Orange Unified trustees hear plan to expand reading-risk screening, seek approval for ‘Amplify EndClass’ tool

Orange Unified School District officials received an overview of new requirements for screening students at risk of reading difficulties and were asked to approve a screening product identified in the transcript as “Amplify EndClass.” Speaker 2 said the screenings and follow-up process are intended to identify needs earlier so teachers and specialists can provide targeted support.

The presentation, introduced by Speaker 2 and referencing administrator Dana Zines, outlined a multi-tier approach: universal classroom screening, follow-up assessments by the literacy resource team, tier 1 classroom interventions, tier 2 resource interventions and ongoing progress monitoring through collaborative academic support teams. According to the transcript, the approach is meant to “inform instruction, help monitor progress, and allow teachers and parents to have more informed conversations.”

Speaker 2 summarized the district’s implementation planning and asked the board for approval of the named screening product for district use; the transcript records a request for a motion but does not include the motion text, the mover/second or a vote. Training for teachers, literacy-resource teachers and instructional specialists was said to be planned “prior to” a December date that is unclear in the transcript.

District staff emphasized that initial screenings can point to students who need further assessment rather than being definitive diagnoses. The transcript notes that some students flagged by the first screen will receive additional assessments and then, if needed, tier 2 interventions provided by resource staff and monitored by the collaborative teams.

The board did not record a final outcome in the transcript for the approval request. Next procedural steps mentioned were additional conversations and follow-up work to finalize implementation details and training schedules.