The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) are a set of standardized, individually administered measures of early literacy development. DIBELS are designed to be short (one minute) and used regularly to monitor the development of pre-reading and early reading skills.
The measures were developed upon essential early literacy domains, discussed in reports by the National Reading Panel (2000) and National Research Council (1998), to assess student development of phonological awareness, alphabetical understanding, and automaticity and fluency with the code.
Each measure has been thoroughly researched and are proven to be valid indicators of early literacy development and predictive of later reading proficiency. When used as recommended, results from DIBELS can be used to evaluate individual student development as well as provide grade-level feedback toward validated instructional objectives.
The DIBELS measures are available for download at no charge at the DIBELS website.
The DIBELS Data System is a service allowing schools to enter students and DIBELS scores online to generate automated reports and analyses, for $1 per student per year. All DIBELS Data System fees are used exclusively to support further research and education.
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