Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy What are DIBELS?

I've been trying to figure out what Dibels are and how to interperet the scores. DS scored 99% accuracy on 189 words per minute at the third grade level. His WJ3-ACH scores have his reading fluency at 144. The preliminary evaluation we have from the school to take with us to his IEP meeting pretty much ignores the scores on the private assessment and lists the Dibels as the only assessment of current acheivment.
Any help is greatly appreciated. I'd like to be able to ask the question at the school meeting and know if I'm getting snowed.
Thanks

Here is their website:

http://dibels.uoregon.edu/index.php

Oh, I hate this assessment with a PASSION.
It test fast reading aloud. What a stupid way to check kids for fluency.
My kids always fly through those, but I know of one, very capable student, who just happens to read slowly when reading aloud. He is a very, very good reader and reads tons. Despite that, because of is low dibels score he is being kept away from the highest level LA class offered for his grade !
Just my 5 cents. Oh, and it is no way any indicator of any giftedness.

Thank you both. I had checked out the website, but I had not been able to figure out from the viewable pages what was being measured other than reading speed. It seemed to me like a fairly silly assessment from that information. Thanks Ania, for confirming my initial reaction! I couldn't see what relevence it had to a gifted IEP either. Now it might be fun to hear the spin the school puts on it:)