This toolkit helps educators understand what universal screening for dyslexia risk is, how it works, and what to consider when choosing a dyslexia risk screener.
You will learn:
- What school-based universal screening is and why it’s important
- How universal screening for dyslexia risk works
- Important considerations for choosing a dyslexia risk screener
This toolkit includes:
- Online tutorial
- Downloadable research briefs and infographics
- Supporting videos, resources, and tools
Get Started
Online Tutorial
In this tutorial, you will learn about what school-based universal screening is and why it’s important. The difference between universal screening for risk of dyslexia and identifying students with dyslexia will be discussed. You will also learn how universal screening for dyslexia risk works, and important considerations for choosing a dyslexia risk screener.
School-based Universal Screening
Explore these resources to learn more about the school-based universal screening concepts mentioned in the online tutorial.
Assessment is a process of collecting information. Screening is an assessment process that helps teachers identify students who are at risk for not meeting grade-level learning goals.
This report summarizes research on the identification of Specific Learning Disabilities and makes recommendations for practice.
Topic: Dyslexia, Screening, Identification
This article offers a 5-step framework for identifying reading difficulties and determining if a student is eligible for special education services under IDEA, including the role of RTI, cognitive processing tests, and other statewide assessments and curriculum-based measures.
Topic: Dyslexia, Screening, Identification
Read this webpage to learn about Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) measures.
Topic: Assessments, Screening, Dyslexia
Here are questions parents and educators can ask to clarify the terms: dyslexia, learning disabilities, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia.
Topic: Dyslexia, Reading Disabilities
Screening for Dyslexia Risk
Use this collection of resources to build your knowledge about screening for dyslexia risk.
Watch this short video, featuring John Gabrieli, Ph.D., on the importance of early screening.
Screening assessments can help capture each child’s reading and language strengths and weaknesses in key early stages of development.
This article explores the current trends and implications in assessment for young English Language Learners.
Topic: English Learners, Assessments
Selecting a Screener
Learn more about the key qualities of a screener with these resources.
Watch this short video, featuring Jack Fletcher, Ph.D., about how screening help teachers.
Reliability is the consistency of a set of scores that are designed to measure the same thing. Reliability is a statistical property of scores that must be demonstrated rather than assumed.
Validity is broadly defined as how well something measures what it’s supposed to measure. The reliability and validity of scores from assessments are two concepts that are closely knit together and feed into each other.
Classification accuracy is a key characteristic of screening tools. A goal in classification accuracy is to correctly identify issues that result in a later problem and situations in which the scores identify issues that do not result in a later problem.
Watch this short video, featuring Jack Fletcher, Ph.D., about the importance of an accurate screening tool.
Three Tools for Your School
Use our state map to check state screening recommendations or requirements, review the screening tools chart for comparisons of screening tools, and find more in-depth information in our white paper.
Explore dyslexia legislation and related initiatives in your state with this interactive map. Read an overview of legislation, requirements, and initiatives that discus dyslexia in K-12 settings.
This chart, by the National Center on Intensive Interventions, identifies screening tools by content area and rates each tool based on classification accuracy, generalizability, reliability, validity, disaggregated data for diverse populations, and efficiency.
This paper aims to provide an overview and some insight into what is known about screening for dyslexia.
This toolkit helps parents and educators learn about dyslexia and how to support the literacy development of students with dyslexia.
This toolkit provides information about how all schools can systematically use data to help all students get appropriate reading supports through general and special education.
This toolkit provides information about the essential components of reading instruction, including the five core reading skills that students need to become strong readers.
This toolkit provides information about how to intensify instruction for students with dyslexia who are not making progress as readers. You will learn intensification practices that can be used in the context of Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III instruction.
Explore More Toolkits
This toolkit helps educators and parents learn about how screening can help determine which students may be at risk for reading difficulties.
The research reported here is funded by awards to the National Center on Improving Literacy from the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, in partnership with the Office of Special Education Programs (Award #: S283D160003). The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of OESE, OSEP, or the U.S. Department of Education. Copyright © 2024 National Center on Improving Literacy. https://improvingliteracy.org