Robeson County reports midyear gains on DIBELS-8; K–2 goal set at 62 percent

Public Schools of Robeson County curriculum committee members reviewed the district’s middle‑of‑year DIBELS‑8 (MOI) screening results on March 4; K–2 measures showed year‑over‑year increases and the district has set a combined K–2 end‑of‑year benchmark goal of 62 percent for 02/2025.

District curriculum staff said the DIBELS‑8 results indicate more students are at or above benchmark this year than last year, with the largest single gains in phonemic awareness. "For DIBELS‑8 results to be meaningful, each student must be assessed the same way," said Kim Demery, K‑5 curriculum supervisor, who led the presentation. Demery described DIBELS‑8 as a standardized early‑literacy screener administered through the Amplify/MCAS platform and said composite color codes (blue, green, yellow, red) indicate risk levels rather than proficiency.

The nut of the presentation: kindergarten, first and second grade each increased on the composite and most submeasures compared with last year. Demery said phonemic awareness rose more than 10 percent in both kindergarten and first grade, and she tied the gains to targeted professional development and clearer use of foundational instructional routines. The district noted K‑2 combined ended last year at 55 percent at or above benchmark and set a 62 percent K‑2 goal for 02/2025 — a 7 percent increase.

Presenters described classroom and school supports tied to the data. Schools create individual reading plans for students identified as at risk (below or well below benchmark), and the district data team meets after the benchmark window to analyze trends and prioritize training for principals, coaches and teachers. Demery said Skills Block (a K‑2 foundational‑skills block) is used to target phonemic and phonics gaps and that Amplify provides additional intervention activities that teachers may include in Individual Reading Plans.

Board members and staff discussed parent communication and the assessment’s timed format. Ms. Crystal Monroe, board member, said she and other parents had not known how to access the “Home Connect” resources referenced in the presentation: "I have no never knew about it... there was no direction on, oh, here are these options," Monroe said, asking that the district better publicize the parent letter and digital supports. Presenters said the Home Connect letter and an MCLASS/Amplify parent site are sent to families and that the district would make an effort to publicize those resources more widely.

Several board members raised student experience concerns with timed measures. A board member said the one‑minute or three‑minute timed components make some children anxious; Demery and Brandy Bullard, the district’s early literacy specialist, explained the timed format is integral to specific DIBELS submeasures (for example, PSF, nonsense word fluency and oral reading fluency) and used to identify fluency and automaticity. They added that progress monitoring and repeated benchmark windows help students become familiar with the assessments.

The committee heard that principals, assistant principals and coaches received professional development to help them recognize effective instruction and monitor classroom implementation of foundational skills. District staff said schools conduct grade‑level data meetings and set school objectives and action steps based on MOI trends. As a next step, the district data team and school teams will continue to analyze MOI results and direct training and interventions where needed.

The presentation and parent resources will be made available to board members by email, and staff said they will emphasize outreach to families about how to access home‑support materials.