Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Selection Panel

Information about the Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Selection Panel authorized by California Education Code Section 53008.

Background

Pursuant to Education Code (EC) Section 53008, the State Board of Education (SBE) was delegated authority to appoint independent experts to the Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Selection Panel (RDRSSP) for the purpose of creating an approved list of evidence-based, culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate screening instruments, by December 31, 2024, for pupils in kindergarten and grades one and two to assess pupils for risk of reading difficulties, including possible neurological disorders such as dyslexia.

Approved List of Screening Instrument and Information Overviews

In accordance with EC 53008(c)(2)’s statutory deadline to create an approved list of screening instruments by December 31, 2024, on December 16, 2024, the RDRSSP approved the following list of screening instruments and corresponding information overviews.

Organization	Title	Grade Levels	Languages	Information Overviews
Amira Learning, with HMH as distribution partners	Amira	Kindergarten, Grade One, and Grade Two	English and Spanish	Amira Information Overview
Amplify Education	mCLASS with DIBELS Edition 8 and mCLASS Lectura	Kindergarten, Grade One, and Grade Two	English and Spanish	mClass with DIBELS Edition 8 and mClass Lectura Information Overview
University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Dyslexia Center	Multitudes	Kindergarten, Grade One, and Grade Two	English and Spanish	Multitudes Information Overview
Stanford University, Brain Development and Education Lab	Rapid Online Assessment of Reading (ROAR)	Grade One and Grade Two	English only	ROAR Information Overview

Next Steps

Visit California Literacy for the webinar series 'Screening for Risk of Reading Difficulties,' developed by the Statewide Literacy Office to assist LEAs on next steps with the screeners.

2024 Invitation to Submit

Pursuant to EC Section 53008 (b) and (c), the Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Selection Panel invited interested parties to submit reading difficulties risk screening instruments to the Panel by 5 p.m. on August 30, 2024 for consideration and potential inclusion on the state’s approved list for use in meeting the requirements of EC Section 53008, subdivisions (c)(2) and (e), for the state to create an approved list of screening instruments and for local educational agencies to screen all kindergarten through grade two students annually for risk of reading difficulties.

Please see the documents linked below for more information about how the screening instrument application process.

On July 2, 2024, the SBE staff and the California Department of Education held an informational webinar for entities planning to submit reading difficulties risk screening instruments to the RDRSSP. The links to the webinar presentation and video are below.

Panelists and Terms of Office

On January 18, 2024, the SBE appointed an independent panel of experts to the RDRSSP as recommended by the SBE’s Screening Committee, subject to condition that appointed panelists may be removed if they are found to have a conflict of interest. Additionally, the SBE adopted a governing policy for the RDRSSP.

The appointed panelists are as follows. Please note that, pursuant to Section IV.A of the RDRSSP Governing Policy, Young-Suk Kim and Yesenia Guerrero have been selected as Chair and Vice Chair of the Panel, respectively.

Name	Position	Employer
Young-Suk Kim, Chair	Professor & Senior Associate Dean	University of California, Irvine
Yesenia Guerrero, Vice Chair	Special Education Teacher	Lennox School District
Dominic Grasso	Assistant Professor, Elementary Literacy Education	California State University, Northridge
Carlin Graveline	Speech-Language Pathologist/Literacy Specialist	Sole Proprietorship
Martha Martinez	Senior Director of Research & Evaluation	Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL)
Jessica Niessen	READ Coordinator	Los Angeles Unified School District
Gisela O’Brien	Assistant Director, Biliteracy and English Learner Programs	Center for Equity for English Learners, Loyola Marymount University
Timothy Odegard*	Professor of Psychology, Chair of Excellence, Dyslexic Studies	Middle Tennessee State University
Tamara Wilson	Director, Development and Training	Sacramento County Office of Education

Subject to the provisions of the Governing Policy, effective January 18, 2024, panel members will serve for a term of up to two years, ending no later than December 31, 2025. However, the SBE may extend term for any panel member, including for the purposes of updating the review process adopted by the SBE and/or amending the list of approved screening instruments adopted by the panel. Panel members may also be removed before the expiration of their term, as set forth in the Governing Policy and consistent with the SBE’s January 18, 2024, appointment of the panelists.

*Resigned from Panel membership effective December 19, 2024.

Meetings

Beginning February 16, 2024, regular meetings of the RDRSSP were held monthly through December 2024 to meet the December 31, 2024 statutory deadline for the state to create an approved list of screeners, as specified in EC Section 53008.

All proceedings of the RDRSSP are governed by the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act and are conducted openly so that the public may be fully informed. Meetings were held in Room 1101 at the California Department of Education, which is located at 1430 N Street, Sacramento, California 95814. Meetings were also streamed live during the scheduled meeting dates. Webcasts of those meetings are available at the links below.

Meetings

2024 Meeting Dates

2024 Public Meeting Notices, Agendas, Minutes, and Webcasts

Governing Policy

Governing Policy of the RDRSSP adopted by the SBE on January 18, 2024 (PDF)

How is the public involved in the RDRSSP?

The RDRSSP welcomes public involvement. Opportunities for public comment are provided in-person and by telephone at meetings, and may also be submitted via email to rdrssp@cde.ca.gov.

To receive information and updates regarding the RDRSSP, including information about meeting agendas and other notices, please subscribe to the RDRSSP mailing list by sending a blank message to join-rdrssp@mlist.cde.ca.gov.

Contact Information

California Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Selection Panel
California Department of Education
Statewide Literacy Office
1430 N Street, Suite 6208
Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: rdrssp@cde.ca.gov

Questions: Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Selection Panel | rdrssp@cde.ca.gov

Last Reviewed: Thursday, January 23, 2025