DIBELS is the most frequently used screening tool for tier assignment, and literacy is the most assessed domain¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Across 127 studies, DIBELS was the most frequently reported tool (29 studies, 22.8%), followed by TOWRE (11), WIF (10), and CTOPP (10); literacy tools (118) far outnumbered language (32) and mathematics (26) tools. → Keles 2025

Evidence¶

Keles 2025¶

Keles, S., ten Braak, D., Hagen, Å. M., & Melby-Lervåg, M. (2025). Validity of Early-Grade Screening Tools in the Three Tier (RTI/MTSS) Model: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Literacy, Language, and Mathematics. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10077-5

q2 · i? · quant-synthesis · r2

Descriptive synthesis (RQ1) of screening tools used across the 127 eligible studies, all used in Tier 1. The review reports "DIBELS was by far the most frequently reported tool (29 studies, 22.8%)" and that "In total, literacy was the most assessed domain; 118 literacy tools were used across the studies, followed by language (32 tools), and mathematics (26 tools)."

"DIBELS was by far the most frequently reported tool (29 studies, 22.8%), followed by Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE; 11 studies), Word Identification Fluency (WIF; 10 studies), Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP; 10 studies)"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Very few studies (18 of 127) provide validity data for screening tools used in tier assignment, and none test whether screening itself improves achievement — related
• Sensitivity and specificity of Three Tier screening tools vary widely, and no studies report language-domain-only accuracy — related
• Screening domain is a significant moderator of validity: literacy-literacy correlations (r = .55) exceed language-literacy (r = .38) and mathematics/literacy-achievement (r = .27) — related
• Screening tools in the Three Tier model show a moderate pooled correlation with academic achievement outcomes (r = .51), with very high heterogeneity — related