Quick Tips to Prepare Students for DIBELS

The following ideas are quick ways to help students prepare for the different components of the DIBELS assessment. To be effective, they should be used frequently throughout the year, not just the week before the test. Make each a natural addition to your day. Activities are not intended to be sent home as homework or for parents to do with children. Remember, nothing can replace good Tier 1 instruction. The materials referenced can be found in the DIBELS Progress Monitoring resources (cbl.jordandistrict.org, Assessment, DIBELS) or are easily accessible within the classroom.

  1. Phoneme Segmentation:
  2. Try the following during transitions in your room: As students line up for lunch or recess, as guided groups gather at the table, as students gather for a shared reading lesson, etc.
  3. Refer to a Phoneme Segmentation test for a list of words. Say a word. The students will segment that word as they are transitioning. Say the next word, etc. Continue until all students are ready to begin the next activity.
  4. Pull back, in small groups, any students who scored “Yellow” or “Red” under Phoneme Segmentation on the “Class List” Report. Group them according to levels of need. Some students may only need a few practice sessions. Others may need to review several words daily in guided groups where the teacher can hear all students respond and instruct as needed.
  1. Oral Reading Fluency:
  2. Let students know the goal for the next DIBELS test. This Benchmark number is found on the “Class list” report for each assessment period or on the CBLwebsite.
  3. Orally read to the class a Progress Monitoring Passage in a normal speaking voice. Only read the number of words the students need to read on the next assessment. Have students time you. Discuss what they observed. Most will be surprised at how attainable the goal is.
  4. Read the same amount of the same passage very quickly missing the little words: a, the, an, etc. Show the students that by missing those little words they actually won’t be reading enough words to pass the assessment.
  5. Give the students a grade-level text or Progress Monitoring story to read with a partner. Have students make multiple attempts at reading the passage. Focus on reading enough text accurately, fluently and without skipping words. Have students create a graph of their progress.
  6. Reread passages of text from a guided reading book. Focus on reading fluently.
  1. Retell:
  2. Prepare a 94-count retell box. (See CBL site) Circle the retell goal for that student.
  3. Remind students the number of words they will need to retell on the next assessment. (The Benchmark goal is on the “Class List” report or on CBL site.)
  4. Teach students the difference between a summary and a retell. When they summarize, they tell the important details. When students retell, they tell everything they remember from the story.
  5. After reading a book in a guided reading group, have one student retell the story. Mark a number on the 94-box form for every word the student says. Be sure to only count real words that are about what the student read. Do not mark a number for information that wasn’t in the story.
  6. Keep it fun and positive. The goal should be to improve each time. Consider having students graph their progress.
  1. Retell Quality:
  2. Explain that the quality score is based on how many details the student shares during the retell. (Share your grade’s Benchmark score with the students.)
  3. Retell Quality Score
  4. 1 = 2 or fewer details were given
  5. 2 = 3 or more details were given
  6. 3 = 3 or more details were given in a meaningful sequence
  7. 4 = 3 or more details in a meaningful sequence that captures a main idea
  8. Give the 94-box to the student once completed. Be positive. Be excited about the number of words that were said. Set a goal for the next retell.
  1. Test Day Teacher Tips:
  2. If you have a student that would test better without waiting, please let the team manager know. We can move that student up in line.
  3. Remind the team manager about any special circumstances: IEP that states a certain testing environment, magnifying glass, the student forgot to bring glasses, etc. This information should be submitted by the 17-hour assistant with the testing day schedule so the team will have advance notice of accommodations that may need to be met.
  4. A speech teacher may test with a tester if you feel a tester won’t be able to understand the student.
  5. You know your students. We want every student to have an appropriate testing environment and a positive experience. Please let us know how we can adjust where needed.