A Cross Continental Collaboration: Utilizing DIBELS for Data-Driven Reading Fluency Instruction in Diverse Educational Settings

This collaborative practitioner research study investigated the efficacy of using Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) to improve reading fluency for elementary students receiving special education support. The study was conducted simultaneously in two distinct educational settings: a public school in the United States and a private English-medium school in a multilingual, densely populated Asian country. Over one academic semester, educators in both settings implemented a data-based individualization model where DIBELS 8th Edition data directly informed targeted interventions such as repeated readings and systematic phonics. Despite vast differences in cultural and linguistic contexts, class sizes, and resource availability, results indicated statistically significant growth in Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) scores for students in both locations. This study demonstrates the transposable power of curriculum-based measurement to guide effective instruction and bridge literacy gaps for diverse learners across the globe.