After pilot, district recommends mCLASS/DIBELS for TK'2 literacy screening

The El Monte City School District presented a recommendation to adopt Amplify's mCLASS (DIBELS Edition 8) as the district's kindergarten through grade 2 literacy screener, following a pilot of state'approved tools.

"It was unanimous that mCLASS was ... what we want to use this screener for," said Chris LaTrossel, a teacher on special assignment who led the local pilot and professional-development sessions. LaTrossel described a clinical piloting process that included special-education colleagues and randomized student groups screened on multiple instruments so staff could compare teacher and student experiences.

Director of Instruction and Assessment Dr. Rudy Torres explained the legal context. "California Education Code section 5308 requires local agencies to screen students in grades K through 2 for reading difficulties," he said, and described the district's selection timeline after the state released four approved tools. Staff said one tool (ROAR) was excluded because it covers only grades 1'2 and lacks Spanish support; two others were judged less suitable based on classroom engagement and progress-monitoring capacity.

District staff recommended mCLASS/DIBELS because it supports English and Spanish administrations (the Spanish component is called Lectura), allows progress monitoring, provides composite and class-level reports for teachers, and includes parent reporting and home activities to support family involvement. LaTrossel said teachers appreciated the active teacher'student engagement the tool affords and the ability to group students based on specific skill needs.

If adopted, the district plans training for all K'2 teachers, implementation planning for tiered instruction, and parent notification and education about interpreting results. The recommendation will be brought to the board for action in an upcoming meeting.