If our district hires a new teacher who has graduated from a higher education program, do they still need to complete the required dyslexia training? 

Yes, there is specific information about teaching Kansas in these modules and all new teachers and teachers new to teaching in Kansas should have this training as part of KESA compliance. 

Is it really useful to screen older students for dyslexia? What about those secondary students? 

Screening can help figure out how Tier 1 curriculum is working and helps inform intervention for students of any age. It helps us make sure that no student is moving through our systems without getting all the help they need. For more information, please see this article: 

Screening for Students Grades 4-12 

When using FastBridge for the assessment you can use word or sound by sound scoring. Which one should we use for the assessment we upload into KIDS? 

Note: FastBridge Learning recommends using whole-word scoring because it is more accurate

For more details see: Sound/ Word scoring for FastBridge

Do I have to enter all the spring dyslexia screening data into KIDS?

No,  you will enter the spring subtest scores for Kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade and 8th grade. Please see this document for additional information. 

If my district is using FastBridge for screening my secondary students, should I use AutoReading with AReading or just AReading? 

To meet the requirements for KSDE, you would only need to use aReading 3 times a year as your universal screener. However, you will most likely want to gather the most information possible from the instruments that you have available.  It is highly recommended you follow FastBridge recommendations, which include a combination of AUTOreading Composite and aReading, commonly referred to as  “FASTtrack.”  Together, these two assessments provide broad and specific information, including automaticity and accuracy, essential components for determining a student’s risk for reading difficulty.

 This link is helpful in seeing how that screener meets the requirements in Kansas.