SPS DIBELS and i-Ready Data

Explore DIBELS early-literacy results for grades K–3 and i‑Ready reading and mathematics results for grades 3–8.

About this page

This dashboard presents districtwide aggregate DIBELS and i‑Ready assessment data provided to Somerville SEPAC by Somerville Public Schools.

The data provided to SEPAC includes:

Districtwide DIBELS early-literacy results covering grades K–3
Districtwide i‑Ready Reading results covering grades 3–8
Districtwide i‑Ready Mathematics results covering grades 3–8
Results from the available fall, winter, and spring assessment period

The data is reported only at the district level. It is not separated by individual school, grade, disability status, race or ethnicity, multilingual learner status, income status, or other student characteristics.

Important: Districtwide results can help identify broad patterns, but they can also conceal meaningful differences among schools, grades, and student groups. This dashboard cannot be used to compare schools or determine whether all groups of students are experiencing similar outcomes.

Somerville Public Schools describes DIBELS and i‑Ready as local assessments administered three times each school year. Read the SPS Assessment overview.

About the data

DIBELS data included	Districtwide aggregate results covering grades K–3
i‑Ready data included	Districtwide aggregate Reading and Mathematics results covering grades 3–8
Assessment periods	Available fall, winter, and spring results
Reporting level	Districtwide only
School-level data	Not provided
Grade-level data	Not provided
Student-group data	Not provided
Data source	Somerville Public Schools
Dashboard created by	Somerville SEPAC using district-provided aggregate data
School years included	SY23-24, SY24-25, SY25-26
Last updated	July 22, 2026

About the source of the data

The underlying assessment data displayed in this dashboard was provided to Somerville SEPAC by Somerville Public Schools. SEPAC did not administer the assessments or produce the district’s source records. SEPAC organized and visualized the aggregate data to make it easier for families and community members to explore.

Questions about the underlying data—including assessment administration, participation, calculations, data definitions, missing breakdowns, or how SPS uses the results—should be directed to Somerville Public Schools.

Questions about the organization, display, or accessibility of this webpage and dashboard may be directed to Somerville SEPAC.

Contact Somerville Public Schools

Explore the data

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Tips for reviewing the results

Confirm which assessment and subject are displayed.
Check the school year and assessment period.
Compare the same measure across time.
Look at patterns across multiple assessment periods rather than one result.
Remember that each result combines students from multiple schools and grades.
Do not assume that the districtwide result represents the experience of every school, grade, or student group.
Avoid drawing conclusions from small changes without additional information.

A note about grade 3: The dataset includes both DIBELS and i‑Ready Reading results covering grade 3. The assessments measure different aspects of reading performance and should not be treated as interchangeable.

What the dashboard shows

This dashboard allows families and community members to examine broad districtwide patterns in the DIBELS and i‑Ready data provided to SEPAC.

Depending on the available school years and assessment periods, the dashboard may help visitors consider:

Whether districtwide results changed between fall, winter, and spring
Whether districtwide results changed across school years
How results differ between DIBELS, i‑Ready Reading, and i‑Ready Mathematics
How students are distributed across the performance categories reported by the district

What the dashboard does not show

The dataset provided to SEPAC does not allow visitors to examine:

Results for individual schools
Results for individual grades
Results for students with disabilities
Results for multilingual learners
Results by race or ethnicity
Results by income status
Results for other student groups
The number or percentage of students receiving intervention
Whether students receiving intervention made adequate progress
Whether access to intervention differs across schools
Individual student results

Because these breakdowns were not provided, the dashboard cannot show whether districtwide patterns are consistent across schools, grades, or student groups.

Understanding DIBELS

What is DIBELS?

DIBELS stands for Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills. DIBELS 8th Edition is a set of brief measures used to screen for risk and monitor the development of early-literacy and reading skills.

The DIBELS measures administered depend on a student’s grade and the time of year. For students in grades K–3, available measures may examine skills such as:

Letter naming
Phonemic awareness
Letter-sound knowledge
Decoding
Word reading
Oral reading accuracy and fluency
Reading comprehension

The University of Oregon describes DIBELS as brief fluency measures used to detect risk and monitor literacy development. Read the official DIBELS overview.

Understanding the DIBELS categories

These can be displayed as four colored cards.

Core Plus

Official DIBELS classification: Core Support/Negligible Risk

This is the blue range. Students scoring at or above the ambitious cut score are considered at negligible risk of not meeting later reading goals.

Core

Official DIBELS classification: Core Support/Minimal Risk

This is the green range. Students are at or above the benchmark goal and are considered at minimal risk of not meeting later reading goals.

Strategic

Official DIBELS classification: Strategic Support/Some Risk

This is the yellow range. Students are below the benchmark goal and are considered at some risk of not meeting later reading goals.

Intensive

Official DIBELS classification: Intensive Support/At Risk

This is the red range. Students are well below the benchmark and are considered at greater risk of not meeting later reading goals.

“Core Plus” is the label used in the data provided by SPS. The official DIBELS materials describe the blue range as Core Support/Negligible Risk.

DIBELS categories indicate levels of risk and help inform instructional planning. They do not diagnose dyslexia, identify a disability, or replace a comprehensive evaluation. Official DIBELS guidance also cautions that no single assessment should drive high-stakes decisions about an individual student.

Learn more:

Massachusetts requirements that apply in Somerville

Massachusetts regulations require every public school district, including Somerville Public Schools, to screen each student’s reading ability and literacy progress from kindergarten through at least grade 3 at least twice each school year using a DESE-approved screening instrument.

If a student’s results are significantly below relevant age-based benchmarks, the school must determine which actions within general education will meet the student’s needs, including differentiated or supplementary evidence-based reading instruction and ongoing progress monitoring.

Within 30 school days of a significantly-below-benchmark result, the school must inform the student’s parent or guardian of the screening results and the school’s response and offer an opportunity for a follow-up discussion.

Early-literacy screening identifies risk for reading difficulty. It does not diagnose dyslexia, identify a disability, or replace a formal special education evaluation. Screening and intervention processes also cannot be used to delay or deny an evaluation when a disability is suspected.

Learn more:

Understanding i‑Ready

What is i‑Ready?

The dashboard contains districtwide i‑Ready Reading and Mathematics results covering grades 3–8.

i‑Ready Diagnostic is a computer-adaptive assessment. The questions and their difficulty adjust based on a student’s responses. Curriculum Associates states that the assessment measures reading and mathematics concepts connected to grade-level success.

Somerville Public Schools reports that i‑Ready Reading and Mathematics are administered to students in grades 3–8 three times each school year: fall, winter, and spring.

Starting in the 2026–27 school year, i‑Ready Diagnostic will be called i‑Ready Inform. Families may therefore see both names in district materials and reports.

Grade-level placement

i‑Ready placement results indicate how performance relates to expectations for a student’s enrolled grade. Reports may describe performance as:

Above grade level
On grade level
One grade level below
Two grade levels below
Three or more grade levels below

A placement category does not mean that every skill a student has falls at the same grade level. Results should be considered alongside domain-level information, classroom performance, educator observations, and other assessments.

The words “Diagnostic” and “Inform” are product names. The assessment does not provide a clinical diagnosis or replace a comprehensive special education evaluation.

Learn more:

Understanding i-Ready

Questions the districtwide data raises

From information to action

Public data is most useful when it leads to thoughtful questions, meaningful collaboration, and action.

Progress over time

Are districtwide results improving from fall to spring?
Are more K–3 students reaching DIBELS Core or Core Plus?
Are improvements sustained across multiple school years?
What factors does SPS believe contributed to changes in the results?

Instruction and intervention

What instruction and interventions are provided to students in the DIBELS Strategic and Intensive ranges?
What additional assessments are used to identify students’ specific instructional needs?
How frequently is the progress of students receiving intervention monitored?
What happens when a student does not make adequate progress?
How does SPS determine whether an intervention should be changed or intensified?
What percentage of students identified as needing additional support actually received an intervention?

Data transparency and equity

How do results differ by individual school and grade?
How do results differ for students with disabilities?
How do results differ for multilingual learners?
How do results differ by race, ethnicity, and income status?
How many students participated in each assessment period?
Were participation rates consistent across schools, grades, and student groups?
Do students across schools have equitable access to intervention?
Will SPS publish disaggregated results in the future?

District improvement

How is SPS using these results to guide instruction and allocate resources?
How is the district evaluating recent investments in high-quality instructional materials?
How is SPS evaluating the impact of instructional coaching?
What measurable improvement goals has the district established?
How will progress be reported to families and the School Committee?

Important limitations

The data provided to SEPAC is aggregated at the district level. It combines results across multiple schools and grades and is not broken down by student characteristics.

As a result:

Districtwide results may conceal substantial differences.
The dashboard cannot identify which schools or grades improved.
It cannot show whether outcomes are equitable across student groups.
It cannot connect changes with specific programs, curricula, or interventions.
It cannot show whether students below benchmark received appropriate support.
It cannot show whether interventions were delivered consistently across schools.
It cannot explain by itself why results changed.
It should not be used to draw conclusions about an individual school, grade, student group, or child.

More detailed, disaggregated data would support a fuller understanding of student outcomes and allow for more meaningful community collaboration.

Data sources and additional learning

Somerville Public Schools

DIBELS

i‑Ready

Massachusetts early-literacy screening

Sources and additional learning

Why SEPAC shares this information

Somerville SEPAC believes families and community members should have clear, accessible information about student outcomes.

Greater transparency can strengthen collaboration, help the community monitor progress over time, and support informed discussion about instruction, intervention, staffing, resources, and equity.

This dashboard is intended to help families understand broad districtwide patterns, ask informed questions, and participate meaningfully in efforts to improve outcomes for all Somerville students.