Abstract
To evaluate the usefulness of two DIBELS subtests (Phonemic Segmentation Fluency and Nonsense Word Fluency), 107 kindergartners and 101 first-graders who had taken the DIBELS were given a writing-of-words task and the Slosson Oral Reading Test of sight words. In addition, the 1st-graders' DIBELS included an Oral Reading Fluency subtest that assessed students' ability to get meaning from a five-paragraph composition. After analyzing the relationships between scores on each DIBELS subtest and other variables, it was concluded that no evidence was found to justify the use of the DIBELS for the evaluation of a literacy instructional program.