SB 691 (K-2 Universal Screening for Risk of Dyslexia) Unanimously Passed Senate Education Committee

There are no better advocates than parents, guardians, educators, and other professionals who have witnessed injustice to children and have hope for a better future.


SB 691 (K-2 Universal Screening for Risk of Dyslexia) passes unanimously in the Senate Education Committee!HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE HEARING
March 29, 2023:

It was an exciting day at the Capitol for California literacy advocates! Parents, educators, school board members, city and county representatives, and advocacy organizations traveled from all around the state to fill the Senate Education Committee room. The SB 691 hearing began with author Senator Portantino (D-Burbank) introducing the bill, highlighting that California is behind forty other states, where early universal screening is already required. He spoke to the need to do better for our English Learners and the role screening would play in supporting these students, and all students. He highlighted that this is a bipartisan bill with 33 co-authors to right a social injustice.

With an allotted two minutes each, witness testimony was given by DDCA Co-State Director Megan Potente and DDCA parent advocate Maria Daisy Ortiz, who flew in from Los Angeles with her daughter for the hearing. Megan urged the committee to follow science and vote aye on SB 691 to end the harm imposed by a wait-to-fail model. Identifying risk early is a critical step in solving the school-to-prison pipeline.

Daisy’s testimony centered on how her daughter’s difficulties were assumed to be due to her being an English Learner, not related to difficulties with reading. Screening would have detected her reading challenges much earlier, in K-2, during the most impactful time for intervention. Daisy also highlighted her advocacy work in supporting other families in her community.

Next up, public comment and the range of speakers on behalf of SB 691 were inspiring. Parents, teachers, school board members, pediatricians, and others spoke with urgency, some in languages other than English. A representative of the California Federation of Teachers (CFT), CA’s second largest teachers’ union stated they are considering support of SB 691 if amended. Representatives from groups including the California Association of School Psychologists (CASP), the California Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA), Disability Rights of California, and the Board of Supervisors for the City and County of San Francisco also spoke in support. [Note: The SB 691 bill analysis shared with the Committee members has a total of 52 supporting organizations listed and 3 organizations showing in opposition.]In opposition, representatives from the California Teachers’ Association (CTA) and California Association of Bilingual Educators (CABE) gave testimony, and Californians Together (CalTog) provided a “Me Too” in opposition to the bill. [Please see link to complete hearing below. Opposition testimony is from approximately 1:19:25 – 1:24:04.] The three organizations’ positions mirrored their letters of opposition filed last week, pushing back primarily on the logistics and cost of implementation and timing of the bill. These three organizations opposed last year’s bill, SB 237. Senator Portantino’s office is in ongoing discussions with these organizations.Committee discussion of SB 691 by Senate members followed including an emotional speech by Education Committee member and SB 691 principal co-author, Senator Scott Wilk.

The members then voted unanimously (7-0) to pass SB 691! Senator Portantino ended with the following: “You are never going to get first grade back. We’re going to save money. We’re going to help kids.”We hope you will watch the recording of the inspiring meeting for yourselves:
Senate Education Committee Hearing March 29, 2023

  • Complete SB 691 hearing starts at approximately 56:08 to 1:58:06
  • Live “Me Too” comments start at approximately 1:09:13
  • Call-in “Me Too” comments start at approximately 1:24:23

What’s next on SB 691’s journey? The bill has been set for hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee on April 10 at 10:00 a.m.One thing was clear at the Senate Education Committee hearing on March 29th: DDCA is a far-reaching grassroots powerhouse. There are no better advocates than parents, guardians, educators, and other professionals who have witnessed injustice to children and have hope for a better future. Please stay with us as we march forward to pass SB 691, a first step in ending wait-to-fail in California.Want to learn more about SB 691 and sign the online petition? Go to YESonSB691.com.Please encourage family, friends, and colleagues to sign up for DDCA emails to stay informed on dyslexia-related efforts in California.

CA School District in Breach of Federal Class Action Dyslexia Lawsuit Settlement, Attorneys Say

In fall of 2021, Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) settled a groundbreaking federal class action dyslexia lawsuit claiming that the district failed to identify students with reading difficulties and provide the necessary support. Now, the district is in alleged breach of the terms of the settlement, according to a February 16th Berkeleyside article. Insiders say staff turnover and lack of urgency on behalf of the district have caused significant delays in making systemic changes required under the terms of the settlement. BUSD has already had to extend the terms of the settlement for an additional year due to implementation delays. Kareem Weaver, who sits on the Oakland chapter of the NAACP, is closely following the settlement and views literacy as a civil rights issue.

The settlement requires BUSD to implement a districtwide literacy improvement plan that includes screening all K-5 students for reading difficulties and implementing evidence-based literacy interventions. It also prohibits the use of Fountas & Pinnell’s Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) and Reading Recovery except in “exceptional circumstances.” BUSD must also revamp its Special Education and Section 504 policies and procedures. 

In addition, BUSD must evaluate the effectiveness of its Tier 1 curriculum in improving literacy. BUSD currently uses the controversial Lucy Calkins Units of Study with a phonics curriculum “patch.” 

DDCA reached out to BUSD parent of a child with dyslexia, Lindsay Nofelt, who, along with other concerned parents, has created a website so that BUSD parents and community members can stay informed about the progress of the BUSD Literacy Improvement Plan and what it means for their children. ReadingforBerkeley.org is working to build awareness and create more transparency surrounding BUSD’s progress toward fulfilling the terms of the literacy settlement — taking advantage of this opportunity to address the pervasive problem of how we teach kids to read. Lindsay states “No matter how you slice it, this is the right time to demonstrate that Berkeley prioritizes literacy. As educational partners, deeply and personally invested in the success of our community, we believe the key to academic equity is to promote early and successful reading.”

After a four-year-long legal battle to reach the settlement, DDCA questions how much more money BUSD will invest in attorneys fees before investing in improving literacy for all BUSD kids. DDCA hopes that the district’s new leadership, increased attention from the BUSD Board of Education, better public transparency with respect to progress reporting and implementation, and inclusion of parents in the implementation will result in systemic changes that will lead to BUSD being a model district for improving literacy acquisition that others can follow.

Please encourage family, friends, and colleagues to sign up for our DDCA emails to stay informed on dyslexia-related efforts in California. 

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Learn more about the settlement here:

DDCA blog

2021 Berkeleyside article