Duarte Unified board adopts state-aligned K-2 dyslexia screener (AMERA) for fall implementation

The Duarte Unified School District board approved the district's dyslexia screening instrument on a unanimous vote, adopting an online tool (AMERA) that district staff said meets a newly enacted state requirement to screen K–2 students for early reading difficulties.

Doctor Lawson and district staff told trustees the new state law requires districts to adopt a screener by June to implement screening in the fall. Lawson explained the selected tool, AMERA, is an online screener that teachers will administer in the classroom on devices. "We cannot formally diagnose dyslexia," Lawson said; the screener will identify students at "high, medium, or low" risk for reading difficulties so the district can mount early interventions under the district's existing MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) and Student Study Team processes.

Lawson described operational details: the screener is not a 1-on-1, hour-long exam—district pilots showed it can be administered to multiple students at once and takes about 20 minutes per student. The district will notify parents, obtain required consents, provide parents with a copy of results, and use the data to plan interventions; the tool itself does not replace special-education evaluation but can generate data that informs later steps if a student does not improve after targeted interventions.

Board members confirmed funding is available to cover screener costs; Lawson said the district had received specific funding for implementation. The board approved the item by motion and recorded a 5-0 vote to adopt AMERA as the approved screening instrument.