Introduction to Pathways of Progress Report
© Dynamic Measurement Group, Inc.
September 5, 2013
Pathways of Progress™
Pathways of Progress is a research-based tool for: (1) establishing individual student progress monitoring
goals; (2) evaluating individual student progress and rate of growth; and (3) reflecting the effectiveness of
support at the classroom, school, or district level.
Pathways of Progress provides an evaluation of growth over time, compared to other students with the
same level of initial skills. Thus, it provides a normative reference for professionals to consider. It
increases the precision with which progress is evaluated at the student and classroom levels. The
pathways clarify what rate of progress is typical, above typical, or well above typical. Pathways of
Progress also informs educators when progress is below typical or well below typical rates of progress.
®
The DIBELS Next benchmark goals are used in conjunction with Pathways of Progress to provide a
frame of reference that represents the lowest score above which a student is likely to be on track to reach
future reading outcomes. The use of Pathways of Progress enhances the use of the benchmark goals and
the DIBELS Next Composite Score (DCS). Pathways of Progress increases the precision with which
decisions can be made about goal-setting and evaluating progress. Pathways of Progress and the
DIBELS Next benchmark goals empower educators to set goals that are meaningful, ambitious, and
attainable.
More information on Pathways of Progress will be available soon.
We are currently examining issues related to interpreting Pathways
results for very high-performing students, as well as other specific
patterns of performance, in relation to whether those results are
statistically and educationally meaningful. For a preliminary framework
that takes these issues into account when interpreting Pathways results,
see the Interpreting Individual Student Pathways of Progress section
below.
To call our attention to any patterns you notice and that you believe we
should examine further, please e-mail us at info@dibels.org.
Pathways of Progress Logic
Initial Pathways of Progress data is based on the performance of students in over 1,000 classrooms in the
®
DIBELSnet (https://dibels.net/) data reporting service for 2011-2012. Five pathways of growth were
established by analyzing student growth over the year compared to other students with the same level of
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initial skills. The beginning-of-year DIBELS Composite Score serves as the starting point while the 20 ,
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40 , 60 , and 80 percentiles serve as the boundaries between the five pathways. The pathways were
calculated by looking at student outcomes at the end of the year on the DIBELS Composite Score as well
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as individual DIBELS Next measures. A rate of growth across the year above the 80 percentile would be
described as Well Above Typical progress compared to other students at that grade level who started the
year with the same initial DIBELS Composite Score. Each Pathway and its corresponding progress
percentile ranges are shown in Figure 1.
DIBELS, DIBELS Next, and DIBELSnet are registered trademarks of Dynamic Measurement Group, Inc. http://dibels.org/
Pathways of Progress is a trademark of Dynamic Measurement Group, Inc.
Pathway #
5
4
3
2
1
Progress Percentile Range
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80 percentile and above
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60 to 79 percentile
th
th
40 to 59 percentile
th
th
20 to 39 percentile
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Below 20 percentile
Progress Descriptor
Well Above Typical
Above Typical
Typical
Below Typical
Well Below Typical
Figure 1. Pathways of Progress Descriptors
Using Pathways of Progress for Evaluating Individual Student Progress
When using Pathways of Progress Reports to evaluate individual student progress within classrooms, the
Pathways are evaluated relative to typical student progress for students with the same initial skill. We can
describe the progress the student has made across the school year in this context. Evaluation of progress
can be done at the student level and the classroom level.
The first Pathways of Progress feature available within DIBELSnet is called the Pathways of Progress
Report, which looks at student performance at the beginning and end of the school year, and provides the
Pathway for each student based on that student's DIBELS Composite Scores. A sample Pathways of
Progress Report is included as Figure 2.
The left-hand column of the report lists the student names (blurred in Figure 2). The columns to the right
of the student names list the beginning-of-year score, end-of-year score, and gain (or loss) for each
measure given at that grade level. Scores are color-coded relative to their benchmark status (green = At
or Above Benchmark; yellow = Below Benchmark; red = Well Below Benchmark). The last of these score
columns lists this information for the DIBELS Composite Score (note that gain/loss is not reported for the
DIBELS Composite Score in grades K-2 since the formula varies across the year). In the far right-hand
column on the report, the Pathway for each student, based upon their DIBELS Composite Score, is noted
by the number of stars. A key explaining the star ratings is found at the bottom of the report.
In reviewing the data on these reports, please note that a student can be Well Below Benchmark at
beginning- and end-of-year but have made typical progress (compared to other students who began the
year with the same DIBELS Composite Score), such as Student #3 in Figure 2. Similarly, a student can be
At or Above Benchmark at beginning- and end-of-year but have made well below typical progress
(compared to other students who began the year with the same DIBELS Composite Score), such as
Student #6 in Figure 2. It is important to consider both the benchmark status and the Pathway when
making instructional decisions.
DIBELS, DIBELS Next, and DIBELSnet are registered trademarks of Dynamic Measurement Group, Inc. http://dibels.org/
Pathways of Progress is a trademark of Dynamic Measurement Group, Inc.
Interpreting Individual Student Pathways of Progress
When interpreting the Pathways of Progress Report, we advise that school personnel apply the following
three-step framework:
1. Do you have confidence in the accuracy of the student scores on which the Pathway is based? If
yes, proceed to steps 2 and 3 below. If no, then re-test with alternate materials to validate those
scores. This recommendation is consistent with Step 2 of the Outcomes-Driven Model. The
accuracy of scores may be called into question for a variety of reasons including: (a) suspected
data entry error, (b) an error in the standard administration, or (c) an unusual pattern across
students or teachers (i.e., unexpectedly low or high scores based on past scores).
2. Is the beginning-of-year DIBELS Composite Score (DCS) within the range of the data to provide
an interpretable pathway? If yes, then proceed to step 3. If not, then do not interpret the student's
Pathway. Pathways of Progress are interpretable across a very broad range of student skill.
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However, we have found that once we move beyond the 99.5 percentile on beginning-of-year
DIBELS Composite Score, the data become much more sparse and we have less confidence in
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the Pathway interpretation. The table below indicates the 99.5 percentile for beginning-of-year
DCS for each grade level.
Beginning-of-Year DIBELS Composite Score
Grade
Interpretable Range for Pathways (2012-2013)
Kindergarten
0 to 107
First
0 to 263
Second
0 to 368
Third
0 to 547
Fourth
0 to 595
Fifth
0 to 642
Sixth
0 to 666
Pathways of Progress are based on enough data for interpretation up to the
99.5th percentile (that is, for all but 5 in 1,000 students).
3. Is the Pathway of Progress educationally meaningful? If not, please consider whether it is
appropriate and in what manner these students' Pathways data should be interpreted.
One example of considering whether a Pathway is educationally meaningful is for students in
grades 4 - 6 who are well above benchmark at the beginning of the year (across the board on all
DIBELS Next skill areas measured), and who end the year solidly well above benchmark (also
across all DIBELS Next skill areas measured). Some students with this pattern fall within Pathway
1 or 2, so we must consider what amount of growth on DIBELS Next measures is educationally
meaningful. For these students, further increasing their reading proficiency may not be the best
use of instructional time and resources, and the teacher should consider whether the instructional
emphasis should shift from "learning to read" to "reading to learn," and other higher order text
analysis skills.
We will continue examining these issues from both a statistical and educational basis. By the end of the
2013-2014 school year, we plan to incorporate decision rules for steps 2 and 3 into the Pathways
procedures, to make it easier to interpret the Pathways reports. Additional case examples will be
developed in the near future to illustrate this general decision framework.
DIBELS, DIBELS Next, and DIBELSnet are registered trademarks of Dynamic Measurement Group, Inc. http://dibels.org/
Pathways of Progress is a trademark of Dynamic Measurement Group, Inc.
School:
Grade:
Year:
Classroom Pathways of Progress
DIBELS Next
At or Above Benchmark / Likely to Need Core Support
Below Benchmark / Likely to Need Strategic Support
DORF Words Correct
Name
DORF Accuracy
Beg of Year End of Year Gain
DORF Retell
Beg of Year End of Year Gain
Well Below Benchmark / Likely to Need Intensive Support
Daze Adjusted Score
Beg of Year End of Year Gain
DIBELS Composite Score
Beg of Year End of Year Gain
Beg of Year End of Year Gain
149
168
+19
99%
99%
+0
55
94
+39
16
36
+20
435
606
+171
78
120
+42
96%
99%
+3
19
34
+15
8
21
+13
236
378
+142
48
65
+17
87%
95%
+8
25
37
+12
5
15
+10
134
273
+139
98
134
+36
97%
99%
+2
48
64
+16
7
30
+23
318
488
+170
96
124
+28
100%
100%
+0
61
60
-1
10
30
+20
378
478
+100
73
96
+23
96%
98%
+2
37
35
-2
9
18
+9
271
336
+65
146
169
+23
100%
100%
+0
67
60
-7
19
31
+12
476
527
+51
151
160
+9
99%
99%
+0
56
94
+38
17
26
+9
443
558
+115
67
97
+30
79%
99%
+20
34
52
+18
6
22
+16
159
395
+236
79
116
+37
91%
97%
+6
32
94
+62
4
16
+12
207
458
+251
78
123
+45
93%
100%
+7
13
61
+48
13
28
+15
220
471
+251
174
180
+6
99%
100%
+1
64
94
+30
29
39
+10
530
638
+108
35
72
+37
85%
93%
+8
10
19
+9
6
11
+5
79
212
+133
Pathway
5
Well above typical rate of progress
4
Above typical rate of progress
3
Typical rate of progress
2
Below typical rate of progress
1
Well below typical rate of progress
© 2013 Dynamic Measurement Group, Inc. | Printed on June 18, 2013
Figure 2. Sample Classroom Pathways of Progress Report
DIBELS, DIBELS Next, and DIBELSnet are registered trademarks of Dynamic Measurement Group, Inc. http://dibels.org/
Pathways of Progress is a trademark of Dynamic Measurement Group, Inc.
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