DIBELS Next Reports Lexile Reader Measures

DURHAM, NC--(Marketwired - Sep 23, 2014) - MetaMetrics®, developer of The Lexile Framework® for Reading, and Dynamic Measurement Group (DMG®), developer of DIBELS Next®, today expanded their partnership. Over the past nine years, MetaMetrics and DMG have collaborated to improve literacy skills in young readers and will continue to do so through the launch of Lexile measures reported from DIBELS Next. Beginning this school year, DIBELSnet (https://dibels.net/) will provide Lexile reader measures based on the DIBELS Composite Score for hundreds of thousands of students in first through sixth grade. Later next year, student Lexile measures will also be available in Amplify's mCLASS®:DIBELS Next®, which will provide additional information for educators to more efficiently plan instruction according to individual student reading levels, as well as monitor student progress toward state and national proficiency standards.

DIBELS Next® is an assessment used to measure the acquisition of early literacy skills. DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) provides brief indicators of the essential skills that every child must master to become a proficient reader. The DIBELS Next assessment is used to regularly monitor the development of early literacy and early reading skills. Educators who use DIBELS Next are able to quickly and reliably identify the specific skills where students need additional support to be proficient readers. With a student's reading level being reported as a Lexile measure, educators can further personalize instruction with resources that match their students' unique level of skills.

Strong literacy skills are fundamental to young students' academic success. Malbert Smith III, Ph.D., president of MetaMetrics, reflected on this crucial developmental phase. "The importance of reading on grade level by 3^rd grade has long been recognized by researchers as a critical milestone, and now more and more states are implementing policies to achieve this milestone," he said. "Many of these states are using Lexile measures as the roadmap for documenting student growth and define what it means to be reading on grade level. Lexile measures from DIBELS Next allow educators to identify struggling students early and marshal the resources appropriately."

Lexile measures are used at the school level in various capacities in all 50 states. More than 35 million Lexile measures are reported from reading assessments and classroom programs annually. Recognized as the standard for matching readers with texts, tens of millions of students worldwide receive Lexile measures to help them choose targeted readings from more than 100 million articles, books and websites that have been measured. Lexile measures are also used as a tool for monitoring reading growth and progress towards college and career readiness.

"The fundamental mission of DIBELS is to help teachers improve the reading skills of their students," asserted Roland H. Good III, Ph.D., president of Dynamic Measurement Group and co-author of DIBELS Next. "With DIBELS Next we have provided an efficient and effective way for educators to know where their students are, what goals they need to attain to be proficient readers, and their ongoing progress toward those goals. The Lexile measure efficiently evaluates the quantitative dimension of text complexity to report the reading skills of students and the readability of text on the same scale. By reporting Lexile measures for students, we are able to help educators and parents quickly identify reading materials that will match their students' reading skills."

About MetaMetrics

MetaMetrics is focused on improving education for learners of all ages and ability levels. The organization develops scientific measures of academic achievement and complementary technologies that link assessment results with real-world instruction. MetaMetrics' products and services for reading (The Lexile® Framework for Reading, El Sistema Lexile® para Leer), mathematics (The Quantile® Framework for Mathematics) and writing (The Lexile® Framework for Writing) provide unique insights about academic ability and the potential for growth, enabling individuals to achieve their goals at every stage of development. Connect with the organization at: http://blog.lexile.com.

About Dynamic Measurement Group

Dynamic Measurement Group (DMG) is an educational company dedicated to supporting success for children and schools. DMG was founded by Roland Good III and Ruth Kaminski, authors of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), and is the official home of DIBELS research, development and training. The company focuses on improving outcomes for children and supporting school success by developing practical, innovative and powerful assessment and curricular materials -- with high-quality training and professional development to effectively implement these tools. For more information, visit www.dibels.org.

About Amplify

Amplify is reimagining the way teachers teach and students learn. Our products and services lead the way in data-driven instruction, one-to-one mobile learning and next-generation digital curriculum and assessment. With headquarters in New York City and more than 1,200 employees across the country, Amplify is led by a team of digital education experts and has provided innovative technology to the K-12 market for more than a decade. As a pioneer of mobile assessments and instructional analytics, we have supported more than 200,000 educators and 3 million students in all 50 states as they begin their digital transition. For more information, visit www.amplify.com.