July 12, 2023, Education Week: California Joins 40 States in Mandating Dyslexia Screening https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/california-joins-40-states-in-mandating-dyslexia-screening/2023/07
California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week signed into law a bill that will require schools to implement universal screening in kindergarten through 2nd grade for reading delays, including the risk of dyslexia.
With the bill signing, the nation’s most populous state joins 40 others that have laws requiring dyslexia screening in early grades. These brief evaluations determine a student’s level of risk for reading problems in general and the potential risk of dyslexia, according to the National Center on Improving Literacy, and are not intended to replace more thorough assessments that can diagnose reading disorders.
Screening advocates in California are celebrating the long-anticipated decision….
This past March, CTA spokesperson Claudia Briggs made clear the union’s concerns over proposed mandatory dyslexia screening.
“There aren’t enough screeners,” she said. “It’s taking up class time [for teachers to screen].”
Gathering support, momentum
Gov. Newsom’s revised budget announcement this May allotted $1 million to fund the screening program—including a panel that would select a screening tool, relevant teacher training, and requisite screening of all children in kindergarten through 2nd grade for risks of dyslexia and associated reading delays, beginning in 2025-26. The funding helped ease the union’s concerns about implementation….
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