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…
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