On April 19th, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing voted unanimously to reaffirm Mills College at Northeastern’s (MC:NU) accreditation despite a complaint filed jointly by Decoding Dyslexia CA, Families in Schools, and the California Reading Coalition.  Our complaint found the college’s new educator preparation program failed to meet the literacy teaching requirements mandated by Senate Bill 488. This Complaint MattersAs a result of SB 488, which passed in 2022, California has new and improved literacy standards and expectations for teacher candidates and their preparation ..read more

Assembly Education Chair, Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) did not schedule AB 2222 for comprehensive early literacy legislation to be heard by the Assembly Education Committee. The deadline for scheduling the hearing was 5 pm Thursday, April 11. This means our bill is dead without even the benefit of being heard in Committee. It is very disappointing that it came down to two legislators (Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) and Assembly Education Chair Muratsuchi) who decided not to let our bill move forward for a vote in Assembly Education. This is the EdSource article that was release ..read more

Access to free audiobooks is a right afforded to thosewith reading difficulties, including those at risk of or with dyslexia. Do you or your child struggle with reading and want recreational audiobooks and/or classroom material audiobooks for free? If so, please read this blog! Through various state and federally funded programs, people with reading difficulties, including those at risk of or with dyslexia, are able to gain access to two libraries of audiobooks, at no cost, for use both in and out of the classroom. *Recreational Audiobooks* The National Library Service for the Blind and Print ..read more

Early literacy bill calls for an evidence-based approach to teaching children how to read that adheres to the science of reading. It’s time California ensures that its children can read proficiently by the end of 3rd grade. On February 7, 2024, Assemblymember Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) introduced a comprehensive early literacy bill, Assembly Bill 2222 (AB 2222) to ensure an evidence-based approach to teaching all of California’s elementary school students how to read and address the deep inequities in reading achievement for California’s most vulnerable students. The bill has biparti ..read more

On January 18, 2024, the State Board of Education unanimously approved a nine-person independent expert panel to develop evaluation criteria and subsequently, create an approved list of universal screening instruments for reading difficulties, including risk of dyslexia.  All school districts in California must select a universal screening instrument(s) off the state list by June 30, 2025 and implement mandatory annual kindergarten through grade two screening effective for the 2025-2026 school year. The experts selected for this Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Selection Panel (RDRSSP ..read more

Decoding Dyslexia CA celebrates the end of an era of unsupported literacy practices at Teachers College Columbia. On September 1, Teachers College, Columbia University, announced it will dissolve Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP) and founding director Lucy Calkins will be stepping down. The news sent shockwaves across the literacy landscape, with dyslexia advocates celebrating another sign that the on-going push for evidence-based instruction is gaining traction. Founded in 1981, TCRWP provides teacher professional development and has played a major role shaping the controv ..read more

Background: 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. K-2 universal screening makes system-wide early intervention possible and is the first step in closing academic gaps, before students fall behind. It has taken time to raise awareness in California on the role early, universal screening can play in addressing literacy outcomes.  California currently does not require any statewide testing of reading until the spring of third grade.  ..read more

July 10, 2023 Governor Newsom signed the Education Omnibus Budget Trailer Bill (SB 114) today, which includes requiring K-2 universal screening for reading difficulties, including risk of dyslexia!    The bill requires the State Board of Education to develop evaluation criteria and designate an expert panel to approve a list of culturally, developmentally, and linguistically appropriate screening instruments.  Local Education Agencies (LEAs) will need to select screeners from the approved list and begin annual K-2 screening by the 2025-2026 school year. LEAs  must shar ..read more

Countless families, advocates, teachers and other professionals throughout California are feeling encouraged as universal screening for reading difficulties, including risk of dyslexia, has been included in Governor Newsom’s May Revision of the budget.   On May 12, Governor Newsom declared early literacy and dyslexia risk screening a top priority in the state of California by including annual kindergarten through second grade universal screening for reading difficulties, including risk of dyslexia, in his revised budget plan (May Revision). After years of tenacious efforts to pass unive ..read more

There are no better advocates than parents, guardians, educators, and other professionals who have witnessed injustice to children and have hope for a better future. SB 691 (K-2 Universal Screening for Risk of Dyslexia) passes unanimously in the Senate Education Committee! HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE HEARING March 29, 2023: It was an exciting day at the Capitol for California literacy advocates! Parents, educators, school board members, city and county representatives, and advocacy organizations traveled from all around the state to fill the Senate Education Committee room.  The SB 691 ..read more