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Long Beach Unified begins Amira K–2 screener rollout; district outlines safeguards for ELs and students with disabilities
Summary
The district began implementing the Amira K–2 reading‑difficulty screener this week. Staff said Amira aligns with existing structured‑literacy training, takes about 15–20 minutes, and will be used alongside i‑Ready and other measures; parents will receive mailed reports and the district has protocols to avoid over‑identifying ELs or students with special needs.
Long Beach Unified staff told the board they have started the first administration of Amira, the district’s newly deployed K–2 reading‑difficulty screener, and outlined how results will be used.
Dr. Myers‑Miller and the implementation task force said the assessment window opened on Monday and that Amira was selected from the state‑approved list because it aligns with the district’s structured‑literacy work (notably Getting Reading Right training) and can identify component skills such as decoding, phonological awareness, high‑frequency words and vocabulary. Staff stressed that Amira is an early screener, not a dyslexia diagnosis or a special education evaluation.
The district emphasized that Amira is one data point among several (i‑Ready, FRSA, common assessments) to be triangulated before decisions. Implementation protocols call for screening in the language of instruction (dual‑language students in Spanish; English programs in English), and for staff to review flagged students with additional measures before escalating interventions. Staff acknowledged Spanish is currently the single additional language supported directly by the screener roll‑out; other languages will rely on triangulation with other measures while the district assesses translation and resource needs.
Board members asked about how flagged students who are ELs or who may have undiagnosed disabilities will be handled; staff said flagged students would be reviewed through MTSS protocols and data meetings, with tier‑two or tier‑three supports provided as warranted. Dr. Myers‑Miller said counselors, school psychologists and elementary administrators were trained for the rollout and that parents will receive mailed reports and explanations in multiple languages, with parent access to results beginning March 27. District staff reported about 54% of students had completed the screener in the first three days of implementation.
The board did not vote on additional implementation steps; staff said they will continue to monitor screener uptake, results and how additional supports are allocated based on the combined data.
