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Delano Public Schools outlines expanded K–12 dyslexia screening and structured‑literacy training
Summary
At a school board meeting, staff presented a Read Act‑aligned literacy review that introduced districtwide dyslexia screening K–12, a new screener for grades 4–12, accelerated parent notifications for students below grade level and a multi‑year rollout of structured‑literacy professional development.
Lindsay Westfall, a district staff member, told the Delano Public School District board that the district has expanded literacy screening and training under the Read Act, including new K–12 dyslexia screeners and changes to parent communications.
Westfall said the district now uses FastBridge as the K–3 universal screener and has introduced CAPY Read Basics as the dyslexia screener for grades 4–12. "We are now uh giving the dyslexia screeners K through 12," she said, adding that FastBridge provides composite scores for K–3 risk levels and CAPY Read Basics was rolled out in December as a pilot and will be used more fully in the fall.
Why it matters: The Read Act requires districts to identify and support students with reading difficulties; Westfall said Delano is aligning screening, intervention and parent notification across preK–12 to meet those statutory expectations and to provide consistent interventions.
District plans and timelines: Westfall described a phased professional development schedule tied to structured‑literacy implementation. Phase 1 (largely elementary staff and some special education personnel) will complete Letters training in spring/summer 2026, while Phase 2 educators began Strive training in March 2026 with a target of completion in spring/summer 2027. Paras have completed an eight‑hour structured‑literacy training cycle with ongoing onboarding for new hires.
On parent communication and interventions, Westfall said the district is notifying parents when a child is reading below grade level and sending suggested home strategies alongside details about interventions being used in school. "We are notifying parents when their child is reading below grade level... and then we are also sending out any strategies that parents can use at home with that," she said.
Data and tools: Westfall demonstrated an EdgeClimber data dashboard the district uses to tag students by risk level and to compare term‑to‑term results. She said the district has built thresholds to identify students in significant and moderate risk tiers so staff can place students in appropriate intervention groups and monitor program effectiveness. "This kind of shows us where we're at, where we've improved," she said, describing second‑grade gains shown in a fall‑to‑winter comparison.
Board reaction and next steps: Board members and staff responded with brief praise for the rollout and training progress. Westfall invited board members to request deeper dives; the superintendent and principals signaled that further reporting on progress and student outcomes will be included in upcoming administrative updates.
The presentation was part of the board's regular agenda and concluded without formal action; board business that followed included consent‑agenda items and several routine resolutions.
