Week 9: QRI-5 vs. DIBELS

ASSESSMENT TOOLS SUMMARY

QRI-5 (Qualitative Reading Inventory-5) is informal reading assessment that is administered individually to student in kindergarten through 12^th grade. Its purpose is to determine the conditions under which students can identify words and comprehend text successfully, and the conditions that appear to result in unsuccessful word identification or comprehension. QRI-5 shows the educator at which level the student is at; independent, instructional, and frustration. Results of QRI-5 are used to determine students’ reading levels, to group student according to abilities, or to provide level appropriate texts to the students.

DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) are a set of measure that are used assess early literacy skills in children from kindergarten through sixth grade. These measures are indicators of the fundamental skills in reading, including phonemic awareness and reading comprehension. The DIBELS are very short assessments, standardized, research based, and very efficient. The purpose of DIBELS is to identify students that may be at risk for reading difficulties, to help teachers see which area to focus instruction on, and to monitor student progress. DIBELS also allows educators to see the effectiveness of the school’s reading program and instruction.

QRI-5 Vs. DIBELS

Both QRI-5 and DIBELS are used to assess students’ literacy skills. They both give the teacher an idea of where the student is up to in reading skills, and allow the teacher to give instruction based on what the student needs. There are some differences in the way the assessments are administered.  First, QRI-5 is used for students in kindergarten through 12^th grade, while DIBELS are used only up to 6^th grade.  QRI-5 is not a standardized assessment tool, while DIBELS is standardized. DIBELS are very short, one minute assessments, while QRI-5 does not have such small time constraints. DIBELS are specific, they address the five “big ideas” in literacy: phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, accuracy and fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, and QRI-5 is a broader assessment.

The main point of both QRI-5 and DIBELS is to provide instruction and intervention when needed. As the saying goes, “Weighing the pig won’t make it fatter”, assessing the student won’t solve literacy problem. Rather, teachers take the results of the assessments and use it to develop instruction and/or intervention.

IN THE CLASSROOM

Both assessments are important for teachers and students. They allow teachers to determine the level that each student is on. With this in mind, the teacher can plan instruction to benefit each student. These assessment tools allow teachers to identify struggling readers, and provide intervention