Using dynamic indicators of basic early literacy skills scores to predict California English language development levels for English language learners

With the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has come a stronger push for English Language Learner (ELL) students to become proficient speakers, readers, and writers of the English language so they may perform similarly to their native English-speaking peers academically. In California, English language proficiency is measured with the California English Language Development Test (CELDT). Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) can be used to identify areas of reading skill weakness which can then be remediated through intervention. This study investigated the relationship between the DIBELS and CELDT assessments through the use of regression statistics with 413 kindergarten through sixth grade Spanish-speaking ELL students in a Central Valley, California School District. Analyses revealed that DIBELS performance does predict CELDT levels of ELL students at the elementary school level. Keywords: DIBELS, CELDT, ELL, NCLB