In DIBELS Next, which test is used to measure First Sound Fluency for kindergarteners?

• A. First Sound Fluency
• B. Phoneme Segmentation Fluency
• C. Maze Comprehension
• D. Letter Naming Fluency

Answer: (A)

First Sound Fluency targets a kindergartner’s ability to produce the initial sound of a spoken word, a foundational phonemic awareness skill. In DIBELS Next, this quick assessment is typically administered by showing pictures and having the child say the first sound of each word within a short time frame. Because the task is specifically about the initial sound, this measure is the direct fit for assessing First Sound Fluency in kindergarteners.

The other tests measure different skills: Phoneme Segmentation Fluency asks students to break words into individual phonemes, which is a broader phonemic awareness task; Maze Comprehension evaluates reading comprehension through a cloze-style maze, not phonemic awareness; Letter Naming Fluency measures how many letter names a child can say, which focuses on letter knowledge rather than initial sounds.