What is DIBELS?

DIBELS stands for Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills.

It’s a set of short, one-minute assessments used in schools to measure how well young children are learning the early literacy skills that are essential for becoming successful readers.

Teachers use DIBELS to screen students, monitor progress, and identify those who might need extra support.

The assessments typically cover:

Phonemic awareness (hearing and manipulating sounds in words)

Alphabetic principle/phonics (knowing letter-sound relationships)

Fluency (reading smoothly, quickly, and accurately)

Comprehension (understanding what’s read)

Vocabulary

Results are usually reported as benchmarks (e.g., at grade level, some risk, or at risk), which help teachers decide whether students need intervention.