Dear Parent or Guardian:

This letter describes the DIBELS and ESI-R testing your child will participate in this year.

The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) is a screening instrument designed to measure specific skills that are important in earning to read. The following areas are included in the screening for students entering kindergarten:

1. Letter Naming Fluency (Your child's ability to recognize upper and lower case letters)
2. Initial Sound Fluency (Your child's ability to recognize and produce the beginning sound in an orally presented word)

The DIBELS can be given in less than five minutes by a trained individual (usually a staff member at your child's school). At our school, we conduct DIBELS testing quarterly to continuously monitor the children's progress.

School Readiness Screening is given only to the children that entering Kindergarten. The Florida School readiness Uniform Screening System (SRUSS) has been established to help schools learn more about your child's readiness for school. The screening measures used are based on the Florida School Readiness Performance Standards.

The Early Screening Inventory-Revised (ESI-R) is a brief, screening instrument that is designed to measure your child's growth and development in the following areas:

1. Visual Motor/Adaptive (How your child uses his/her hands and eyes to accomplish tasks)
2. Language and Cognition (How your child expresses him/herself, reasons, and remembers)
3. Gross Motor (How your child moves in space and uses his/her body while hopping, balancing, and skipping)

The ESI-R can be given in 15-20 minutes by a trained individual (usually your child's teacher) and the materials and tasks that are presented during administration are appealing to young children.

Children respond best to a testing situation when they are calm, relaxed, and well rested. For this reason, we ask you to ensure that children go to sleep at a reasonable hour on a regular basis, as to be prepared for tests and normal educational activities.

If you have any questions about the screening program, please contact your child's teacher. We want this school experience to be as positive as possible for both you and your child.

DIBELS results will be sent home as they are received. Please make sure you have provided the school with an active email address, since sending the results via computer saves the school a bit.

Sincerely,

Rocka Malik
Director of Balere Language Academy