UNDERSTANDING LITERACY SCREENING: PARENTS AND FAMILIES

Beginning in the 2021–22 school year, each school district will screen students in grades K–2 for weaknesses in literacy skill(s) development that may be associated with dyslexia.

Why Children are Screened

• Early and intense intervention to address reading difficulties is the best way to prevent early problems from becoming more severe over time.
• With early identification and early intervention, students at risk for reading difficulties, including dyslexia, can succeed in school and graduate ready for college, career, and civic life.

About Literacy Screeners

An academic screener is:

• A short, informal test that is given to all students to determine whether further testing is needed.
• Not a formal evaluation for learning difficulties.

During the 2021-2022 school year, elementary schools used either i-Ready or mCLass Amplify to screen students.

In the fall of 2022, and in subsequent years, all elementary schools will use the Gander and mCLass Amplify screening.

• Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) by Gander Publishing. This is currently the only OPSI approved screener for RAN, one of the four skills that are assessed in the screening process.
  • Rapid Automatic Naming: the ability to quickly name aloud a series of familiar items. This includes letters, numbers, colors, and objects found in a classroom.
• Phonemic, phonological, and letter-sound skills by mClass Amplify. The KSD Dyslexia Advisory Committee reviewed the OPSI approved screeners for these three skills, and recommended the screener by mClass Amplify.
  • Phonemic Awareness: the ability to hear, identify, move, and change the smallest units of sound in spoken words.
  • Phonological Awareness: knowledge of speech sounds such as rhyming, alliteration (words that start with the same sound), the number of words in a sentence, and syllables within words.
  • Letter Sound Knowledge: the sounds represented by the letters of the alphabet. This also includes combinations of letters that represent speech sounds.

Screening Process

KSD is using literacy measurement tools in grades K-2 to screen students for indicators of future reading difficulty. In accordance with State Law, the assessment requirements include: screening (the initial assessment of literacy skills), Rapid Automatized Naming (assesses the ability to quickly name aloud a series of familiar items on a page), and progress monitoring (assigned as necessary to measure skill acquisition and in alignment with vendor recommendations).

For DIBELS Pilot Schools, the assessment dates for 2021-2022 were:

• Winter Assessment Window (Middle of Year) January 16, 2022 – February 11, 2022
• Spring Assessment Window (End of Year) May 2– June 10, 2022

Starting in the Fall of 2022, the assessment schedule will be adjusted:

• 1st and 2nd grade: Fall
• Kindergarten: January

About Dyslexia

Dyslexia is:

• A difference that makes processing speech sounds difficult, specifically the ability to hear, substitute, and change individual sounds in words.
• Characterized by challenges with reading and spelling, particularly with the connections between letters and sounds.
• Likely to lead to problems learning and remembering vocabulary, understanding what is read, and getting thoughts on paper.
• Not related to overall intelligence.
• Not a visual problem or caused by a lack of motivation, interest, or exposure to rich literature.

Learn More

Below are links to helpful websites about dyslexia and other learning disabilities:

Resources for teachers:

• Structured Literacy Instruction
• IDA Handbook - What Every Teacher Needs to Know
• What Does Good Instruction Look Like for Students with Dyslexia: A Systems and Classroom View

Resources for students:

• Accommodations for Students with Dyslexia - International Dyslexia Association (dyslexiaida.org)
• What I Need- E-book for children

Resources for parents:

• “What is Dyslexia?” TED Ed Video [4:34]
• What is Dyslexia- Understood.org
• OSPI Dyslexia Fact Sheet
• COX Campus Early Language Strategies
•  The Right to Read Project
• See Dyslexia Differently
• Understanding Learning Difficulties
• OSPI Understand Literacy Screening: Parent and Families
• LDOnline All About Learning Disabilities and ADHD

Resources for everyone:

• OSPI Dyslexia Page
• Washington Branch of the International Dyslexia Association
• National Center on Improving Literacy: Dyslexia Toolkit
• Educator/School Discussion Guide with Families and Caregivers (www.k12.wa.us)
• Screening Tools and Best Practices | OSPI (www.k12.wa.us)

Videos:

• Dyslexia Awareness Part 1: Module 1- About Dyslexia
• Dyslexia Awareness Part 1: Module 2- Dyslexic Strengths
• Dyslexia Awareness Part 1: Module 3- Dyslexic Challenges
• Dyslexia Awareness Part 1: Module 4- Inclusive Classroom
• Dyslexia Awareness Part 1: Module 5- Dyslexic Identification
• We Are All Different- and THAT’S AWESOME!

Podcasts:

• Dyslexia Is Our Superpower
• TILT Parenting: Raising Differently Wired Kids
• The Dyslexia Quest

What will instruction and support look like for my student?

• Grades K-2 Shifting from Balanced to Structured literacy
  • Structured Literacy Guides

What if my student is identified at risk for reading difficulties?

Please contact your child’s teacher to discuss what supports are available.