Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:

Screening Students for Risk of Reading Difficulties

As State Superintendent of Public Instruction, I am committed to ensuring that all students learn to read by third grade. Consistent with this goal, I am writing to inform local educational agencies (LEAs) about the requirement to screen all students in kindergarten and grades one and two for risk of reading difficulties beginning in the 2025–2026 school year using an approved screening instrument. This screening requirement is authorized by Education Code (EC) Section 53008. Key purposes, timelines, and resources that the California Department of Education (CDE) has identified to support LEAs in the implementation of these screenings are described below.

Purposes

According to statute, screenings are intended to be part of a comprehensive instructional strategy to inform instruction, measure progress, identify learning needs, and enable parents or guardians and educators to discuss learning in an informed way (EC Sec. 53008 (a) (1)). Screening assessments are not to 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 exceptional needs. (EC Sec. 53008 (m)). Rather, screening results are to be used as a part of a broader process that further evaluates student needs and progress, identifies support for classroom instruction, enables targeted individual intervention as needed, and allows for further diagnosis if concerns do not resolve (EC Sec. 53008 (l)).

Approved Screening Instruments and Timelines

A panel of independent experts, the Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Selection Panel (RDRSSP), was appointed by the State Board of Education (SBE) to create an approved list of evidence-based, culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate screening instruments to assess students for risk of reading difficulties, including possible neurological disorders such as dyslexia. The work of the RDRSSP is ongoing, and a final list is expected to be approved before December 31, 2024. Once the approved list is published, LEAs will have until June 30, 2025, to adopt one or more screening instruments at a public meeting of their governing board and to begin screening students in kindergarten and grades one and two in 2025–2026. For more information on the RDRSSP and the selection of screening instruments, please see https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/cc/rd/.

Resources

The following resources are suggested as LEAs begin planning to implement EC Sec. 53008.

Education Code Section 53008

The most important resource for LEAs is EC Section 53008, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=53008&lawCode=EDC. Administrators and literacy leaders should acquaint themselves with the requirements and provisions specified in the statute, noting the following:

• Purpose of screening – EC Sec. 53008 (a) (1), (a) (2), (l), (m)
• Governing board adoption of screening instruments – EC Sec. 53008 (d)
• Timing of screenings and notifications – EC Sec. 53008 (e), (f), (j), (k), (n)
• Students who do not speak sufficient English to be screening with an English-language instrument – EC Sec. 53008 (h)
• Communication with parents and guardians – EC Sec. 53008 (j), (k)
• Opt-outs and exemptions – EC Sec. 53008 (e), (f), (i), (j)
• Supports and services for students identified as being at risk – EC Sec. 53008 (l)
• Unacceptable uses of screening results – EC Sec. 53008 (g) (2), (m)

Frequently Asked Questions

As a resource for LEAs, the CDE has posted Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) under the Screening tab on the California Literacy web page, https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cl/. The FAQs address the following:

• Purpose of the requirement to screen students for risk of reading difficulties
• LEA adoption of screening instrument(s)
• Use of screening instruments for multilingual and English learner students
• Eligibility
• Administration of screenings
• Information for parents and guardians
• Exceptions
• Use of screening results
• Post-screening services to students

Adoption Toolkit

The Curricular and Improvement Support Committee (CISC) of the California County Superintendents has developed the following resource: “Adoption Toolkit: Reading Difficulties Risk Screener, 2024,” https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:bf3e38b4-d47d-40d2-ba82-0c3ea499452f. The resource provides information about the purpose of screenings and processes for reviewing and evaluating approved screening instruments for possible adoption based on local context. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this resource do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the CDE. The CDE does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any information included in the resource.)

Funding

The sum of $25 million was appropriated in the budget for the 2024–2025 school year (Senate Bill 153, Section 117) to support professional development for educators to administer screening assessments pursuant to EC Sec. 53008. Funds are being allocated to LEAs in January 2025 based on student enrollment in kindergarten and grades one and two at $21.16 per student.

Next Steps

As soon as the list of screening instruments is approved by the RDRSSP, the CDE will post the list on the CDE website and send follow-up correspondence with the results. Informational webinars are planned for early 2025 and will be announced on the California Literacy web page https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cl/. New questions and responses will be added to the CDE Screening FAQs web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cl/screenerfaqs.asp on an ongoing basis.

If you have additional questions, please contact the Statewide Literacy Office at statewideliteracycampaign@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Tony Thurmond
State Superintendent of Public Instruction

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