Cardiff School uses the DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) assessment to get a reading score for each student in the school. All students at Cardiff School are assessed each trimester using the DIBELS measure. Additionally, students who attend the Learning Lab are progressed monitored monthly using DIBELS progress monitoring measures. Learning Lab students are also given the CORE phonics assessment each trimester which gives a more detailed snapshot of their phonetic skills.

What is the DIBELS test?

The DIBELS measures were specifically designed to assess the five early literacy components: Phonological Awareness, Alphabetic Principle, Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Fluency with Connected Text. The DIBELS measures link together to form an assessment system of early literacy development that allows educators to readily and reliably determine student progress. School personnel can utilize the DIBELS Data System reports to make instructional decisions about children's reading performance.

The DIBELS Data System is a web-based database that schools can use to enter student performance results and create reports based on scores from DIBELS. The Data System tracks and measures progress at the student, class, school, and district-level. Reports can be created immediately after scores are entered, providing immediate feedback and allowing for timely decision making. The DIBELS Data System is operated at the University of Oregon and has been serving schools across the U.S. since 2001. During the 2008-2009 school year, the Data System was used in over 15,000 schools.