Comparing QRI-5 and DIBELS as Assessment Tools for the Classroom

Although the QRI-5 and DIBELS assessment both test for literacy measures, both tests are very different and should be used at different moments and for different reasons in the classroom. When I began learning about both forms of assessment I was initially comparing the two against each other. One checks for fluency, one comprehension. Is this assessment appropriate for fifth grade level? Then I realized a large fault in my thinking. I was comparing tests small measures, what each test could do or would gauge for, rather than considering my student as a whole child and looking at his/her education in a holistic approach. In order to really examine each students with merit, and develop interventions when necessary, or on the other end of the spectrum develop enrichment a teacher needs to step back and take a whole look at the student from finish to end and see the students progress. I think fro this very reason; both DIBELS and assessment such as QRI-5 are needed in tandem.

Assessment such as DIBELS which is often used a screening test and measures components such as phonemic awareness, alphabetic principles, fluency, vocabulary and initial comprehension is a good and quick way of an educator getting an initial understanding of where his/her student stands in terms of level. Screening tests such as DIBLS help the districts place students in appropriate classes, and help get students the initial appropriate interventions. However as a classroom teacher it could also be used as a quick way to gauge your class and inform instruction. As a new teacher, a testing system such as DIBELS may help develop scaffolding systems for lessons if for instance the teacher notices many students are having difficulty with the same phonemic principles.

 

DIBELS screen assessment, shows you if the student is at risk or not

The QRI-5 assessment system, is very different and much more intensive then the DIBELS system. This system uses a combination of Miscue analysis, site words, retelling and implicit and explicit questions to gage comprehension of both narrative and expository texts. This system is much longer, and a more rigorous form of assessment which gives you more detailed information about the students’ literacy level, and comprehension. This is also particularly useful for understanding if the student is better at comprehending narrative or expository text, or what type of weaknesses the students may have in terms of literacy. The QRI-5 is also one of the strongest methods for finding and forming and intervention strategy for a student. This means a teacher can assess a student and react quickly with the classroom. By administering such tests a few times throughout the year, a teacher can gauge the students level, react, intervene and monitor the students and progress.

Just one part of the QRI-5 assessment where the student is being analyzed for miscue and retelling.

In order to benefit the student, just as many forms of teaching and scaffolding are necessary, there is no difference with assessment. Each test holds a different value, and while a few of the measures such as phonics overlaps, each of the assessments has a different purpose and is meant to be administered in a different way at a different point in the year. The best and most holistic approach as a teacher is to learn how to master these test and use them in tandem and to your advantage. The DIBELS is best used a screening tool, it’s strength is the quickness and the information it provides for emergent readers, however it quickness is also a downfall as the teacher must be a master of the test and must practice it carefully before administering it to the student or the results could be altered at the fault of the teacher. The QRI-5 is much longer and more intensive but is a much more holistic and detailed view of comprehension and the  miscue analysis of a student’s reading level. It is also appropriate for a much older readers and is very good for forming intervention strategies. As a future teacher, although I know it will take a lot of practice, I hope to master these test and interweave them into my lesson plans and create lessons that both scaffold struggling readers and gifted ones. Using assessments such as DIBELS and QRI-5 will give me the information necessary to not only decide which students are at what level, but also what the group as whole needs to discover and through lessons and what I need to scaffold.