So, like, California schools have to pick a screening test by June 30, right? It’s been a long time coming, with reading advocates pushing for it for about a decade now. And get this, Governor Gavin Newsom, who has dyslexia himself, has been a big supporter of this whole thing. I mean, he even wrote a children’s book about it. How cool is that?
The screening test is supposed to help catch reading challenges early on, especially for kids in kindergarten through second grade. It’s not a diagnosis or anything, just a way for parents and teachers to figure out if more help is needed. And, you know, to hopefully prevent kids from being put in special ed if they don’t really need to be. Like, this one mom talked about how her son struggled with reading until third grade, and if they had caught it earlier, he might not have needed special ed at all.
So, this one district in the Bay Area, West Contra Costa Unified, went through this whole process to pick a test called mCLASS DIBELS. They had teachers try it out and everything before making a decision. It’s quick, which is a plus, and it even has a Spanish component for English learner students. Pretty neat, huh? And the teachers seem to really like it, saying it’s helped them spot struggling students early on and give them the support they need.