Screening for Risk of Reading Difficulties FAQs

The legislation requiring the screening of pupils for risk of reading difficulties includes findings and declarations that speak to the purpose of the screening for risk of reading difficulties. Specifically,

• Screening pupils for risk of reading difficulties, including dyslexia, is one of many tools that educators can use to gain information about how to support pupils’ learning.
• Early identification and intervention with evidence-based early literacy instructional strategies and materials improves literacy outcomes for pupils at risk of, and with, reading difficulties, including dyslexia.
• By screening all pupils for risk of reading difficulties early, California can help families and teachers achieve the best learning and life outcomes for all pupils and close academic achievement gaps. Education Code Section (EC) 53008(a)(1)(2)
  

An LEA must adopt the screening instrument(s) on or before June 30, 2025. EC 53008(d)

Yes. On or before June 30, 2025, the governing board or body of an LEA serving pupils in kindergarten or grades one or two must adopt, at a public meeting, one or more screening instruments from the list adopted by the Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Selection Panel. EC 53008(d)

An LEA is required to adopt one or more screening instruments from the list adopted by the Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Selection Panel. EC 53008(d)

The legislation neither requires nor precludes an LEA from going through a piloting process prior to adopting screening instrument(s) in accordance with EC 53008(d).

Pupils who do not speak sufficient English to be screened with an English-language instrument must be screened in their primary language if a screening instrument in their primary language is included on the list of screening instruments adopted by the Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Selection Panel. EC 53008(h)

An LEA must adopt one or more screening instruments that provide assessments for both English-speaking pupils and non-English speaking pupils, in languages reflecting the primary languages of the pupils in the LEA, to the extent assessments in those languages are available. EC 53008(d)

If a screening instrument is not adopted by the Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Selection Panel in at least one language in which a pupil is proficient, before the pupil can be screened, the pupil’s risk for reading difficulties shall be evaluated through an analysis of the pupil’s developmental history, educational history, and literacy progress, taking into account the pupil’s home background and evolving English language abilities, including speaking, listening, reading, spelling, and writing, consistent with the California Dyslexia Guidelines (page 33). Components of screening instruments that do not require English language proficiency may be used in this evaluation. EC 53008(h)

If a screening instrument in the pupil’s primary language is adopted by the Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Selection Panel, the LEA must assess the pupil using the appropriate screening instrument. EC 53008(h)

When a pupil acquires sufficient English language knowledge and fluency to be able to be assessed using a screening instrument adopted by the LEA, the LEA must assess the pupil using the appropriate screening instrument. EC 53008(h)

No. Results of a screening assessment must not be used for any high-stakes purpose, including the reclassification of those classified as English learners. EC 53008(m)

An LEA serving pupils in any of kindergarten or grades one or two must assess each pupil in kindergarten and grades one and two, subject to enumerated exceptions discussed below. EC 53008(e), (f) and (i).

An LEA serving pupils in kindergarten or grades one or two must administer the screener beginning no later than the 2025-26 school year, and annually thereafter. EC 53008(e)

In determining when during the school year to administer each screening instrument, an LEA must consider whether pupils have received sufficient instruction in foundational reading skills to support a valid assessment. Note that this requirement does not restrict LEAs from providing additional pupil screenings or diagnostic evaluations, as appropriate. EC 53008(e)

Yes. Subject to the exceptions and exemptions set forth in EC 53008(e), (f), and (i), an LEA must screen all pupils in kindergarten and grades one and two at least once each school year. EC 53008(e), (f), and (i).

If a pupil enrolls for the first time in kindergarten or grades one or two after the screening instrument(s) have been administered to all pupils in the given grade in that school year, the LEA must assess the pupil using the screening instrument(s) adopted by the governing board or body of the LEA within 45 calendar days of enrollment, unless the pupil's parent or guardian opts out of the screening in writing, or unless the parent or guardian provides documentation or the LEA has documentation that the pupil has had a similar screening in their prior school for their current grade and the parent or guardian was made aware of the results. EC 53008(f)

The law neither requires nor precludes an LEA from screening a pupil in more than one language in which the child is proficient.

Yes, employees administering the screening instruments must be appropriately trained to administer the instrument. EC 53008(e). As part of the 2024 Budget, the Governor and the Legislature allocated funding to CDE to be distributed to LEAs for the purpose of training educators to administer the instruments. (SB 153, Sec. 117(c).)

An LEA must provide parents or guardians of pupils eligible for screening with information about the screening, including the date(s) of the screening and instructions for how parents or guardians may opt out of the screening on behalf of their child, no later than 15 calendar days before the administration of the screening instrument(s). An LEA is encouraged to provide this information with other back-to-school materials at the beginning of the school year. EC 53008(j)

Yes. An LEA must make pupil results from screening assessments available to the pupil’s parent or guardian in a timely manner, but no more than 45 calendar days from the date the assessment was administered. The results must include information about how to interpret the results, as well as the next steps, including the supports and services set out in the question "If a pupil is identified as being at risk of having reading difficulties after being screened, what supports and services must an LEA provide that pupil?" (below), if applicable. EC 53008(k)

The notifications an LEA provides to parents or guardians regarding the screening must comply with translation requirements in EC 48985, subsection (a), which states in part:

(a) If 15 percent or more of the pupils enrolled in a public school that provides instruction in kindergarten or any of grades one to twelve, inclusive, speak a single primary language other than English, as determined from the census data submitted to the department pursuant to Section 52164 in the preceding year, all notices, reports, statements, or records sent to the parent or guardian of any such pupil by the public school or school district shall, in addition to being written in English, be written in the primary language, and may be responded to either in English or the primary language. EC 53008(n)

Yes. A parent or guardian of a pupil may opt out of the screening if they do so in writing. EC 53008(e), (f).

Yes, unless the parent or guardian opts out in writing, or the parent or guardian provides documentation or the LEA has documentation that the pupil has had a similar screening in their prior school for their current grade and the parent or guardian was made aware of the results. EC 53008(f)

An LEA must screen all pupils in accordance with EC 53008(e) & (f). See Questions 12 and 15. However, with the prior written consent of the pupil’s parent or guardian, a pupil may be exempted from being screened by the LEA if any of the following criteria are met:

• The pupil has a current identification or diagnosis of a reading difficulty, reading disorder, or other disability.
• The pupil is eligible for special education and related services pursuant to the IDEA or a plan pursuant to Section 504.
• The pupil is in the process of being assessed for eligibility for special education and related services pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or a plan pursuant to Section 504, and the pupil is being evaluated with diagnostic assessments that make the pupil’s assessment or evaluation using the screening instrument(s) redundant. EC 53008(i)
  

Screening results must be used as a flag for potential risk of reading difficulties, not as a diagnosis of a disability. Results must be used as part of a broader process that:

• further evaluates pupil needs and progress;
• identifies supports for classroom instruction;
• engages targeted individual intervention as needed; and
• allows for further diagnosis if concerns do not resolve.

EC 53008(l)

As explained in the legislative findings, screening should be considered part of a school's comprehensive instructional strategy, and should be used by educators like other types of formative and summative assessments: to inform individualized instruction, measure a pupil's progress, identify pupil learning needs, and enable parents and educators to discuss pupil needs in a more informed way. EC 53008(a)(1)

Yes. Results from a screening instrument(s) cannot be used for any high-stakes purpose, including but not limited to, teacher or other school staff evaluation, accountability, pupil grade promotion or retention, identification for gifted or talented education, reclassification of English learners, or identification as an individual with a disability. EC 53008(m)

No. The screening for risk of reading difficulties is not considered an evaluation or diagnostic tool to establish eligibility for special education and related services pursuant to the IDEA, nor is the screening considered an evaluation to determine eligibility pursuant to Section 504. However, an LEA may use the screening instruments to recommend that a pupil receive further assessment and evaluation to establish eligibility for special education and related services pursuant to the IDEA, or to determine eligibility for a plan pursuant to Section 504. Screening instruments cannot be used to delay the Child Find process required under the IDEA. EC 53008(g)

If a pupil is identified as being at risk of having reading difficulties after being screened using an approved screening instrument, the LEA must provide the pupil with supports and services, appropriate to the specific challenges identified by the screening instrument and other pertinent information about the pupil, which may include, among other supports and services, any of the following:

1. Evidence-based literacy instruction focused on the pupil's specific needs.
2. Progress monitoring.
3. Early intervention in the regular general education program.
4. One-on-one or small group tutoring.
5. Further evaluation or diagnostic assessment.

EC 53008(l)