Parents and teachers at Los Angeles Unified School District will soon have a new tool to help identify students who may be struggling to read—before they fall too far behind.

The school board on Tuesday, May 13, adopted the use of a state-approved reading test to assess all kindergarten through second grade students annually for reading difficulties, including the risk of dyslexia, starting in the 2025-2026 school year.

The district’s move brings it into alignment with a statewide mandate included in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 23-24 budget. The requirement, signed into law in July 2023 as part of Senate Bill 114, came after a decade-long effort by advocates to implement universal testing for reading difficulties in early grades.

Supporters note that California was among the last states to adopt such a mandate, despite nearly a decade of advocacy and growing national consensus around early testing.

“We think it’s exciting that the largest district in the state is taking such a strong lead on literacy,” said Marshall Tuck, CEO of EdVoice, a co-sponsor of the initial bill that led to the passage of SB 114 in 2023.

But during LAUSD’s board meeting on Tuesday, several board members raised concerns about how the new tests would be conducted–particularly the potential for over-testing young students. Some asked for a clearer timeline and asked if parents would have the option to opt out.

Boardmember Kelly Gonez said she’s concerned that the testing requirements could lead to more testing time for the district’s youngest learners, which is “not ideal,” she said

Boardmember Nick Melvoin said it would be helpful for the district to provide a calendar for the tests, so families can better understand which tests are required and which tests they may have the option to opt out of.

“A lot of these things are created in isolation, either some are school-specific, a lot are district-specific, some are state-specific … and they’re happening maybe in silos or vacuums that make sense,” Melvoin said. “But when you layer it on, it’s a lot of assessments (testing) for kids.”

According to the district staff report, state law requires schools to provide parents and guardians with advance notice of the testing, including the dates and information about the opt-out process, which must be completed at least 15 calendar days before the testing takes place.

Testing results must also be shared within 45 days and accompanied by guidance on how to interpret the results, their instructional implications, and potential next steps if a student is identified as at risk for reading difficulties.

Advocates say LAUSD’s decision marks an important milestone in a long effort to ensure early support for students at risk of reading challenges.

“(We) began advocating for universal screening in 2015 and it is finally becoming a reality in California schools,” Megan Potente, co-state director of Decoding Dyslexia CA, another co-sponsor of the initial bill, said in an emailed statement.

“Research from multiple scientific studies is unequivocal: early identification and intervention improves literacy outcomes for students at risk of or with dyslexia and other struggling readers.”

She said K-2 universal testing is an important step toward closing academic gaps before students fall too far behind.

“We look forward to learning more about LAUSD’s plan, which requires the district to communicate the screening (testing) results to parents/guardians and the proposed supports and services for children identified as at risk,” Potente said.

Others in the literacy advocacy community praised the board’s decision.

“For years, parents have voiced deep concerns about children struggling to read without being identified or supported early enough,” said former LAUSD Board member Yolie Flores, a strong advocate for tackling poor reading among children. “This move responds directly to those concerns by implementing a research- and equity-based tool that can identify reading difficulties early—something that has been missing in too many of our schools for too long.”

However, Flores also noted that the real impact will depend on how schools use the data and support teachers.

“Still, a screener is only the first step,” she said. “Its success will depend on how well schools are prepared to act on the data—especially in under-resourced communities. We must also prioritize training teachers in evidence-based reading instruction aligned to the science of reading, so that every child not only gets identified but also receives the right support to become a confident reader.”

Advocates for English learners say proper implementation will be key to ensuring the tools work as intended—especially for multilingual students.

Shelly Spiegel-Coleman, strategic advisor for Californians Together, a Long Beach-based coalition that advocates for educational success of California’s more than 1.1 million English learners, said the approved tests could play a critical role in distinguishing between reading difficulties and the typical challenges of learning a new language—but only if districts pay close attention to how they are used.

“It would be really important for them to be screened (tested) in English as well as their home language because they may know some skills in English and they may have some other skills in their home language,” she said. “And so getting a full profile of the students before deciding if they have any reading difficulties is also another important piece of the work.”