Since launching mCLASS:DIBELSin 2003, Wireless Generation’s partnership with DIBELS®, the Dynamic Measurement Group, and Sopris West/Cambium Learning has enabled educators in every state to identify risk early, diagnose learning needs, and precisely target literacy instruction for millions of students. The newest edition of the assessment – DIBELS® Next – represents an exciting series of research‐based enhancements. Key components of the update include:
An additional indicator of Comprehension for third - sixth grades based on maze procedures – Daze
A new, easier‐to‐administer measure of early phonemic awareness – First Sound Fluency – which replaces Initial Sound Fluency
All new forms and passages
New validity and reliability research
As you know, mCLASS:DIBELS is much more than just an electronic version of the assessment. The software streamlines assessment administration and provides robust data management, analytics, and reporting capabilities. The assessment software and an “ecosystem” of other DIBELS‐supported solutions from Wireless Generation help drive effective use of DIBELS data in instructional practice through tools for student grouping, Response to Intervention (RTI), selection of reinforcement activities, and full intervention curriculum. mCLASS:DIBELS is also tightly integrated with the Text Reading and Comprehension (TRC) diagnostics in mCLASS®:Reading 3D™
DIBELS Next will be finished in time for a 2010‐2011 school year paper‐and‐pencil implementation. Wireless Generation’s technology adaptations are currently under way and will launch for the 2011‐2012 school year. This timetable allows for the full range of DIBELS-connected, technology‐based products to be developed to the high standards of quality assurance and attention to detail that customers appropriately expect.
We encourage schools and districts that have been taking advantage of mCLASS and/or Burst® capabilities to continue to do so; the value of that continuity is one of the reasons Dynamic Measurement Group, Sopris West/Cambium Learning, and Wireless Generation are supporting a two‐year transition period from DIBELS Sixth Edition to DIBELS Next. We also discourage state agencies from instituting policy that forces immediate transition on their LEAs since many districts in many states have invested in hardware, software, training, and enhanced operational routines to take advantage of the capabilities described above and should continue to benefit from those investments without disruption.
We invite districts and state departments who want to begin their transition to mCLASS:DIBELS Next to contact Wireless Generation as soon as possible so that we can put in place a careful transition plan in 2010 that ensures their schools will be ready for 2011.
Larry Berger Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Wireless Generation
Ruth Kaminski President Dynamic Measurement Group, Inc.
Roland Good Vice President Dynamic Measurement Group, Inc. Associate Professor University of Oregon
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Updated, June 2010
Why isn’t the mCLASS edition of DIBELS Next going to be available for 2010?
DIBELS Next will be finished in time for a 2010‐11 school year paper‐and‐pencil implementation; now Wireless Generation’s technology adaptations are under way and will launch for the 2011‐12 school year. Achieving high adoption and implementation fidelity of new or revised programs takes significant effort on the ground. The DIBELS authors agree with our belief that the least disruptive approach to our customers is to launch the mCLASS edition of DIBELS Next for the 2011‐12 school year.
This timetable allows for the full range of DIBELS‐connected, technology‐based products to be developed to the high standards of quality assurance and attention to detail that customers appropriately expect.
I’m interested in adopting DIBELS on the mCLASS platform for the first time this year, but should I wait until 2011?
Adopting mCLASS:DIBELS this year would immediately provide you with the advantages that come with mCLASS:
data accuracy and immediacy of ability to inform instruction;
connection with instructional strategies and the most widely‐used core content;
robust data management, analytics and reporting capabilities;
development of longitudinal data;
tight integration with the with the Text Reading and Comprehension (TRC) diagnostics in mCLASS:Reading 3D;
integration with Burst:Reading, which uses assessment data to provide teachers with high‐quality instruction synchronized with students’ needs every 10 days;
significant time savings in conducting the assessment over pencil‐and‐paper.
Adopting mCLASS:DIBELS for the first time this year still provides flexibility to switch to mCLASS:DIBELS Next for the 2011‐12 & 2012‐13 school years. The current edition of DIBELS remains highly valid and reliable, and the assessment authors fully stand by its value.
What are the changes to the assessment?
We’d recommend visiting the home of the assessment authors for the most authoritative explanation of what is new and what is changing in this edition of the assessment. Visit:
http://www.dibels.org/bros/DIBELSNextAnnouncement.pdf
What impact will DIBELS Next have on my students’ longitudinal data?
Some of the changes will make it difficult to create meaningful comparisons between DIBELS v.6 and DIBELS Next data. This is a consequence of changes to the assessment itself which were made for the best reasons. We intend to work over the 2010‐11 school year with the assessment authors to do whatever is possible to ameliorate the impact of these changes relative to longitudinal data.
If I am an mCLASS:DIBELS customer, must I switch to DIBELS Next in 2011?
No a big part of our strategy for release timing of mCLASS:DIBELS Next is providing our customers maximum flexibility as they transition to the new assessment. We will provide a two year transition window during which customers can switch to DIBELS Next at the beginning of either school year: the 2011‐12 school year and 2012‐13 school year.
If I’m an mCLASS:DIBELS customer, why shouldn’t I switch to DIBELS Next on pencil and paper and return to mCLASS:DIBELS Next in 2011?
Even the assessment authors concur that mCLASS:DIBELS users should continue to use the current version of mCLASS:DIBELS until mCLASS:DIBELS Next is released, to continue to take advantage of the robust capabilities that mCLASS provides educators with respect to analysis, the ability to inform instruction, and the data accuracy and time savings afforded by mCLASS:DIBELS.
Could we transition to mCLASS:DIBELS Next in the middle of the 2010‐11 school year?
We support the recommendation of the assessment authors, which would be to use the same version of the assessment for the full school year, and not switch midyear.
I’m currently a Burst:Reading or mCLASS:Reading 3D customer. How will the transition affect me?
Our plan is to make the transition for you as flexible as for everyone else. We will offer Burst:Reading and mCLASS:Reading 3D with support for both editions of DIBELS – v.6 and DIBELS Next, for the 2011‐12 school year, to conincide with the transistion window for mCLASS:DIBELS Next. The version of mCLASS:Reading 3D or Burst:Reading you are using should correlate to the version of mCLASS:DIBELS you are using.
What kind of training will be necessary to adopt mCLASS:DIBELS Next?
There are changes to the assessment itself, and consequently changes to the mCLASS mobile software and reporting. Our goal is to make changes to the mCLASS platform as seamless and easy to learn as always. We will provide additional detail to mCLASS customers regarding training options over the course of the 2010-11 school year.
Will I need to purchase new kits for DIBELS Next?
New kits will be required for those using DIBELS Next for the first time. Customers will have the option to either download the content for free or purchase the kits from our publishing partners.
Can I transition a segment of my school to DIBELS Next?
Transitioning part of a school to DIBELS Next is not recommended by the assessment authors. There are logistical challenges such as: kit deployment, training, and potential confusion between the use of two similar assessments. Additionally, because the data from each version is slightly different, transitioning part of a school will make it difficult to make meaningful comparison between students assessed with DIBELS 6 vs students assessed with DIBELS Next.
What devices will be compatible with mCLASS:DIBELS Next?
In addition to the Palm devices currently compatible with mCLASS:Reading3D and the new private-label device, mCLASS:DIBELS Next will be available on select Microsoft Windows Tablet mobile computing devices. Please visit www.wirelessgeneration.com/devices for more information.
What should I do to begin the process of transitioning to mCLASS:DIBELS Next?
We invite schools, districts, and state departments who want to begin their transition to mCLASS:DIBELS Next to contact us by dialing (800) 823-1969, option 3 or contacting your Wireless Generation representative, so that we can put in place a careful transition plan in 2010 that ensures their schools will be ready for 2011.
