Approved Assessments
Nebraska Reading Improvement Act Approved Assessment Updates
1/7/26 Estimated Timeline for Approved Assessment List
End of January- NDE will receive report from Buros
By February 13- Prepare communication to vendors and districts
By February 27- Notify districts/vendors of decisions for 26-27SY
9/30/25 Approved Assessment Update
To strengthen the identification of reading difficulties and improve statewide consistency, the Nebraska Department of Education has engaged in a deeper review of the Approved Assessments under the Nebraska Reading Improvement Act. Please see this update on Approved Assessments for details. Eight reading assessments remain approved for use during this time, and no immediate changes are required by districts.
Please see the NRIA RFI Vendor Questions and NDE Responses for information. This document provides answers to vendor-submitted questions about the Nebraska Reading Improvement Act (NRIA) and the Reading Assessment Request for Information (RFI) process. It covers requirements for assessment submissions, alignment expectations, accessibility, dyslexia indicators, and important deadlines.
Approved Assessments 2025-2026
To summarize key components of these assessments and support schools and administrators in making informed decisions about selecting and implementing assessments to meet the law’s requirements, the NDE also provides The Nebraska Reading Assessments Whitepaper, which is based on research conducted by the University of Nebraska’s Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools.
Updated December 2024
Pursuant to the Nebraska Reading Improvement Act (Nebraska Revised Statute 79-2601 to 79-2607) by March 1st of each year, the Nebraska Department of Education makes public the list of reading assessments that have been approved for the following academic school year.
Acadience Reading
Contact: Laurie Carmon, National Consultant
Laurie.carmon@voyagersopris.com
Contact: Amy Otis, Vice President, Bids and Proposals
aimswebPlus*
Amira
Contact: Candice Hill, Account Executive
Contact: Corinne Hendricks, Sales Director
Amplify mClass DIBELS 8th
i-Ready*
Contact: Audrey Petersen
Contact: Craig Pritchard
Vendor updated on 3/21/25
Resource added on 5/6/2025
Vendor updated on 6/2/2025
Acadience Reading
aimswebPlus
Amira*
Amplify mClass DIBELS 8th
DRA3
i-Ready*
Istation Reading Formative Assessment*
Star Suite*
Acadience Reading
aimswebPlus
Amira*
Amplify mClass DIBELS 8th
DRA3
FastBridge Suite
i-Ready
Indicators of Progress (ISIP)*
Istation-ISIP-Reading-NRIA-Cut-Scores.pdf”>ISIP Cut Scores
MAP Suite*
Star Suite*
Acadience Reading
aimswebPlus
Amira
Amplify mClass DIBELS 8th
DRA3*
FastBridge Suite
i-Ready
Indicators of Progress (ISIP)*
MAP Suite
Star Suite
Amplify Education, Inc.
mClass-DIBELS-8th-Edition-21-22*
K, 1, 2, 3
Center on Teaching and Learning, University of Oregon
DIBELS 8th Edition
K, 1, 2, 3
DIBELS 6th Edition
K, 1, 2, 3
DIBELS Next
K, 1, 2, 3
Curriculum Associates, Inc.
i-Ready Diagnostic
K, 1, 2, 3
Dynamic Measurement Group (DMG)
Acadience Reading K-6 (also published as DIBELS Next)
K, 1, 2, 3
FastBridge Learning
FAST CBMReading
1, 2, 3
FAST aReading
K, 1, 2, 3
FAST earlyReading
K, 1
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company (HMH)
Reading Inventory
K, 1, 2, 3
Amira Learning
K, 1, 2, 3
Literably, Inc.
Literably
K, 1, 2, 3
NCS Pearson, Inc.
DRA2
K, 1, 2, 3
aimswebPlus
K, 1, 2, 3
NWEA
MAP Growth *
K, 1, 2, 3
MAP Reading Fluency *
K, 1, 2, 3
Renaissance Learning, Inc.
Star Reading
Star Early Literacy
Riverside Insights
Iowa Assessments
K, 1, 2, 3
easyCBM *
K, 1, 2, 3
Amplify Education, Inc.
mClass-DIBELS-8th-Edition-20-21
K, 1, 2, 3
Center on Teaching and Learning, University of Oregon
DIBELS 8th Edition
K, 1, 2, 3
DIBELS 6th Edition
K, 1, 2, 3
DIBELS Next
K, 1, 2, 3
Curriculum Associates, Inc.
i-Ready Diagnostic *
K, 1, 2, 3
Dynamic Measurement Group (DMG)
Acadience Reading K-6 (also published as DIBELS Next)
K, 1, 2, 3
FastBridge Learning
FAST CBMReading *
1, 2, 3
FAST aReading *
K, 1, 2, 3
FAST earlyReading *
K, 1
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company (HMH)
Reading Inventory *
K, 1, 2, 3
Literably, Inc.
Literably
K, 1, 2, 3
NCS Pearson, Inc.
DRA2
K, 1, 2, 3
aimswebPlus
K, 1, 2, 3
NWEA
MAP Growth *
K, 1, 2, 3
MAP Reading Fluency *
K, 1, 2, 3
Renaissance Learning, Inc.
Star Reading
Star Early Literacy
Riverside Insights
Iowa Assessments
K, 1, 2, 3
easyCBM
K, 1, 2, 3
Amplify Education, Inc.
mClass-DIBELS-8th-Edition-Composites
K, 1, 2, 3
Center on Teaching and Learning, University of Oregon
DIBELS 8th Edition
K, 1, 2, 3
DIBELS 6th Edition
K, 1, 2, 3
DIBELS Next
K, 1, 2, 3
Curriculum Associates, Inc.
i-Ready Diagnostic
K, 1, 2, 3
Dynamic Measurement Group (DMG)
Acadience Reading K-6 (also published as DIBELS Next )
K, 1, 2, 3
FastBridge Learning
FAST CBMReading
1, 2, 3
FAST aReading
K, 1, 2, 3
FAST earlyReading
K, 1
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company (HMH)
Reading Inventory
K, 1, 2, 3
Literably, Inc.
Literably
K, 1, 2, 3
NCS Pearson, Inc.
DRA2
K, 1, 2, 3
aimswebPlus
K, 1, 2, 3
NWEA
MAP Growth 2-5
2, 3
MAP Reading Fluency
K, 1, 2, 3
MAP Growth K-2
K, 1
Renaissance Learning, Inc.
Star Reading
Star Early Literacy
Riverside Insights
Iowa Assessments
K, 1, 2, 3
easyCBM
K, 1, 2, 3
Selection Process
The NDE drafted a comprehensive rubric unique to Nebraska. The Nebraska rubric borrows language for indicators related to validity, reliability, administration, scoring, and diverse populations from other states’ rubrics and criteria. In an effort to develop a literacy-centric and user-friendly tool, the Nebraska rubric minimizes the use of highly technical language, includes literacy constructs to prioritize research-based approaches to foundational skills instruction, and leverages essential questions to drive evaluation for each indicator. The draft rubric was reviewed by a small group of ad hoc committee members, revised based on stakeholder feedback, and tested using sample proposals.
In October 2021, NDE published a Request for Information (RFI) with requirements for alignment to the rubric. The following vendors submitted proposals for the indicated assessments in response to the RFI:
- Amplify Education: mClass DIBELS 8th
- Curriculum Associates: i-Ready
- EarlyBird Education: EarlyBird
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Amira
- Illuminate Education: FastBridge Suite (aReading, CBMreading, earlyReading)
- Istation: ISIP Reading
- NWEA: MAP Suite (MAP Growth Reading, MAP Reading Fluency)
- Pearson Clinical Assessment: DRA3 and aimswebPlus
- Renaissance: Star Reading Suite (Star Early Literacy, Star Reading, Star CBM Reading)
- Voyager Sopris Learning: Acadience Reading
In November 2021, the NDE convened an ad hoc committee of 16 Nebraska school district representatives well-versed in early literacy to norm on scoring using the rubric and evaluate each proposal. Evaluators first rated the proposal independently, then normed on ratings in small groups and submitted scores and evidence. Over 5 rounds of evaluation, each proposal was rated at least twice by different evaluator groups. Any assessments that scored inconsistently across groups were reevaluated by a smaller subset of the ad hoc committee in early December.
The NDE is thankful to the following Nebraska educators for sharing their expertise, time, and passion for early literacy:
- Angela Dubuc, Early Literacy Education Specialist, Nebraska Children and Families Foundation
- Ann Foster, Elementary Curriculum Coordinator, Lexington Public Schools
- Audra Haas, Title Reading Specialist, Kearney Public Schools
- Brittney Bills, Curriculum Coordinator, Grand Island Public Schools
- Kady Maresh, Instructional/MTSS Coach, Fremont Public Schools
- Kendra Ross, K-6 Reading Specialist, Walthill Public Schools
- Kristin Weaver, First Grade Teacher, Loomis Public Schools
- Lisa Oltman, K-6 Language Arts Curriculum Specialist, Lincoln Public Schools
- Lori Thomas, Literacy Facilitator, Omaha Public Schools
- Mary Jo McElhose, NeMTSS Systems Consultant, Nebraska Department of Education
- Michelle Ryan, Literacy Facilitator, Omaha Public Schools
- Michelle Schleicher, Reading Specialist, Fremont Public Schools
- Sara Robinson, Academic Support Coach, Grand Island Public Schools
- Sarah Sell, Elementary Assistant Principal, Crete Public Schools
- Troy Baker, School Psychologist, Lincoln Public Schools
- Violet Glasshoff, Assistant Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Gretna Public Schools