Early Literacy Universal Screening

Early Literacy Screening Guidance

Early Literacy Screening Guidance 

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) created the guidance document to support schools and districts as they conduct early literacy universal screenings required by Massachusetts regulation 603 CMR 28.03 (1)(f), effective July 1, 2023 which requires that schools and districts take the following actions:

• Assess each student's reading ability from kindergarten through at least third grade at least twice per school year;

• Use a valid, developmentally appropriate, DESE-approved early literacy screening instrument;

• For students whose screening results are significantly below relevant benchmarks:

  • Determine which actions within the general education program will meet the student's needs; and

  • Within 30 school days, inform the student's parent or guardian of the screening results and the LEAs response, and offer them the opportunity for a follow-up discussion.

For all students in grades K-3 the Early Literacy Universal Screener Millbury Public Schools will be utilizing is i-Ready Diagnostic

What is i-Ready Diagnostic?
i-Ready Diagnostic is part of the i-Ready Assessment suite. It is an adaptive assessment designed to provide teachers with a complete picture of student performance for students at all grade levels. It:

• Provides sub-skill data in phonological awareness, phonics, high frequency words, vocabulary, and comprehension of literature and informational text

• Includes an emphasis on these key early literacy skills for Grades K–3, which are central to Massachussetts’ approach to dyslexia screening:

  • Phonemic Awareness

  • Phonological Awareness

  • Letter Sound Knowledge 

• Connects data directly to instructional next steps at a skill-specific level

How does i-Ready Diagnostic work with offline assessment tasks in Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN)?
In addition to i-Ready Diagnostic, the i-Ready Assessment suite includes offline tasks in RAN for Grades K–2 and students identified as needing this form of screening in grade 3. These tasks, which are administered by educators in a one-on-one setting, allow for targeted understanding of students’ strengths and areas of concern related to automaticity.

Does i-Ready offer other early literacy screening supports?
i-Ready goes beyond state requirements by providing an additional Dyslexia Screening export that includes the i-Ready Reading Difficulty Indicator, a scientifically based indication for whether or not individual students in Grades K–3 have reading difficulties that may require further evaluation and support. Furthermore, based on the most current research on effective early literacy screening, i-Ready also offers offline tasks for oral reading fluency, which are frequently used by educators to achieve a holistic picture of a student’s reading proficiency.