Dyslexia Screener Procedural Guidance
NMPED has indicated that all first-grade students are required to be screened for displaying characteristics of dyslexia. (NM SB 398)
For the 2026-2027 academic year, Albuquerque Public Schools will use the AMIRA ISIP Beginning of Year (BOY) assessment for the Dyslexia Screener. For students enrolled in Bilingual Multicultural Education Programs (BMEP), the Spanish Istation, ISIP Lectura, BOY data point meets the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) requirement for a Spanish dyslexia screener.
For students who receive instruction in English and Spanish, teachers should consult the "Bilingual Multicultural Education Program and APS Assessment Joint Memo" to review the requirements for students in bilingual multicultural education programs.
English Learners in a monolingual English program will be screened using the Amira ISIP screener, as per state law. Teachers, however, should consider a wide-range of data points before deciding on next steps/possible targeted instruction/intervention for English Learners. These points include but are not limited to: language proficiency assessments, educational history, and home language.
Schools should take the following steps to administer the dyslexia screener in accordance with guidelines established by NMPED :
Prior to administering the dyslexia screener:
1. All teachers must complete the "Structured Literacy and Dyslexia for Diverse Learners 2.0" course in NMPED's Canvas portal (not APS Canvas). You do not need to take this course again if you already completed the course for your LETRS requirements.
2. All educators, even if previously trained in "Teach Me to Read," must participate in one of the following training options:
Complete the NMPED virtual, asynchronous Amira course - https://nmped.catalog.instructure.com/courses/amira-isip
Attend a virtual APS assessment webinar from August 5th
Attend one of the APS assessment trainings on August 17th or August 28th (in-person at Berna Facio)
Amira/Istation: Getting Started with Fidelity - 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM (Register in PowerSchool linked here #48749)
Amira/Istation: Getting Started with Fidelity - 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM (Register in PowerSchool linked here #48750)
Amira: Evaluar ISIP & Tutora - 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM (Register in PowerSchool linked here #48751)
Amira: Evaluar ISIP & Tutora - 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM (Register in PowerSchool linked here #48752)
3. Parents must be notified that screening will occur using the district-approved Dyslexia Screener Notification Letter and the Structured Literacy Family Guide from NMPED.
Dyslexia Screener Window
Administer the Amira ISIP (and the Istation Lectura if needed) between Monday, August 24, 2025 - Friday September 11, 2025
(or within two weeks of initial NM enrollment)
Please note that Teachers will not need to submit the scores to Synergy. Data will be collected automatically from the Amira dashboard.
After administering the dyslexia screener:
Teachers must notify the parent or guardian of a student who has a Dyslexia Risk Indicator Score of 30 or more on the Dyslexia Risk Report from the Amira Dashboard and/or Istation Lectura with an overall score of Levels 1 or 2 using the use the district-approved Post-Screening Letter.
Students who score 36 or higher are "At Risk - Stronger Signals" (Red)
Students who score 30-36 are "At Risk, Weaker Signals" (Yellow)
For students who require intervention according to the Amira ISIP, "schools shall provide timely, appropriate, systematic, explicit, and evidence-based interventions prescribed by the student assistance team with appropriate progress monitoring to determine the effectiveness of the intervention" (NMPED, June 26, 2025).
Remember:
The dyslexia screener is a tool to help determine how to target reading instruction and intervention. The dyslexia screener does not diagnose a student as having dyslexia.
Click here for Frequently Asked Questions.