORF progress monitoring book will show growth, and the student has a good chance of reaching that goal.

However, if we are testing all 2nd – 5th Intensive students on grade level ORF, there may be several problems. First, students will be continually tested on their Frustration level so it will be more difficult to chart growth. Second, for older students who are several years below grade level, they will probably not be able to reach the target grade level goal. The students’ trend line will, thus, have low trajectory and will also look like they aren’t making enough progress. The idea behind progress monitoring is to show incremental growth in obtainable units and to see that students are reaching intermediary goals – such as proficiency at first grade, then second grade, then third grade, then fourth grade… We could even break those grade level goals down into beginning, middle and end. Or instead of tell older students they are working for example on first grade level, we could just use the color coding of the DIBELS test books: yellow, green, salmon, purple and pink.

October 9, 2006

Why didn’t I receive enough grade books to progress monitor all my Strategic and Intensive students?

Students should be progress monitored on their “instructional level” – not their grade level. Strategic students can usually be progress monitored on grade level. However, Intensive students are usually too low to show significant progress on grade level so someone must survey back (or test back) to determine the appropriate level to progress monitor. The progress monitoring level and the level at which students are instructed in interventions is typically the same. Notice I keep saying “usually” or “typically” because you must often use your best judgment of which level is most appropriate.

When making decisions about the correct level for progress monitoring and instruction, also look at the percent correct. For example, a 2nd grade child who scored in the DIBELS Intensive range, but got every word correct (100%) and showed good understanding of the passage through the Retell, would not need to be progress monitored on 1st grade level but would probably need 2nd grade fluency intervention.

September 19, 2005

1. Do I need to order my progress monitoring materials?

No, The Print Shop will send progress monitoring booklets to schools within 2 weeks of the end of the first benchmark. The numbers will be based on the benchmark data entered into the database.

2. How were the amount and level of progress monitoring materials I received determined?

Your school received progress monitoring booklets for each of your students who were below Benchmark level plus 10%. The numbers were based on the scores your school entered into the database. All kindergartners scoring below benchmark levels received grade level (kindergarten) progress monitoring booklets. First, second and third graders who scored in the “Some Risk” area on their Benchmark assessment, received grade level progress monitoring booklets in those area(s). First, second and third graders who scored in the “At Risk” area received corresponding progress monitoring booklets at the grade level below.

3. Shouldn’t I have started Progress Monitoring right after the Benchmark Assessments?

No, there needs to be at least 2 weeks and up to 4 weeks between the Benchmark Assessment and the start of Progress Monitoring to give students time for improvement.

4. How do I know which students to progress monitor?

Any student who does not meet Benchmark goals is to be progress monitored.

5. How often must students be progress monitored?

“Strategic” students are to be tested (monitored) at least once a month. “Intensive” students are to be tested (monitored) at least every 2 weeks. Look at the Benchmark test scores for each student. You only need to monitor on one area. Pick the lowest step on the DIBELS hierarchy. (From bottom to top: Initial Sound Fluency, Letter Naming, Phoneme Segmentation Fluency, 1st Grade Oral Reading, 2nd Grade Oral Reading, 3rd Grade Oral Reading… Work Use Fluency (vocabulary) runs throughout the hierarchy. It is like the rope that holds all of the other skills together and can be progress monitored along with other areas.

6. How do I know who is “Strategic” and who is “intensive?”

DIBELS reports such as the Distribution Report tell which student is Strategic and which is Intensive.

7. I received copies of green DIBELS Kindergarten Initial Sound Fluency books with colored pictures. What are these for?

The green ISF progress monitoring books with colored pictures are what the examiner uses to test (progress monitor) students on ISF. There are 20 sets of colored pictures. One set for each of the 20 ISF progress monitoring tests. These were sent to the DIBLES Coordinator at each school.

8. The green examiner’s copies of the Initial Sound Fluency progress monitoring books say 6th Edition and the DIBELS website has only 5th Edition, how will this work?

The Print Shop has the 6th Edition of ISF and is using it to make copies of the ISF progress monitoring booklets so the editions will match.

9. How do I decide what measure to monitor for each student who is below Benchmark? Do I have to monitor all areas that are low?

No. You do not have to monitor all areas that are low. You only need to monitor one area at a time. (One exception is that kindergartners are often monitored on both letter naming and another area. Another exception is that students are often progress monitored on Word Use Fluency along with another area.) To begin progress monitoring, select the lowest skill area on the DIBELS hierarchy of skills. The kindergarten measures of phonological awareness (Initial Sound Fluency and Phoneme Segmentation Fluency) are at the bottom, next is the first grade skill of phonics (Nonsense Word Fluency), then comes each grade level’s Oral Reading Fluency.

10. I notice the kinder booklets do not begin until December. Does this mean we do not begin monitoring kindergartners until December?

No. The grade level on the progress monitoring booklets can be confusing until your realize it refers to the grade level where the skill is the focus and/or established. The progress monitoring chart on Phoneme Segmentation Fluency does say “Kindergarten,” and it begins in December. However, Phoneme Segmentation Fluency is given to first graders during the fall Benchmark and should be used to progress monitoring any first graders who fall below Benchmark. It is also given to kindergartners in December – that is why the chart on PSF starts in December.

The chart on the Initial Sound Fluency kindergarten progress monitoring test begins in September and should be used right after the fall Benchmark with kindergartners who scored below Benchmark on this measure.

11. What were the district norms on Word Use Fluency (WUF)?

You can find them on the TUSD DIBELS website.

12. Are we suppose to progress monitor Letter Naming Fluency (LNF)? There are no progress monitoring materials for LNF.

Yes, you are suppose to monitor Letter Naming Fluency. Teachers are to use the materials they already have such as letter cards and other printed alphabet lists. They are to record the number of letters each child knows on either a monthly or every 2 week basis – depending on whether the child’s LNF score is “Some Risk” or “At Risk.”

August 24, 2005

1. Do we have to administer the “optional” tests during the Benchmark Assessment?

Yes, in the state of Arizona all DIBELS measures (including Word Use Fluency and Retell) Fluency) must be administered. The Arizona Department of Education says that no DIBELS measures are optional during K-3 Benchmark testing.

2. What do we do with last year’s DIBELS test booklets?

Last year’s test booklets can be tossed. However, either shred or rename identifying information from cover. All scores are recorded in the database and are accessible to each student’s teachers and school.

3. When a student transfers to another school during the school year, what do we do with their DIBELS test booklets?

Send DIBELS Benchmark and Progress Monitoring booklets in the cum file to the receiving school.