DIBELS Explained for Parents (and How We Use It Differently to Show Real Growth)

Lynn Brown
May 6
4 min read

If your child is receiving reading support, you’ve likely seen a DIBELS report.

It might include:

A number
A benchmark label (Below, At, Above)
A color (red, yellow, green)

And the explanation is often brief:

“Still below benchmark.”“We’re monitoring progress.” For many families, that color starts to feel like the whole story.

But it’s not.

DIBELS can be a powerful tool—if it’s used correctly. And confusing if it’s not.

Let’s break down what DIBELS actually measures, where it falls short, and how we use it differently to show real progress.

What Is DIBELS?

DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) is a set of brief assessments used to measure foundational reading skills.

It is commonly used in schools for:

Screening
Progress monitoring
Identifying students at risk

It aligns with early literacy screening expectations like OAR 581-022-2445.

What DIBELS Measures

Depending on your child’s grade, DIBELS may include:

Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF) – breaking words into sounds
Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF) – decoding unfamiliar words
Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) – reading connected text

Each measure gives a snapshot of a specific skill.

What DIBELS Does Well

DIBELS is useful for:

Identifying early reading risk
Tracking growth over time
Providing quick, repeatable data

It can answer:

“Is this student likely struggling with foundational reading skills?”

Where DIBELS Falls Short

DIBELS does not:

Diagnose dyslexia or SLD
Explain why a student is struggling
Tell you exactly what to teach next

Two students can have the same score—and need completely different instruction.

The Problem With the “Bubble”

Most reports emphasize:

Colors (red, yellow, green)
Benchmark cut scores
Seasonal expectations (fall, winter, spring)

Here’s what many families don’t realize:

The benchmark moves.

Expectations increase throughout the year.

So your child can:

Improve their skills
Increase their score

…and still stay in the same color—or even drop.

That’s why families ask:

“Why does it look like they went backwards?”“Did they even grow?”

Why Scores Sometimes Look Like They Go Backwards

There are several reasons this happens—even when progress is real:

1. The Bar Got Higher

Each testing window raises expectations.

Your child may improve, but not fast enough to outpace the benchmark shift.

2. Less Guessing, More Real Reading

As students learn to decode:

Guessing decreases
Accuracy becomes more honest

Scores may dip temporarily—but this is a sign of better reading habits.

3. The Work Got Harder

Later assessments include:

More complex patterns
Greater automaticity demands

This can impact performance, even during growth.

4. Testing Variability

DIBELS is brief.

Scores can fluctuate based on:

Focus
Fatigue
Timing

One score never tells the full story.

What Real Growth Actually Looks Like

Here’s the shift:

Real growth shows up first in raw scores.

What Is a Raw Score?

A raw score is the actual number of correct responses.

For example:

Sounds segmented correctly
Letter-sounds read
Words read accurately

No labels. No comparisons.Just performance.

Why Raw Scores Matter Most

Benchmark labels compare your child to grade-level expectations.

Raw scores show:

What your child can do today compared to before.

A student can grow significantly and still be below benchmark.

That does not mean progress isn’t happening.

What Real Growth Looks Like in Data

Example (Nonsense Word Fluency):

Timepoint	Raw Score	Benchmark
Fall	12	Red
Winter	18	Red
Spring	26	Yellow

Even before the color changes (or the bubble looks positive):

12 → 18 → 26
More accurate decoding
Stronger skill foundation

That is real progress.

Growth Is About the Trend

One score doesn’t matter.

What matters is:

Are scores increasing over time?
Is accuracy improving?
Are errors decreasing?

A steady upward trend—even if slow—is meaningful.

How We Use DIBELS Differently

At Willamette Valley Dyslexia Center, we don’t use DIBELS to label students.

We use it to guide instruction.

1. We “DIBEL Down” to Find Instructional Level

Instead of asking:“Are they below benchmark?”

We ask:“At what level can they actually perform the skill?”

We identify the instructional grade level where the student can:

Engage with the task
Apply skills with support
Build accuracy

That’s where instruction begins.

2. We Track Skills, Not Just Scores

We analyze:

Error patterns
Phonics breakdowns
Decoding vs guessing

Because the errors tell us what to teach.

3. We Prioritize Accuracy First

Before speed, we build:

Accurate decoding
Strong sound-symbol connections

Fluency follows.

4. We Monitor Progress Frequently

We don’t wait for seasonal benchmarks.

We:

Track data weekly or biweekly
Adjust instruction in real time
Look for trends, not snapshots

What Parents Should Ask

If your child is “below benchmark,” ask:

What is their instructional level for this skill?
Are raw scores increasing over time?
What specific skills are improving?
What errors are decreasing?
Is instruction matched to their level?

These questions shift the focus from labels to learning.

The Bottom Line

DIBELS is not the problem. How it is used matters.

If it is used only to assign a color, students can stay stuck.

If it is used to:

Identify instructional level
Track raw score growth
Guide targeted instruction

…it becomes a powerful tool.

Parent Power Move

If your child has been “in the red”:

Do not focus on the color.

Look at:

Raw scores
Skill growth
Instructional level

Because progress is not about changing a label.

It is about building a reader, one skill at a time.

Need Help Making Sense of Your Child’s Data?

If your child’s scores feel confusing or discouraging:

We can break down what the data actually means
Identify the true instructional level
And create a plan that leads to measurable growth

Because once instruction meets your child where they are—

progress becomes visible.