Category: CA Dyslexia Guidelines

10 Year Anniversary of AB 1369 – A Landmark Dyslexia Bill for California

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October 8, 2025 marks ten years since Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 1369 into law — a landmark moment for children with dyslexia in California public schools. The law, which DDCA sponsored, was a significant step for improving awareness and support for students with dyslexia in California public schools, but it didn’t stop there. AB 1369 also set in motion further policy shifts aimed at improving literacy teaching and learning for all of California’s nearly six million public school students.

What AB 1369 Mandated

  • The CA Dyslexia Guidelines: AB 1369 required the California Department of Education to develop and publish evidence-based guidance to assist general education teachers, special education teachers, and parents in identifying, assessing, and supporting students with dyslexia. These guidelines provide practical, classroom-focused information about characteristics of dyslexia, recommended screening and assessment practices, evidence-based instruction and the principles of structured literacy.
  • “Phonological processing” was added to special education eligibility: The law explicitly added “phonological processing” to the list of areas to consider when determining eligibility for special education under specific learning disability. That recognition elevated the role of phonological processing (the ability to perceive, manipulate, and remember speech sounds) as a core consideration in identifying students who need specialized reading instruction.

AB 1369 gave educators and families shared language and a clearer framework to identify children with word reading accuracy, fluency, or spelling difficulties. For DDCA, it was an important start to a long advocacy journey.

A Catalyst for Further Policy

The original vision of AB 1369 included teacher training and universal screening for dyslexia risk, but those provisions were cut during negotiations. DDCA vowed to keep fighting, because guidelines alone won’t stop kids from falling behind. Universal screening and teacher preparation are proven pillars of effective reform. Ten years later, California has secured legislative wins in both of those areas, and DDCA’s persistent grassroots organizing played a key role.

Teacher Preparation in California

Decoding Dyslexia CA worked hard to help pass Senate Bill 488, which was signed into law in 2021. As a result, California’s teacher preparation programs have improved literacy standards so that future teachers will be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary for improving early literacy outcomes. More specifically, pre-service teachers will receive training in screening students for reading difficulties, including risk of dyslexia, and implementing structured literacy in the classroom. The new literacy standards also require that teacher preparation programs incorporate the California Dyslexia Guidelines so that new teachers are better prepared to meet the needs of students with, or at risk for, dyslexia.

Universal Screening for Risk of Reading Difficulties, Including Dyslexia

On July 10, 2023, Governor Newsom signed the Education Omnibus Budget Trailer Bill (SB 114), which included requiring K-2 universal screening for reading difficulties, including risk of dyslexia. This fall, screening becomes a reality as all public schools are in their first year of implementation. Universal screening helps districts find students who are at risk early, so interventions can begin before gaps widen. Paired with guidance about progress monitoring and intervention, screening supports a system of timely response rather than waiting until students fail.

A Look to the Future

DDCA’s most recent legislative effort, AB 1454, passed the Senate on September 12, 2025 and is headed to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law. DDCA joined over 90 other organizations in fighting for this bill, which, paired with an allotment of $200 million for in-service teacher training in effective means for teaching literacy that was included in Governor Newsom’s 2025-26 Budget, will ensure in-service/current teachers, most of whom were trained before SB 488 became law, are prepared and have the materials necessary to get kids on track to achieve their right to read.

As we mark this 10th anniversary of the signing of AB 1369, it’s an important time to celebrate how far we’ve come. DDCA is at a turning point now. The laws we fought hard to pass are now in the implementation stage, and their success depends on implementation. We hope you’ll join our continuing quest for effective implementation, because when school systems change and meet the requirements of these laws with sustained implementation, we will move closer to a future where dyslexia and other reading difficulties are caught early and addressed effectively, so every California child has a fair shot at literacy and the opportunities it unlocks.

Reflections on California’s Literacy Progress

As always, please encourage your community – families, educators, and advocates – to sign up for DDCA emails to stay informed on all continued efforts to transform literacy outcomes in California.

Opinion: Thousands of California kids with dyslexia deserve better reading instruction

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Opinion Piece as published in the Times of San Diego on April 5, 2025 written by Frida Brunzell, Decoding Dyslexia CA’s San Diego Support Group Leader

I adopted my son Sebastian at birth. He was a bright, curious little boy who hit all the milestones early and loved learning about the world. So when school began, I expected he would do well. But the moment he started kindergarten, it became clear that something wasn’t right.

Sebastian was one of the only children in his kindergarten class who couldn’t write his name. His teacher encouraged me to work on letter sounds at home because he was struggling to remember them. He was only six years old, but the joy he had once shown for learning quickly began to fade. He became withdrawn, anxious, and didn’t want to go to school.

I tried to help him at home. But instead of reading, he memorized the stories. When he didn’t know a word, he guessed — just as thousands of children are currently taught to do in classrooms across California. No one told me this approach wasn’t working for him. And no one told me that there was another way to teach reading: an approach informed by the science of how the brain learns to read.

When his school finally recommended placing him in a special day class in the third grade, I agreed — because nothing else had worked. But nothing changed. He still couldn’t read. His writing was illegible. He started falling behind in other subjects, as well. This was the darkest year of our lives. I feared we were going to lose him entirely.

Eventually, we learned that Sebastian was one of the nearly one million students in California with dyslexia. I discovered through my volunteer efforts with Decoding Dyslexia CA that students with dyslexia are uniquely susceptible to poor instruction and experience the effects of poor instruction the most profoundly.

My son ultimately learned how to read, but he still sees those early childhood years as wasted time. Now, years later, Sebastian still hasn’t found his footing as a young adult. He graduated from high school in 2024 and went on to community college. Sadly, he dropped out of community college after a few weeks, and has had a few short-term jobs since. His self-esteem issues from elementary school have followed him into his adult life.

Sebastian’s story is heartbreaking, but it’s not rare. There are thousands of students across California right now preparing to graduate high school without being strong readers, which will trickle into their adult life as they navigate a literate world. How do we expect our children to become productive members of society if they can’t read a job description, a prescription label, or a ballot?

Teachers are working diligently to provide our children with the skills they need to become productive, successful adults. Unfortunately, California’s schools continue to miss the mark on the most foundational skill: reading. This is not the fault of the teachers or the students, but of the state’s public education system that still allows outdated and often harmful reading instruction and materials in classrooms.

I often wonder how Sebastian’s life would have been different if he’d received the evidence-based reading instruction needed for him to become a skilled reader. Instead of graduating high school with little confidence or direction, he might be thriving in college or at a job he loves. Instead of saying “they wasted my time” when asked about elementary school, he might be telling a story of being seen, supported, and successful.

I don’t want another family to go through what we have. That’s why I’m supporting Assembly Bill 1121, which will ensure that California teachers are trained in evidence-based methods of teaching reading.