AI-Powered Reading Assessment Integration for Toowoomba Catholic Schools
How JDM Software integrated the DIBELS reading assessment into the Diocesan Learning Profile using computer vision — processing 120,000 pages annually and freeing the equivalent of a full-time resource.
| When Manual Entry Isn't an Option
Toowoomba Catholic Schools has worked with JDM Software on the Diocesan Learning Profile (DLP) since 2008 — a comprehensive platform that manages educational data across approximately 30 schools and up to 10,000 students, covering unit planning, teaching records, assessment, and report cards.
In late 2025, the diocese resolved to implement the DIBELS reading assessment across all schools ahead of the 2026 school year. DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) is a structured diagnostic tool used from Prep through to Grade 8 to identify students at risk of reading difficulties. Each student produces approximately 15 pages of physical assessment markings annually — capturing underlines, strikethroughs, circles, and phonetic notations — across three testing windows.
With testing required to begin within the first four weeks of Term 1 2026, the diocese needed a practical way to bring these paper-based results into the DLP at scale. Across the diocese, that amounts to 120,000 pages of data per year — a volume that makes manual entry neither accurate nor sustainable. A strict data sovereignty requirement added further complexity: all student data, including personally identifiable information, had to remain exclusively within Australia.



| Teaching a Computer to Read DIBELS
JDM Software designed and built a new module within the existing DLP system, extending the platform’s capabilities to accommodate DIBELS as part of the diocese’s established assessment workflow. The build commenced in September 2025 and was completed by the end of January 2026 — a five-month turnaround aligned to the school year calendar.
At the core of the solution is an AI-powered computer vision engine designed to read handwritten assessment markings directly from DIBELS forms. Standard OCR tools are not suited to this task — the system was purpose-built to recognise the specific notation types used in DIBELS assessments: underlines, strikethroughs, circles, and phonetic symbols.
Key components of the solution included:
- Computer vision and AI for automated ingestion of paper-based DIBELS assessment results directly into the DLP
- Full integration into the existing DLP workflow, covering form distribution, result capture, and reporting
- Dashboards and detailed reports showing individual student performance, including itemised breakdowns by assessment item
- Progress tracking across three assessment windows per year, enabling longitudinal views of student reading development
- Australian data residency compliance — all processing and storage kept entirely onshore
- A modular architecture within the DLP, designed with replicability in mind for future expansion
The project was delivered by JDM team members David, Nick, and Ethan, in close collaboration with the diocese throughout the build.


| Less Admin. More Teaching
The DIBELS module went live at the start of the 2026 school year, with assessments commencing on schedule in the first four weeks of Term 1.
The system now processes 120,000 pages of assessment data annually. What previously would have required significant manual resourcing is now handled automatically — forms are scanned, markings are read, and results are captured directly into the DLP.
Where the computer vision engine is confident in its interpretation, results are imported automatically. Where it isn't, the form is flagged for a quick human review before the data is accepted. It's a deliberate design choice: automation at scale, with accuracy as the priority. Teaching staff gain time back that can be directed toward students.
The integration has also strengthened the diocese’s visibility over student literacy outcomes. Staff now have access to consistent, structured data across all assessment windows, with dashboards that enable straightforward interpretation of results and early identification of students who may benefit from additional support. Progress is trackable from Prep through to Grade 8, giving schools a clear and continuous picture of reading development over time.
Reception from school leadership and classroom staff has been strongly positive, with feedback highlighting both the practical time savings and the quality of the technical implementation.


| Built to Scale Beyond Toowoomba
The DIBELS module is built as an extension of the DLP platform, which means the underlying architecture is well-positioned for broader application. Other dioceses currently administering DIBELS assessments — and managing results through manual processes — represent a logical fit for a similar solution.
JDM Software and Toowoomba Catholic Schools continue their long-standing collaboration, with ongoing development focused on keeping the DLP at the forefront of educational data management in Catholic schooling.









