Frequently Asked Questions
General Data System
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Do I need to renew my account each year?
No. You do not have to reregister if you already have an account. A district-level user will be asked to sign our Data System Agreement when they first log into the account at the start of each new year. If your billing address has changed, we will need a Billing Agreement with the new address.
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What is your vendor name and contact information?
Vendor name: University of Oregon
Postal mailing address is:
Center on Teaching & Learning
5292 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-5292UPS and Fed-Ex should be sent to our physical address at:
Center on Teaching & Learning
1600 Millrace Drive - Suite 207
Eugene, OR 97403Email: support@dibels.uoregon.edu
Phone: (888) 497-4290 or (541) 346-3108
Fax: (541) 346-9009
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How can I get a copy of your W-9?
You can request a copy of our W-9 by sending an email to support@dibels.uoregon.edu with "W-9 Request" in the subject line. A W-9 will be emailed upon request.
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What if I can log into the system, but no information is available?
If you can log into the system but no class information is available, you have most likely been given class-level access but not been matched to your class name in the system. You will need to ask the person who set up your username to use the "Assign Users to Classes" feature on the Administration page to match your username to your class name.
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How do I handle returning students who have switched grades or been retained?
Students who switch grades mid-year due to promotion or retention will need a new student record. Mark the existing record as "moved out" on the Benchmark Data Entry page and add a new record for the student. You'll now have two records for that student. The records won't be linked, but both will remain in the database, so you won't lose any data.
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Can I add a class for a reading group or small group?
Yes, "secondary" classes are used for small groups or intervention groups. Secondary classes can be added using the Import Classes feature with a value of 1 in the classtype column. Secondary classes can also be added manually using the "Add Classes" feature on the Manage Classes page. Choose "Secondary" from the drop down menu listed under Class Type for each secondary class you want to add.
After adding the secondary classes, return to the Manage Classes page and select the class. Click “edit user” in the Class Details section to assign a user to the class. Then click Add Students (below the class details) and use the "Assign Students to Classes" feature to place students in the class.
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How do I add students to classes?
Go to the Manage Classes page and select the desired class. Click Add Students. Make the appropriate choice. Is the student was previously in in your district use Add Returning Students. When adding new students you can select the numbers of students to add by using the menu above the instructions.
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How do I change student information and class location?
"Change Student Information" for a Single Student. Change Student Information is available on the Student History page. Locate the student by using the "Find Student" feature on the Administration page, then click "More Information.” From the Student History page, click on "Change Student Information", make your changes, and then click on the "Change Info" button. A school or district coordinator can also change the student's current class if the student is currently assigned to a class and has not been marked as "Moved Out".
"Change Student Information" for Multiple Students in a Class. To change information for a single student or for multiple students in a class, click Manage Classes on the Administration Page. Select the desired class and click on the name of the first student that needs updates. Make the updates. Click Change info and then use the back button on your browser to return to the list of students. A school or district coordinator can also change the student's current class if the student is currently assigned to a class and has not been marked as "Moved Out".
The Edit Demographics function, on the Manage Classes page, is only available if your district coordinator has enabled demographics. It will allow you to edit demographics information, dates of birth, and student ID numbers for an entire class at once. It will not allow you to change student names or the class to which the students are assigned.
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How do I change the grade level of a class or student?
Classes are specific to a grade level and cannot be changed after students have been assigned to it. If you accidentally add a class to the wrong grade level but have not added any students to the class, you can update the grade using the Import Classes feature. Alternatively, you can manually delete the class name (with Manage Classes) and then re-add using the Add Classes feature. Note that if a teacher changes grades, you should add a new class for the teacher at the new grade level and leave the old class name in the system.
Students are added to a specific class at a specific grade level which cannot be changed, except when migrating at the start of a new year. If you accidentally add a student to the wrong grade level, you should delete the student record and then re-add them to the appropriate grade level.
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How do I delete a class?
District and School coordinators can remove unused classes with the Manage Classes feature located on the Administration page. On the Manage Classes page, click Show Options to display classes that can be deleted.
Note that you cannot delete a classes that have been used previously because student records are still linked to that class name; however, many inactive class can be hidden with the Show Classes preference. District and School preferences are accessed from the Administration Page by clicking Set District Preference or Set School Preference.
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Can I hide classes?
Yes, you can limit the number of classes displayed by setting the District or School Preference called Show Classes. To set Preferences go to the Administration Page and click Set District or School Preference.
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How do I delete a student record?
You can delete a student record using the "Delete Student Record" feature from the Administration page.
If you accidentally added duplicate copies of student records and those records have matching ID numbers, a district level user can use the "Merge Duplicate Student Records" feature from the Administrative page to merge the duplicates. Records with valid data should always be merged rather than deleted.
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How do I combine duplicate student records?
A district level user can use the "Merge Duplicate Student Records" feature on the Administration page to combine multiple records for students. Note that both records must have the same student ID number to use the merge feature.
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What if the year I need is not available on the Data Entry page?
If the current year is not available from the year pull-down menu on your data entry pages, then your Assessment Schedule has not been set up yet. Your district coordinator will need to set up your Assessment Schedule by selecting the "Assessment Schedule" link from the Administration page.
If you want to enter data for a previous year that is not on your year pull-down menu, the district coordinator will need to send a request to support@dibels.uoregon.edu with the year and the dates that students were tested.
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What if no classes are active on the Data Entry page?
Class names will not appear on the data entry pages until students have been added to the class.
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How do I enter progress monitoring scores?
Go to the Administration page and click Manage Classes. Then click the desired class. Use the "Select Action" menu above the list of students to select Enable Progress Monitoring (for DIBELS or Math). Click the box for each student who will be progress monitored. When finished, click Save.
To enter DIBELS progress monitoring scores, click on the Data Entry menu then click on the Progress Monitoring link. For your convenience we also provide paper-based administration and data entry for easyCBM Math in cases where online administration is not feasible.
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How do I enter out-of-grade scores?
To enter out-of-grade DIBELS progress monitoring scores click the Data Entry tab and choosing Progress Monitoring Data Entry. Use the menus to choose the school, grade and class. The use the Type of Monitoring menu to select "Out-of-grade Monitoring.”
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How do I move a student to a different school for the new year?
District-level users can migrate students across schools using the "Migrate across schools" option on the "Migrate Students" feature.
If your district is using the "Import Student" feature, simply list the new school the student will be attending and the system will move the record to the new building.
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What if a student doesn't show up on the Migration menu?
If your students are not showing up on the "migrate students in" menu, you can use the "Find Student" feature on the Administration page to see the location of a student.
If a student was migrated to the wrong class, a district level or school level user can change the class name using the "Change Student Information" page after clicking the More Information button next to the student's name from the Find Student link. If the student location is listed as "moved out," then you will need to use the "Add Returning Student" feature from the Administration page to move them into a class.
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What if I migrated students but they don't show up on the Data Entry page?
If you migrated students but they are not showing up on the Data Entry pages, you can use the "Find Student" feature on the Administration page to see the location of a student.
If a student was migrated to the wrong class, a district level or school level can change to the correct class name using the "Change Student Information" page after clicking the More Information button next to the student's name from the Find Student page. If the student location is listed as "moved out," you will need to use the "Add Returning Student" feature from the Administration page to move the student into a class.
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What should I do if I get an error message during the import?
The import feature will let you know if there is a problem with the file you are trying to upload. The most common problems are solved by:
- Checking that the file is saved in tab-delimited text format. You cannot import an Excel file.
- Checking that you have the headers listed in the first row of the file. They must be formatted exactly as specified on the import page.
- Checking that the school and class names in your import file match the name exactly as it is entered in your account. You can use the "Assign Users to Classes" feature to see how your school name and class names are entered. Be sure that there are no extra spaces before or after the names in your file.
- If you are importing demographics information, check that the values match those specified on the "valid answers" link on the import page.
HiFi Reading
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Do I need a DDS account to use HiFi tablet scoring?
Yes, the tablet-based HiFi Reading app and DDS account work together for test administration, student rostering and reports. Learn more about it on our HiFi Reading page.
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If I use HiFi Reading do I have to buy or print any materials?
Yes, you will need paper copies of the student materials. There is no charge to download the student materials.
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How do I turn on Hifi Reading in my DDS account?
A district level user turns on HiFi Reading with the Manage Products feature on the Administration Page. The HiFi Reading Quick Start Guide describes the complete process.
NumberShire
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How do I turn on NumberShire in my DDS account?
A district level user turns on NumberShire with the Manage Products feature on the Administration Page. The NumberShire Quick Start Guide describes the complete process.
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How to enable NumberShire for my students?
Once licenses are allocated to your class you can enable students for NumberShire through the Manage Classes feature. Select the desired class, check the students name, then use the Action Menu to enable NumberShire. See the Quick Start Guide for complete details.
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If I use NumberShire do I have to buy or print any materials?
No.
DIBELS Assessment
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Where can I get the DIBELS materials and scoring guide?
DIBELS 6th Edition benchmark and progress monitoring materials, as well as the Administration and Scoring Guide, are available for download on our Testing Materials page.
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Can DIBELS scores be used on report cards?
DIBELS scores should never be used to grade a student. The measures should only be used for instructional decision-making (i.e., to identify students who need additional instructional support and monitoring response to intervention). DIBELS scores should only be given to parents in conjunction with an appropriate explanation.
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What citation should I use for DIBELS?
The current citation for DIBELS can be found on the front cover of the Administration and Scoring Guide, available from our Download Materials page:
Good, R. H., & Kaminski, R. A. (Eds.). (2002). Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (6th ed.). Eugene, OR: Institute for the Development of Educational Achievement. Available: http://dibels.uoregon.edu/
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Can DIBELS be used with non-native English speakers?
Yes, DIBELS is designed to be administered to all students who are learning to read English.
We don't have any specific guidelines for administering DIBELS to students learning to speak and read English. While the measures are standardized and should be given to all students in the same manner, there are a few accommodations that can be made when necessary and are specified in the chapter on Approved Accommodations in the Administration and Scoring Guide available from our Download Materials page.
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Is there a Spanish version of DIBELS?
Yes, Indicadores Dinámicos del Éxito en la Lectura, or IDEL, is a standardized assessment for early literacy skills for students learning to read Spanish. Review our IDEL Resources for more information.
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Can DIBELS be used with students in special education?
Yes, DIBELS can be used with special education students. DIBELS is designed to be administered to all students who are learning to read in English and who are physically capable of taking the tests. You would generally only exclude students who are deaf, who stutter, who are completely nonverbal, or who have severe phonological difficulties.
During the benchmark screening of all students, students receiving special education should be administered grade-level materials. When progress monitoring you can use materials at the students' instructional-level if the grade-level materials are too difficult to show response to instruction.
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Do I need to keep testing students who score at Benchmark?
Yes. The benchmark goals increase over time, so a student who meets the beginning-of-year goal is not guaranteed to meet the middle- or end-of-year goal. Screening all students at each time period will enable timely identification of students who are not continuing to progress in their literacy development. Additionally, screening the entire school enables the school or district a complete data set to evaluate how all students are responding to instruction.
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Where can I find PSF progress monitoring materials for 1st grade?
The Phoneme Segmentation Fluency progress monitoring booklet is labeled as Kindergarten, but can be used across grades. They were labeled with the grade at which they are most commonly used.
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Where can I find NWF progress monitoring materials for Kindergarten?
The Nonsense Word Fluency progress monitoring booklet is labeled as First Grade, but can be used across grades. They were labeled with the grade at which they are most commonly used.
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Why are there no LNF progress monitoring materials?
Letter Naming Fluency should not be progress monitored. It is different from the other measures in that it is not aligned with one of the five major skill areas in beginning reading. It's used for benchmark screening because it is a good indicator of risk, but shouldn't be monitored beyond that.
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What do I do if I run out of progress monitoring probes?
If you run out of probes (i.e., finish all 20 probes), you can start over at the beginning of the booklet. Note that you should only repeat a passage when progress monitoring, and only in this specific instance.
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Can we use old progress monitoring probes for practice?
No, you should never practice the DIBELS measures with your students, even probes that they won't be tested on for real. You want to keep a clear distinction between "teaching time" and "testing time." You should teach your students reading and pre-reading skills, but you would never practice the DIBELS measures. For information on how to teach the skills that DIBELS assesses, see our Big Ideas in Beginning Reading website.
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How do I get trained to administer DIBELS?
There are several ways to get training on administering the DIBELS assessments:
- Complete the online training courses offered by the Center on Teaching and Learning.
- Ask educational agencies in your area if they will be sponsoring a training that you could attend.
- Hire a trainer to come out to your district.
- If none of those options work for you, but you have people experienced with giving standardized tests, you could use a training video. Testers would also need to be very familiar with the Administration & Scoring Guide, available from our Download Materials page, and should practice testing with 5-7 students (who won't be tested on those same probes for real), while someone checks their fidelity of implementation with the Assessment Integrity Checklists (part of the Administration & Scoring Guide).
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How do I score a student who finishes before the full minute is up?
If a student completes the assessment in less than one minute, you end the assessment and record the score.
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Can a student use a ruler or other tracking device to mark their spot on a probe?
We do not recommend using any supports or strategies, unless the individual student demonstrates a need for such support. Prior to making any accommodations, it is recommended that the measure be administered in the standardized format to see how successful the student will be. If during that administration it is clear that the student needs support, then an accommodation may be considered from the list in the Administration and Scoring Guide.
Using a ruler or straightedge for tracking is an approved accommodation for LNF, NWF, and ORF for those children who need this accommodation. As with all DIBELS-approved accommodations, this accommodation should only be used with children who require the accommodation.
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PSF - Can you repeat a word on PSF if a student asks you to?
All efforts should be made to minimize the possibility of a child asking for a word to be repeated (e.g., relatively quiet assessment space, sit close to the child, speak clearly); however, there are times when it does occur and, if so, repeat the word. If it happens occasionally, it is "small stuff." If it happens frequently for a particular child, you might want to check into hearing issues. If it happens frequently for many children, look at the assessment conditions and make necessary adjustments.
The Kindergarten and 1st grade benchmark booklets include PSF scoring sheets. There are no student materials for PSF since it's an auditory measure.
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NWF - How do I score a student who responds with individual sounds and a blend?
You score the last thing that the student responded with based on the directions in the Administration and Scoring Guide, available from our Download Materials page. For DIBELS Next, credit is given for WWR when the blend is the first and only response. For DIBELS 6th Edition credit can be given for WRC when the blend is correct and it occurs after the student says the individual letter sounds.
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NWF - Should I teach nonsense words to students?
No, you should teach your students letter-sound correspondences and blending. Once students begin developing these skills, their performance will generalize to the NWF score.
For information on how to teach alphabetic principle skills, see our Big Ideas in Beginning Reading website.
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ORF - If a student repeatedly reads a word incorrectly, is it marked wrong every time?
Yes, when scoring ORF you are counting the words read correctly. If a student does not read a word correctly, they do not get credit for it.
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ORF - What do I do if a student skips an entire line when reading?
If a student skips an entire line during ORF, draw a line through the row and count the words as incorrect when scoring.
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ORF - How do I score proper nouns?
You can accept an answer as correct if the student provides (a) a reasonable phonetic pronunciation of the name, or (b) the correct pronunciation of the name if the correct pronunciation of the name is non-regular and the tester knows the correct pronunciation. The developers worked hard to ensure that included names are reasonably accessible. During standardized administration the tester provides the correct pronunciation if the student struggles for 3 seconds.
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ORF - Do I need to give all three ORF passages?
For benchmark screening, we recommend giving all three passages and recording the median/middle score. If you are only able to give one passage because of special circumstances, then give the second passage. If you are using Retell Fluency, you must give all three passages as the reliability on RTF is too low when using only one passage.
During progress monitoring one ORF passage is adequate when monitoring is done 2-4 times per month.
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ORF - Should the tester or student read the title of the passage?
No. The directions indicate that you direct the students to the first word of the passage. If they do accidentally read the title and hesitate for 3 seconds on a word, then you should supply the correct word. Do not start the timer until they read the first word of the passage.
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Do you have a tablet version of the DIBELS assessments?
Yes, we have tablet scoring for the DIBELS 6th Edition. Learn more about it on our HiFi Reading page.
easyCBM Math Assessment
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Is the easyCBM CCSS Math assessment the same assessment that Riverside publishing has?
Yes. The easyCBM CCSS Math assessment was developed at the University of Oregon. It has been available through Riverside for a few years. Now it is available for DDS users.
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Are there two versions of the easyCBM Math assessment?
Yes. easyCBM CCSS Math and easyCBM NCTM Math are both available through your DDS account. These versions are aligned with the Common Core State Standards and National Council for Teachers of Mathematics Focal Points, respectively.
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What are the costs of the two versions of easyCBM Math on the DIBELS Data System?
Please see our Pricing Page
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What is the format of the test questions? Can I preview them?
All questions are multiple-choice. Sample assessment questions for each grade level are available on our easyCBM Math page.
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Does easyCBM Math have progress monitoring materials?
Yes, easyCBM CCSS Math has progress monitoring materials. However, easyCBM NCTM Math does not.
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Is there a paper version we can print and administer to students without using a computer?
With an easyCBM Math subscription you will have access to paper-based assessment materials through your DIBELS Data System account.
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What are the benchmark goals for the easyCBM math assessment?
The easyCBM Math assessments evaluate risk based on national percentiles to use in place of benchmark goals. The national percentiles should be used to determine levels of risk and need for instructional support. Students below the 40th percentile are considered to be at some risk. Students below the 20th percentile are considered to be at risk.
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Do we have to give the math assessments on the same testing schedule that we administer the DIBELS reading assessments?
The beginning of year assessment will need to occur during the first 3 months of your school year, but does not have to be given during the same month as your DIBELS testing. Likewise, the middle of year math assessment must be given during the 4th-6th month of your school year and the end of year assessment must be given during the 7th-10th month of the year. The months of your school year will be determined by the track that each classroom is set to in your district's DDS account administrator.
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Can a student use a calculator?
A student may only use a calculator if it is allowed on their IEP or 504 plan. No other use of a calculator is permitted. All students are permitted to use a pencil and scratch paper while taking the assessment.
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Can an adult click answers for students taking the math assessment?
Yes, it is an acceptable accommodation for an adult to use the mouse to click answers if the student is unable to do this on their own. However, the adult must be careful to not anticipate what the student may answer or use the mouse in a way that may give the student hints about which answer to choose.
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What difficulty level are the items on the easyCBM CCSS Math assessment?
The test items are at a middle of the year difficulty level. Most items are from grade level domains. A few items are called "anchors" and they are from grade levels above and below the testing grade level. This helps ensure equivalency across the tests.
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How do I delete math scores?
If a student math score is invalid you can delete it by clicking Data Entry on the menu bar. Then click Benchmark data entry and use the menus to select the math assessment, the class and the assessment period. Click the "Clear" button to remove the score. The student can retake the math assessment using the same codes.
easyCBM Reading Assessment
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How do I activate easyCBM Reading?
Please see the easyCBM Quick Start Guide.
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What are the costs of easyCBM Reading on the DIBELS Data System?
Please see our Pricing Page
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Is the easyCBM Reading assessment the same assessment that Riverside publishing has?
Yes. The easyCBM Reading assessment was developed at the University of Oregon. It has been available through Riverside for a few years. Now it is available for DDS users.
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Does easyCBM Reading have progress monitoring materials?
Yes, easyCBM Reading has progress monitoring materials.
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Can I preview the test questions?
Yes. You can try out the demo to browse the online assessments and complete them as a student would.
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Does easyCBM Reading have online assessments?
Yes. There are 3 measures that are group administered online. There are also individually administered fluency measures.
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Can I use an iPad to administer easyCBM Reading?
Later in the 2016-2017 school year you will be able to administer the individually administered fluency measures with the HiFi Reading app on an iPad.
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Are there easyCBM Reading materials to print?
Yes. There are assessor and student materials to print for the individually administered measures. Once you enable the easyCBM Reading these materials are available at no additional charge.
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Is there a paper version we can print and administer to students without using a computer?
Yes. With an easyCBM Reading subscription you will have access to paper-based assessment materials through your DIBELS Data System account.
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What are the benchmark goals for the easyCBM Reading assessment?
The easyCBM Reading assessments evaluate risk based on national percentiles to use in place of benchmark goals. The national percentiles should be used to determine levels of risk and need for instructional support. Students below the 40th percentile are considered to be at some risk. Students below the 20th percentile are considered to be at risk.
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Can an adult click answers for students taking the reading assessment?
Yes, it is an acceptable accommodation for an adult to use the mouse to click answers if the student is unable to do this on their own. However, the adult must be careful to not anticipate what the student may answer or use the mouse in a way that may give the student hints about which answer to choose.
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What difficulty level are the fluency passages?
The fluency passages are designed to all be at the middle of grade-level reading difficulty.
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Can a student retake the online assessment?
If a student reading score is invalid you can delete it by clicking Data Entry on the menu bar. Then click Benchmark data entry and use the menus to select the reading assessment, the class and the assessment period. Click the "Clear" button to remove the score. The student can retake the reading assessment using the same codes.