Under Gov. Newsom initiative, California launches statewide early reading screenings to support student success
Sacramento, California – California is poised to launch an ambitious program aiming at evaluating 1.2 million children for reading challenges, including dyslexia, in a ground-breaking step to improve early education. Under the direction of Governor Gavin Newsom, this project is a component of a larger campaign to increase literacy and guarantee that every student has the necessary tools from the beginning of their educational path.
Every kindergarten through second-grade child will be annually screened beginning with the 2025–26 academic year. This change follows the understanding that early intervention is essential to solve problems in the classroom and avoid long-term negative effects. Established by the state, the California Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Selection Panel recently approved a set of instruments local educational agencies (LEAs) are going to conduct these screenings with.
Governor Newsom, who has struggled with dyslexia, underlined the importance of the project.
“I know from my own challenges with dyslexia that when we help children read, we help them succeed. By finalizing the reading difficulties screening tools, we are taking an important step toward early, universal reading screenings for California’s kids,” Gov. Newsom said.
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Under direction by Professor and Associate Dean Dr. Young-Suk Kim of the University of California, Irvine’s School of Education, the Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Selection Panel oversaw the selection of the screening instruments. Tasked with selecting evidence-based, culturally and linguistically relevant screening tools, the panel included professionals including special education teacher Yesenia Guerrero.
The President of the State Board of Education, Linda Darling-Hammond, praised the program and emphasized the need of early detection of reading problems.
“By identifying potential issues when students are beginning school, we can mitigate more substantial issues later, ensure better educational outcomes, and support a love of learning for all students,” she stated.
The push to raise literacy goes beyond simple screening. Under Governor Newsom’s direction, the state has achieved unprecedented progress with major policy changes and money distribution meant to raise English language arts student performance. Among these are the construction of the Literacy Roadmap, which gives teachers particular direction on using evidence-based literacy instruction, and the deployment of more than 2,000 literacy coaches.
Furthermore, the budget for 2024–25 calls for more responsibility for LEAs to evaluate how unexpended money from the significant Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant will be applied to improve English language arts performance.
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Apart from these steps, complete Transitional Kindergarten (TK) implementation in the 2025–26 academic year will give all four-year-olds access to early education, therefore laying a strong basis for reading and general academic achievement.
With the possibility to change the educational experiences of millions of children and guarantee that every child has an opportunity to flourish intellectually from the beginning, this all-encompassing strategy marks a turning point in California’s educational reforms.
