Tag: Governor Newsom

June 30 Deadline is Approaching: Has Your District Selected a Literacy Screener?

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The countdown is on. 

By June 30, 2025, every school district in California must select a state-approved screener to identify students at risk for reading difficulties, including dyslexia. This is not optional – it’s mandated by Senate Bill 114, which was signed into law in 2023. Screening is a critical step toward ensuring early intervention for California’s youngest learners who may have difficulty learning to read.

Beginning in the 2025–26 school year, all districts will be required to screen kindergarten through second-grade students for risk of reading difficulties. That means right now is the time for districts to finalize their implementation plans.

Decoding Dyslexia CA will be collecting data from across the state. Please complete this short survey to let us know what is happening in your district: 

Reading Difficulties Screener Selection Survey 

Further Information and Resources

The California Department of Education released its approved list of screening instruments on December 16, 2024. School districts must choose one or more of these screeners in a public meeting by the June 30 deadline. 

In addition, districts must determine:

  • How and when the screener will be administered,
  • How English learners will be appropriately assessed,
  • And how they will interpret results and provide timely, effective support to students identified as at risk.

To help streamline the screening details, DDCA partnered with The Reading League – CA to create this planning resource:

👉 Reading Difficulties Risk Screener – Implementation Steps for LEAs (infographic)

If you would like more information on the screeners and the mandates of the law, a compilation of recorded webinars can be found here: 

👉 Reading Difficulty Risk Screener [RDRS] – Upcoming Workshops.pptx

Additionally, we’re thrilled Governor Newsom allocated $40 million for teacher training on universal screening in the May Revision of the 2025-26 state budget. This money will be used solely for supporting teachers as they implement this screening law. DDCA has and will continue to advocate for this and additional literacy-focused funding as the budget trailer bill progresses through the Legislature this summer.

Don’t miss this recent coverage on universal screening, featuring personal testimony from DDCA’s State Director Megan Potente: California schools prepare to introduce universal reading screening | EdSource.

Finally, please encourage your community – families, educators, and advocates – to sign up for DDCA emails to stay informed on the movement to transform literacy outcomes in California.

Together, we can ensure the screening law delivers on its promise – and that all California children achieve literacy.

California Needs Universal Screening Now

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With an unprecedented budget surplus, California can implement required universal screening and support struggling readers early.

Reading is the key to education. Learners need to read in order to succeed in all subjects from math to art history. It is the singular skill that unlocks success in our school system. Unfortunately, California’s record on reading achievement falls short of the mark.

The California Reading Coalition reports that,“half of California’s students do not read at grade level. What’s worse, among low-income students of color, over 65% read below grade level.” These numbers are stunning and even more so when we have evidence that early intervention can change reading outcomes. Multiple studies suggest that if help is provided before the end of first grade, 90% of children with reading difficulties will achieve grade level reading abilities. We need a systematic plan to catch reading challenges early.

States Requiring Screening (Blue)

Source: National Center on Improving Literacy

Thirty-nine states have recognized the importance of early reading intervention and have adopted universal screening policies. Surprisingly, California is not one of these states. Studies have found that the number of students requiring special education can be reduced by up to 70% when early identification and prevention programs are put in place. Reducing students in special education can also create significant cost savings over time as it typically costs 3x more to serve a student in special education than in general education. 

We have reached a unique moment in time and have the opportunity to fix this. Our Governor, Gavin Newsom, has dyslexia and understands this issue personally. In addition, he has a record-breaking 2022-2023 $286.4 billion budget this year. The cost to require universal screening for risk of dyslexia would be in the low tens of millions of dollars annually. Given the wealth of money available, this would be a very small investment. Governor Newsom can include required K-2 universal screening for risk of dyslexia in his budget this year. Finding kids we know will struggle to learn to read is the first step in setting their course for future success. This should be an investment we can all get behind.

Want to see K-2 universal screening for reading risk including risk of dyslexia become a requirement in California?  Contact your state legislator and let them know how important this issue is to you and our community.