DIBELS Assessment (Elementary)

What is DIBELS?

DIBELS 8 consists of several brief tests that are used as indicators of critical skills that students need to master in order to become good readers. Much like measuring a child's height and weight provides an indicator of that child's overall growth, each DIBELS 8 assessment provides an indicator of how well a child is doing in learning a particular early reading skill. The scores tell us whether a child is likely to be 'on track' for learning to read, or whether that child may need some additional help in learning important reading skills.

When are DIBELS assessments given?

DIBELS assessments are given three times a year at the beginning, midpoint, and at the end of the year.

How are students assessed by DIBELS?

The tests are made of up of several different 1 minute measures. Students are tested one on one with a specially trained staff member. In grades 3-5, students use the computer to complete one of the brief measures.

When should I expect reports on my student's growth and progress?

At the beginning of the year, students take the DIBELS assessment and are scored as a baseline to develop goals throughout the year. After the midyear and end of year assessment, you will recieve your child's progress on the assessment.

How do teachers use the DIBELS assessment data?

Becoming a fluent and competent reader is critical for all students. Learning to read is complex and multi-faceted. The DIBELS assessments allow our teachers to better understand those complex processes and skills that will support your child's growth as a reader. Teachers use these measures to develop personalized literacy goals and plan targeted instruction to meet your child's needs.

With our use of LinkIt!, we now have the ability to provide you access to your students' achievements digitally through the LinkIt! Parent Portal (note this is different from the PowerSchool Parent Portal).  Within the LinkIt! Parent Portal, you will currently see 2020-2021 benchmark assessment data. Over the summer, we will be adding historical data such as PSSAs, Keystones, and other data for you to access.  

It is critical to remember the purpose of each assessment and what it is measuring when the assessment is given. For example: Benchmarks are often given three times a year (fall, winter, and spring). The fall and winter benchmarks measure students' abilities based on grade-level standards that they have NOT been taught yet. By the spring benchmark, you will see a more realistic perspective on where a student is as it relates to grade-level standards.  In addition, each assessment is broken down into standards and skills, and those are used by teachers to identify student strengths and opportunities for growth.  Often, these subscores are more valuable than the overall score.  If you have questions about your child’s assessment data, the best place to start is with the classroom teacher who is by far the most knowledgeable person about your child’s academic abilities. Building principals are also incredibly adept at analyzing and using data to support student growth. 

The URL of the QCSD LinkIt! Parent portal is: https://qcsd.linkit.com/Parent.


You will receive (or have received) an email from LinkIt! with your registration code.  Your username will be the email address found in PowerSchool where you received the registration code. You will then be directed to create your password. 


If you are having problems logging into your account, please use the password reset found on the website. 



Additional Supports:
Opening up and Sorting Assessments in LinkIt! (1min 30sec)

Exploring Student Data on an Assessment by Summary and Detail (1 min 30 sec)
Assessment Item View (1 min 20 sec)

Directly From LinkIt!
LinkIt! Parent Portal Access and Guidance (9 min tutorial)
Logging into the Parent Portal Screenshots and Guidance from LinkIt! (.pdf)

Click here for additional information and resources.


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