FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
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JIM HORNE
Commissioner of Education
F. PHILIP HANDY,
Chairman
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Vice Chairman
Members
LINDA J. EADS, ED.D.
CHARLES PATRICK GARCÍA
JULIA L. JOHNSON
WILLIAM L. PROCTOR, PH.D.
LINDA K. TAYLOR
April 27, 2004
M E M O R A N D U M
TO:
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District Superintendents
FROM:
Mary Laura Openshaw
Director, Just Read, Florida!
SUBJECT:
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Early Literacy Assessment (DIBELS) and the Progress Monitoring and Reporting
Network (PMRN)
The Department of Education commissioned the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) to
develop a web-based data management system for entering and interpreting student assessment
data from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) as required by
Florida’s
Reading First
grant. All schools receiving a
Reading First
grant must use DIBELS and
the Progress Monitoring and Reporting Network (PMRN). Staff from FCRR are communicating
with MIS staff from each of the
Reading First
districts to discuss procedures for using the
PMRN in
Reading First
schools. This system operates from a secure website at FCRR and is
designed to provide comprehensive data reports to parents and educators on DIBELS and other
assessment requirements of
Reading First.
Although specifically designed for
Reading First
schools, the PMRN also will be made available
this coming year to other districts and schools that have received training in DIBELS from the
FCRR or Project CENTRAL at the University of Central Florida.
MARY LAURA OPENSHAW
DIRECTOR, JUST READ, FLORIDA!
325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 1548 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0503 • www.fldoe.org
Memorandum to Superintendents
Page 2
This memorandum is intended to inform you of the availability of this system to specific
non-
Reading First
schools in your district. Non-
Reading First
schools eligible for using the
PMRN are those enrolled in the PMRN for this current school year, those that have received
DIBELS training using the FCRR-designed training model, and those that will have received
DIBELS training prior to the first 20 school days of the 2004-2005 school year. Participating
schools must agree to follow the
Reading First
assessment schedule by including
all
kindergarten – third grade students in the DIBELS assessment program and entering scores
for all students into the PMRN during the four assessment periods. Schools must also order
DIBELS scoring forms by June 1, 2004 and register for the PMRN by July 9.
In order to set up non-
Reading First
schools to use the PMRN system in 2004 - 2005, it is
important that designated staff from your office contact Mr. Karl Hook, Director of
Technical Projects for the FCRR, at 850-644-0931 or by email at
khook@fcrr.org on or
before
July 9, 2004.
Mr. Hook then will contact your MIS office staff to review procedures
for uploading student information into the PMRN system.
Any non-
Reading First
school or district interested in using the DIBELS testing materials as
required by users of the PMRN, will obtain scoring forms and student probes by completing
an order form posted at the following address: http://www.fcrr.org/assessment/. The form is
posted under the section entitled “Florida’s Reading First Assessment Plan.” The FCRR has
negotiated a price of $1.00 per student per year for non-
Reading First
schools. Non-
Reading
First
school/district orders for 2004 – 2005 must be placed by
June 1, 2004,
a date that is
more than one month prior to the closeout date for setting up the PMRN system. Because the
FCRR is responsible for ordering the DIBELS forms for
Reading First
schools, districts
should not include
Reading First
schools in their order for non-
Reading First
schools.
Information about DIBELS training opportunities and requirements may be directed to Dr.
Pat Howard, Director of Assessment Programs for FCRR, at 850-644-8129 or by email at
phoward@fcrr.org. Any questions about the ordering of forms for non-
Reading First
schools
should be directed to the Sopris West contact noted on the order form.
Additional information about the PMRN is available at the following web address:
http://www.fcrr.org/pmrn/, and more detailed descriptions of reading assessments and related
training can be obtained from http://www.fcrr.org/assessment/.
Cc:
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Directors of Management Information Services
Directors of Elementary Education