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For years, the California Teachers Association has opposed universal dyslexia screening for students, helping to defeat legislation that would have mandated it. And yet, many classroom teachers are advocating for all students to be tested. 

As another possible legislative battle looms, the statewide teachers union鈥檚 opposition to mandatory screening continues to frustrate many educators. According to classroom teachers across the state, the California Teachers Association鈥檚 position will perpetuate a 鈥渨ait-to-fail鈥� approach to reading instruction that forces educators to sit by while students fall further and further behind.

Dyslexia is a neurological condition that causes difficulties with reading and affects  in the United States. But early screening and support can mitigate or even prevent illiteracy stemming from the learning disability.

Officials at Decoding Dyslexia CA, a grassroots advocacy group, say hundreds, if not thousands, of teachers working with students who struggle with reading support universal screening. The California Teachers Association doesn鈥檛 understand the benefits of screening all students for dyslexia, said Megan Potente, one of the co-directors of Decoding Dyselxia CA. 

鈥淚 think there鈥檚 some misinformation,鈥� Potente said. 鈥淪ome of the reasons for their opposition aren鈥檛 supported by the research.鈥�

Doug Rich, a veteran teacher and reading specialist at San Francisco Unified, said he鈥檚 鈥済one rogue鈥� and started screening all of his students for signs of dyslexia. He said testing is relatively quick 鈥� taking less than 10 minutes 鈥� but the results are crucial.

The test results can tell him where his students are struggling, whether it be sounding out letters or recognizing words. If all students were screened in kindergarten, Rich says, fewer would end up working with him.

鈥淲e know so much about dyslexia,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e know the underlying causes. We have these simple tools that are efficient and accurate.鈥�

Reading instructors, education experts and neuroscientists all agree: early screening is one of the best ways to mitigate or even prevent the illiteracy that can be caused by dyslexia. Despite having some of the best experts in the field of dyslexia research, California remains  that doesn鈥檛 require universal screening.

That鈥檚 not for lack of trying. State , a Democrat from Glendale who鈥檚 dyslexic, tried and failed twice in the past three years to pass legislation that would have mandated universal screening for students in kindergarten through second grade. In February, he said he is trying .

Although it has not taken a position on the latest bill, the California Teachers Association opposed Portantino鈥檚 last two bills. Claudia Briggs, a spokesperson for the union, said the association鈥檚 leadership team believed that bills would have caused 鈥�.鈥� The association鈥檚 position is that universal screening will take valuable time away from instruction and may misidentify English learners as dyslexic by mistaking their lack of fluency in English for a learning disability. Briggs said the union would decide its position on the new bill in March.

Potente is optimistic about this year鈥檚 bill. It has 33 co-authors, more than double that of last year鈥檚 bill. 

If the bill gets to Gov. Gavin Newsom鈥檚 desk, it鈥檚 not clear whether he鈥檒l sign it. Newsom, who鈥檚 also dyslexic, supported dyslexia research by funding UCSF鈥檚 Dyslexia Center to the tune of $28 million in recent years. In 2021, he published a children鈥檚 book based on his childhood experiences. His office, however, declined to comment on whether he supports universal screening.

In response to the union鈥檚 objections, a chorus of experts and classroom teachers, backed by a well-established body of research, contradict its arguments. CalMatters interviewed 10 teachers from across California who said screening students early prevents students from needing more intensive services when they鈥檙e older. They also said universal screening would prevent English learners from being referred to special education because it would allow teachers to remedy early signs of reading challenges.

鈥淭eachers are already spending an overabundance of time using other horrible assessments for reading,鈥� Rich said, referring to tests for reading comprehension or vocabulary. 鈥淎nd they鈥檙e not getting good information.鈥�

A patchwork of screening

Some districts, like Pleasanton Unified in the Bay Area, already screen all students in kindergarten, first and second grades. In other districts, top officials encourage screening all students but haven鈥檛 adopted a universal screening policy. 

Jennie Johnson, a reading intervention teacher for the Lancaster School District, 50 miles north of Los Angeles, said the district is in its first year of screening all students. It鈥檚 also training teachers on how to use the results from the screening to refine reading instruction. 

Universal screening is even more critical now because pandemic-era learning loss resulted in so many students reading below grade level, Johnson said. Half of the fifth graders at her school are currently reading at a third grade level.

鈥淲e are not surprised by the lack of literacy because that鈥檚 where our school typically is,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut the number of fourth and fifth grade students reading below grade level is alarming this year.鈥�

In other districts, it鈥檚 up to individual teachers to advocate for screening their students. Kristen Koeller, a reading intervention teacher in the Cupertino Union School District, said she has to be strategic about which students get screening. When she recommends a student for a dyslexia screening, she said her supervisors encourage her to use other reading assessments that have been purchased as a part of the district鈥檚 reading curriculum. She said this ultimately discourages teachers from using screeners that haven鈥檛 been approved by district officials.

While district-approved assessments can help determine a student鈥檚 reading level, Koeller said they don鈥檛 test whether a student is at risk of dyslexia. 

鈥淵ou can be a bit of a rebel,鈥� Koeller said. 鈥淏ut you can鈥檛 just go around thumbing your nose at your boss. I just continue to advocate respectfully for the change I鈥檇 like to see.鈥�

Decoding Dyslexia CA includes a coalition of teachers like Koeller who are willing to buck both district policies as well as the California Teachers Association. They lobby state lawmakers and sponsored Portantino鈥檚 universal screening bills. 

By at least one measure, most California voters support these efforts. A  found that 87% of the state鈥檚 voters are in favor of a policy requiring universal early screening. 

Without a mandate, teachers say, whether a dyslexic student learns to read will be left to chance. That approach deepens inequities, as some students have parents who can afford private assessments and tutoring. But those who lack the resources are much more likely to become illiterate adults. 

鈥淚 see this as a huge social justice issue,鈥� said Lori DePole, also a co-director of Decoding Dyslexia CA. 鈥淭his 鈥榳ait-to-fail鈥� model that we鈥檙e using in California is unacceptable.鈥�

The California School Psychologists Association also supports screening all students between kindergarten and second grade, saying a small investment of resources earlier in a child鈥檚 education can pay off exponentially. 

鈥淚f you catch them young, you can implement interventions that may prevent them from needing more intensive services later,鈥� said Melanee Cottrill, executive director of the .

The importance of early screening

Kristina Delgadillo, a middle school special education teacher at Visalia Unified in the San Joaquin Valley, said she regularly works with students who could have learned to read if they had been screened earlier. She said screening younger students is worth the relatively small time investment.

鈥淚鈥檝e been assessing too many kids for the first time in fourth, fifth and sixth grade when I should have already been providing them services,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 see kids fall through the cracks.鈥�

Delgadillo cited  that found that it takes an additional 30 minutes a day for a kindergarten or first grade student with dyslexia to read at grade level. But if a student waits until fourth grade to be screened, it takes two hours a day.

Echoing the concerns of school psychologists, education experts say teachers can mitigate the illiteracy caused by dyslexia if they can detect the warning signs early. Even third grade can be too late, as students go from 鈥渓earning to read to reading to learn鈥� in other subject areas. If teachers can鈥檛 get students reading at grade level by then, it means they鈥檒l struggle with reading textbooks in social studies or word problems in math class.

鈥淪tudents don鈥檛 want to be in a classroom if they can鈥檛 read,鈥� said Jordan Paxhia, a special education teacher at San Francisco Unified. While effective reading instruction on its own can鈥檛 ensure a student鈥檚 success, universal screening is a crucial step to making sure all students can read at grade level.

鈥淟iteracy may not be a panacea, but it certainly would give students more of a chance,鈥� Paxhia said.

Teachers say screening English learners is even more urgent. If left unaddressed, dyslexia could delay students鈥� acquisition of English while they struggle to read their native language as well. And because they aren鈥檛 diagnostic tools, a red flag on a dyslexia screener won鈥檛 mean a student will be sent immediately to special education. If a dyslexia screener detects a student is struggling with reading, a teacher will spend more time with the student. From there, the teacher and the school can provide more resources and services if necessary.

鈥淚鈥檓 not overly concerned about false positives,鈥� Paxhia said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 mean they have dyslexia. And isn鈥檛 that a better use of our time than letting something go unnoticed?鈥�

It鈥檚 harder to reverse the damage for a student who isn鈥檛 screened early. High school and middle school teachers know this best.

Holly Johnson teaches ninth grade English at Santiago High School in Garden Grove. She works with students who read below grade level, but by the time they arrive in her classroom it鈥檚 too late to remedy the effects of dyslexia. She doesn鈥檛 know for sure how many of her students have dyslexia, but she said it鈥檚 clear that they never got the help that would have been provided had they been screened earlier.

鈥淪creening can be done in high school, but it鈥檚 so difficult,鈥� she said. 鈥淭heir relationship with school and their narrative has already been built.鈥�

Research shows that failing to read at grade level can have ripple effects for a student鈥檚 academic success as well as their mental health. Students who can鈥檛 read will struggle across all subjects in school. They鈥檙e less likely to  and tend to  once they enter the labor force. But in the short term, illiteracy leads to anger and hopelessness for Johnson鈥檚 students.

鈥淩ather than being embarrassed about reading, they鈥檒l pick a fight with the teacher,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 more cool than everyone knowing you can鈥檛 read.鈥�

A failure to screen students and help them in earlier grades means high school teachers like Johnson must not only teach them how to read but how to rebuild their identities as students.

鈥淚f we can get these kids diagnosed, their problems won鈥檛 be as big,鈥� she said. 鈥淎ll of it can be nipped in the bud.鈥�

This story was originally published by .

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