Board adopts DIBELS 8 as district early‑literacy screener to meet new state law

The La Canada Unified School District governing board voted to adopt DIBELS eighth edition as the district's early literacy screening instrument to comply with California Education Code 53008, enacted by Senate Bill 114.

Superintendent Toby Cardinal summarized the state requirement: districts must select an approved screening tool and conduct screening for students in kindergarten through second grade beginning next academic year. Cardinal told the board the district has already implemented DIBELS this school year and that adopting it formalizes the district's approach and satisfies the July 30, 2025, adoption deadline in the code.

Cardinal emphasized the purpose of the screener: "The results are used as an alert of possible reading difficulties, not a diagnosis of disability," and said the tool is intended to guide targeted instruction, interventions and family notification rather than serve as a high‑stakes test. The district's implementation plan includes three benchmark administrations (beginning, middle and end of year), progress monitoring and a parent‑notification process that provides results within 45 days of assessment.

District staff noted the state allocated funding for screening and training in the 2024–26 budget cycles; Superintendent Cardinal said the district received a preliminary allocation "a little over $14,500" based on K–2 enrollment and that additional state funds for training were expected in the next budget cycle. Staff said funding and training timelines will be monitored as the program scales.

Board action and next steps

The board adopted DIBELS 8 as the district's approved screener. Staff will continue year‑round progress monitoring, provide family notifications as required by statute and report back to the board on implementation and training details.