Universal screening
Why is screening important?
Reading difficulties can be prevented for most kids, including those who are at risk for dyslexia, if their needs are identified early and they receive targeted early intervention. Universal evidence-based early screening is a quick way to ensure that all children have their needs identified. While screening does not provide an official diagnosis of dyslexia, screening plays an important role in understanding the needs of a struggling reader.
How does screening work?
Most screeners are designed to be used at the beginning, middle and end of the school year, starting in kindergarten. The tasks your child will be asked to do during screening vary depending on the grade and time of year. Young children may be asked to name as many letters as they can from a list in one minute or to break a word into its sounds (e.g. the teacher says “fish” and the child responds with /f/ – /i/ – /sh/). Developing readers may be asked to read lists of individual words or passages of grade-level text for one minute. Children do not need to study or prepare for screening. The results shouldn’t be used to determine a report card mark. Screening data are simply intended to help teachers understand the instructional needs of a child, their class, and their school.
What makes a screener “evidence-based”?
Effective reading screeners undergo extensive research to ensure that they are valid and reliable. They produce a score that allows you to understand how your child is doing with their reading skills in comparison to kids who are the same age. Some also have a “benchmark.” If your child meets or exceeds this benchmark score, it means they are probably on track to become a skilled reader. If your child’s score falls below this benchmark, they are considered “at risk” for reading difficulties.
To create these benchmarks, researchers used the tool to screen thousands of diverse students and track their reading development over time. They used statistics to decide what level of performance a child would need to have to be on track to be a skilled reader in the future. Screeners that can accurately predict future risk are powerful tools for prevention, allowing intervention to happen before the child falls behind.
How to know if your child’s school is using an evidence-based screener?
Not all schools screen all children for reading difficulties. Even in schools that say they are screening, the assessment tools used are often not evidence-based. It’s important to ask questions about the reading screening tool used at your child’s school.
Some provinces have mandated early screening using government-approved evidence-based tools. To learn more about your province, take a look at our National Snapshot section.
Some provinces use the following tools:
English
- Acadience Reading
- DIBELS 8
- aimswebPlus
- easyCBM
French
- Acadience Reading Français
Common reading assessments that are NOT evidence-based screeners
English
- Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System (BAS)
- PM Benchmark Literacy Assessment
- Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA)
French
- GB+
- Alpha-jeunes
How and when can parents ask for screening data?
If you want to know how your child is doing with reading, you can ask the school to share your child’s reading screening data. Below are some tips to help you begin to get this information.
Start the conversation:
Talk to your child’s teacher. You might say something like, “Can you share the results of the reading screening you’ve done with my child? Which screening tool was used?”
Be clear:
Let them know that you’re interested in understanding how your child is progressing and if there are any areas where they might need extra help. Ask about your child’s risk level and if they are meeting benchmarks. For example, you could say, “Can you tell me if my child is meeting the expected benchmarks and whether they are at risk for reading difficulties?”
Ask for details:
When they give you the data, ask for explanations if anything is unclear. For example, you might ask, “What do these scores mean? What skills are being tested?”
Check the timing:
Make sure the school is doing this reading screening at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. This helps track progress over time. These would be great times to check in with your school about your child’s progress. You could ask, “Can I see the data from all three screening points during the year?”
Follow up:
If the screening data show that your child needs more help, ask what the next steps are. For example, you could say, “Based on these results, how will you support my child in reading?”
By asking for this information, you can stay informed about your child’s progress and work with the school to ensure they get the support they need.
What to do after screening
If screening shows that your child is at risk, they should begin receiving support right away. While it is never too late to provide reading intervention, beginning this process as early as possible is best.
During intervention, educators should closely monitor and document your child’s progress. How quickly your child develops reading skills when they are provided with effective instruction and intervention is taken into consideration as part of a formal diagnosis of dyslexia. Sometimes, screening data identify children as being at risk for reading difficulties because they have not had effective instruction. When appropriate instruction is provided, these children will make gains very quickly.