The updated protocol for the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) Dyslexia Initiative Universal Screening is now available for the 2023-2024 school year.

Changes will be placed into the KSDE Dyslexia Handbook, which is currently being updated and will be available later this summer.

Students in grades kindergarten through eighth will continue to be screened three times per year using the subtests approved by the Kansas State Board of Education based on the recommendations of the Dyslexia Task Force.

KSDE will no longer require specific subtests to be administered at predetermined screening windows (F, W, S). Instead, districts are required to use the technical manual for their KSDE-approved screener as guidance for required subtest administration, assuring norms and benchmark levels are reliable and valid.

All secondary students will be screened during the fall of their ninth-grade year. Students identified as at-risk can have their score validated with preACT and ACT scores (timed measures) and may be allowed to exit screening (see attached document for details).

Students in any grade level who are identified as at risk for reading difficulty should be provided with a diagnostic assessment to determine appropriate interventions and have progress monitored.

In addition to appropriate interventions, all students are required to receive evidence-based Tier I instruction.

Additional details and information can be found in the attached document or here.

For additional information, contact KSDE’s Dr. Laurie Curtis at lcurtis@ksde.org.