For the 2026-2027 school year, LCC School will be utilizing the DIBELS 8th Edition Literacy and mCLASS Math assessments to better determine academic needs for students and to assist students in meeting these needs.
This year’s theme in Nebraska schools is “Nebraska Leads Literacy: Driving Success.”
Dr. Brian Maher, commissioner of the Nebraska Department of Education, recently spoke at the Nebraska Administrators’ Day Conference in Kearney and stressed the importance of building on the progress of last year’s theme, “Literacy for Success,” with the eventual goal of 75% of all third grade students being proficient in literacy by the year 2030. One tenet to reaching this goal was the importance of all Nebraska school districts adopting a consistent literacy benchmarking/progress monitoring program to promote fidelity in this quest for literacy. All Nebraska schools are now mandated to utilize the DIBELS 8th Edition Literacy program as the only valid benchmarking/progress monitoring program that will be recognized by the state of Nebraska.
mCLASS is a digital assessment and data program developed by the Amplify program that hosts both literacy and mathematics evaluation tools. DIBELS 8th Edition is its gold-standard literacy suite for grades K–8, while mCLASS Math is a companion diagnostic screening and progress monitoring suite for grades K–8 designed to uncover students underlying mathematical thinking.
DIBELS 8th Edition Literacy evaluates early literacy, foundational reading skills, and dyslexia risk by administering one-minute, one-on-one timed fluency measures and group-administered Maze comprehension tasks. mCLASS Math assesses mathematical understanding, reasoning, and conceptual development to spot potential learning risks like dyscalculia. Both of these assessments will be administered three times per year (Fall/Winter/Spring) as benchmarks, supplemented by periodic progress-monitoring probes. These assessments will be replacing the Aimswebplus program that had been previously utilized to benchmark and progress monitor students in literacy and mathematics.
