I never understood why California and other states refuse to test for dyslexia. Even when a child can’t read, if a parent wants a dyslexia diagnosis, they need to get private testing done. Instead, they test for processing problems, which are a hidden way of identifying dyslexia without a common label.  

 

After years of fierce debate, mandatory dyslexia screening is significantly closer to reality for California schools.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, in his budget revision released Friday, set aside $1 million for teacher training and a requirement that schools screen all children in kindergarten through second grade for risks of dyslexia and other reading disorders, beginning in 2025-26.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/mandatory-dyslexia-screening-clears-major-hurdle-in-newsom-budget/ar-AA1bdmPM

Teachers union opposes screening for all students

EdSource

Why California is among last states not screening children for dyslexia

Delays put more students at risk of falling seriously behind, advocates say.

Read more from EdSource

Teachers don’t want it, likely because it’s more work for them.

Why California still doesn’t mandate dyslexia screening 

California sends mixed messages when it comes to serving dyslexic students.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is the most famous dyslexic political official in the country, even authoring a children’s book to raise awareness about the learning disability. And yet, California is one of 10 states that doesn’t require dyslexia screening for all children.

Education experts agree that early screening and intervention is critical for making sure students can read at grade level. But so far, state officials have done almost everything to combat dyslexia except mandate assessments for all students.

“It needs to happen,” said Lillian Duran, an education professor at the University of Oregon who has helped develop screening tools for dyslexia. “It seems so basic to me.”

Since 2015, legislators have funded dyslexia research, teacher training and the hiring of literacy coaches across California. But lawmakers failed to mandate universal dyslexia screening, running smack into opposition from the California Teachers Association.

The union argued that since teachers would do the screening, a universal mandate would take time away from the classroom. It also said universal screening might overly identify English learners, mistakenly placing them in special education.

The California Teachers Association did not respond to requests for comment for this story. In a letter of opposition to a bill in 2021, the union wrote that the bill “is unnecessary, leads to over-identifying dyslexia in young students, mandates more testing, and jeopardizes the limited instructional time for students

https://www.kpbs.org/news/education/2023/02/08/why-california-still-doesnt-mandate-dyslexia-screening

Showtalk said...

Teachers union opposes screening for all students

If the teachers union is against it, then it should be done!!!

Just from past experience!

FWIW

I agree. Ten states don’t have it.

I voted yes, that seems obvious on many levels.

It’s appalling to me that this isn’t part of the ongoing practice in all schools in all states. 

The question that occurs to me is what to do then? Do you as a school system address all cases with appropriately trained staff? Or does it fall to the parents who have to find a way to pay for educational clinicians to deal with cases like this?

The reason schools don’t test for it is that then they are obligated by law to treat the disability, often at great cost.  They aren’t trained for it and they can’t afford it. They would have to train all teachers to teach each subject several different ways and to incorporate more visuals into the learning plans.

 A special ed teacher who is trained, would use audio books, visual aids and pictures, and other special techniques. Ideally those students would be in a one in one situation. They need pull out time every day. The schools can’t offer any of that.  That is why teachers don’t want to do it.