The DIBELS Next® assessment has a new name: Acadience® Reading!
The same assessment you know and trust from the authors of DIBELS® 6th edition and DIBELS Next® is coming together with our entire family of assessments and educational tools under a new name: Acadience®
- Q: Why are we changing our name?
- A: As the original authors of the DIBELS assessments, we have been at the forefront of research and development of assessments that help educators to improve outcomes for students and schools for over 25 years. Through our continued research and development at Acadience Learning over the past decade and a half, we have expanded far beyond the early literacy assessment for kindergarten and first grade we first offered. Our current family of assessments includes our screening and diagnostic reading assessments for grades K – 6 (DIBELS Next, DIBELS Survey, DIBELS Deep), early literacy assessment for preschool (PELI®), content area reading for grades 7-9 (CARI™), and math assessment for grades K-6 (DIBELS Math). Our new name, Acadience, brings all of our assessments into one comprehensive suite of educational tools.
- Q: Have the assessments changed?
- A: No, the assessments you know and are currently using will remain the same. The benchmark goals will stay the same and the scores will be interpreted in the same way. At this time, only the name is changing. If you have already downloaded materials as DIBELS Next, you may use them as they are fully compatible with Acadience Reading.
- Q: What if we use mCLASS DIBELS Next from Amplify or have already purchased DIBELS Next materials from Voyager Sopris Learning?
- A: You may continue to use your DIBELS Next materials from Amplify and/or Voyager Sopris Learning. The mCLASS and Voyager Sopris DIBELS Next materials are fully compatible with Acadience Reading. Amplify and Voyager Sopris Learning will continue to publish Acadience Reading materials under the DIBELS Next name for a transition period.
- Q: What about data management?
- A: Our data reporting service, DIBELSnet®, is now Acadience Data Management (acadiencelearning.net) and will continue to offer data management and reporting capabilities for the Acadience assessments. If you are currently using our DIBELSnet service, you do not need to do anything. Everything will continue to work as it has in the past. If you are not already using DIBELSnet, we invite you to transition to Acadience Data Management.
- Q: Is additional training required?
- A: No. The Acadience Reading assessments are the same as the DIBELS Next assessments, and if you have already been trained, you will not need additional training. Acadience Learning will continue to provide training and professional development for the full suite of Acadience assessments through our ongoing onsite and online workshops as well as regional and national training institutes.
- Q: How does Acadience Reading differ from DIBELS 8th Edition?
- A: Acadience Reading is the new name for the DIBELS Next assessments by the original authors of DIBELS. We are not affiliated with DIBELS 8th Edition, which is not a new version of DIBELS Next, and is not from the authors of DIBELS 6th Edition and DIBELS Next. DIBELS 8th Edition has not been researched, validated or endorsed by us.
- Q: What does all of this mean for you?
- A: You can continue to use the same assessment tools you know. You will continue to have access to the authors along with the customer support from Acadience Learning that you have come to know and trust. While we have a new name, our goal remains the same: to help you improve academic success for your students and schools.
This is an exciting time for all of us. We look forward to continuing our partnership with you to improve academic success in the coming year.
Ruth and Roland and the team at Acadience Learning
October 17, 2018
Acadience is a trademark of Acadience Learning Inc. The DIBELS Next copyrighted content is owned by Acadience Learning Inc. The DIBELS® and DIBELS Next registered trademarks were sold by Acadience Learning Inc. to the University of Oregon (UO) and are now owned by the UO.