Recently we’ve been asked many questions about the DIBELS test that Bellevue School District has adopted. The majority of the questions are parents looking for answers as to why their kids tested so much lower than the parents expected or than the children are comfortably reading at home. Any time a new test is introduced, it takes some time to adjust expectations and interpretations. Seemingly, this is such a time. After doing some research – talking to some teachers, reading up about the format and objectives of the test and listening to opponents of the test – reasonable explanations for the discrepancies seem to exist, in many circumstances, and parents need to know that DIBELS is simply one voice, not THE only voice.

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