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Valid and Reliable Early Literacy Screening Assessments
Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, a Kentucky Department of Education-determined reliable and valid universal screener shall be given in the first 45 days of the school year for all kindergarten students; and given in the first 30 days of the school year for grades 1-3. This is required in Senate Bill 9 (2022), the Read to Succeed Act.
Based on the data from the screener, a reading improvement plan shall be developed and implemented by a reading improvement team for any student in K-3 identified as needing accelerated interventions to progress toward proficient performance in reading.
Universal Screeners
Universal screening for early literacy provides an evidence-based and proactive way to monitor the effectiveness of Tier 1 reading instruction and to identify students who may be at risk for developing reading difficulties and are in need of additional instruction or intervention.
It is critical for educators to identify the potential for reading difficulties in the primary grades in order to provide support early and prevent failures from accumulating over time. Universal screening provides a standardized way to quickly, efficiently and reliably predict students who may be at risk for reading difficulties.
Using validated screening procedures, the Multi-Tiered System of Supports leadership team ensures that all students are screened with fidelity on an on-going basis, typically three times during the school year (i.e., fall, winter and spring).
Approved Universal Screeners Comparison Chart
List of Approved Early Literacy Screening Assessments
*Note approval of an early literacy screening assessment is not an endorsement of the entire platform.
Diagnostic Assessments
Diagnostic assessments for reading are used to provide more in-depth information of an individual student’s specific skills. Diagnostic assessments help teachers identify the skill deficits to effectively guide the next steps for instruction and intervention. Not all students need this type of in-depth reading assessment, but diagnostic data is most important for struggling and at-risk readers.
An example of an appropriate use of a diagnostic instrument would be to discover which components of reading are impaired in a child who has performed below grade level on a universal screening assessment. In this case, it would be useful to know if the child is impaired in reading fluency or accuracy, knowledge of word meanings, general background knowledge or use of efficient comprehension strategies.
Diagnostic assessments can be formal standardized tests or informal measures, such as criterion-referenced tests and informal reading inventories. When used for the purpose of identifying students in need of intervention, formal and informal diagnostic assessments should be valid and reliable.
Formal diagnostic assessments (like the ones included on the approved Early Literacy Diagnostic List below) provide information about the relative level of skill across the essential components of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.
Informal diagnostic assessments are typically obtained through administration of an informal reading inventory or a classroom or curriculum-based assessment. They give information at a very specific level (i.e., which letter/sound correspondences are known fluently).
The formal diagnostic assessments on the approved Early Literacy Diagnostic List have technical manuals that provide the evidence basis for how the assessments meet the criteria for classification accuracy, validity and reliability. Informal diagnostics may not have technical manuals in which validity and reliability data can be obtained.
Approved Diagnostics Comparison Chart
List of Approved Early Literacy Diagnostics
If you have questions about the early literacy screening assessments, please reach out to Christie Biggerstaff.
2 Weeks Left to Register for the Kentucky Reading Academies: Phase 2 of LETRS Professional Learning – Tell Your Colleagues and Friends!
Registration for the second Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) cohort of the Kentucky Reading Academies will be open until Aug. 31. If you haven’t done so yet, please register now! And if you’ve already registered, please forward this email to five colleagues or friends you think would benefit from participating.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has an exciting partnership that brings the LETRS professional learning to educators across the Commonwealth, called the Kentucky Reading Academies. This course of study was chosen because of its demonstrated success on a national scale in bringing significant increases in literacy achievement.
The Kentucky Reading Academies is a comprehensive no-cost professional learning opportunity open to all K-5 public school educators.
Two different courses are being offered through the Kentucky Reading Academies: LETRS for Educators and LETRS for Administrators. Interested educators can join the Kentucky Reading Academies by registering for the course that pertains to their role:
More than 1,800 Kentucky educators and administrators are completing the LETRS professional learning in Phase 1. On a survey of Phase 1 participants, 433 responded, and 95% noted that the information they are learning through the LETRS professional learning is new information. A further 95% stated the learning is relevant to their role and 93% of the respondents said the learning has helped them to better meet the diverse reading needs of their students.
Please NOTE: Phase 1 participants will not need to register for Phase 2, as they are already enrolled in the professional learning.
Find out more about the Kentucky Reading Academies on the Kentucky Reading Academies webpage.
For questions about the Kentucky Reading Academies, please email KDE Director of Early Literacy Christie Biggerstaff.
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