Dyslexia Screening Laws: State Requirements and Approved Screeners

Estimated reading time: 17 minutes

Dyslexia screening laws are state statutes and rules that require public schools to give short screeners to young students, usually in kindergarten through grade 3, to flag early risk for dyslexia or reading difficulties so that intervention can start. The requirement comes from state law, and federal special education rules add that screening by a teacher or specialist to choose instructional strategies is not an evaluation for special education (34 CFR 300.302). As of 2026, the National Center on Improving Literacy reports dyslexia-related legislation in all 50 states. This guide covers how many states require screening, what the laws typically say, a table of 10 states checked one by one, what screeners measure, screeners named on state-approved lists, screening versus evaluation and what districts do with the results. It describes laws, not legal advice: check your state’s current rules and district counsel.

Executive Summary

In its 50-state review published on September 15, 2026, the Education Commission of the States (ECS) found that at least 45 states and the District of Columbia require assessments, such as screeners or diagnostic tests, before the federally mandated third grade tests. The National Center on Improving Literacy (NCIL) tracks 194 dyslexia-related laws across the country. Yet the rules differ widely: Mississippi screens in the spring of kindergarten and the fall of grade 1, while Minnesota screens every student in kindergarten through grade 3 three times a year.

For district leaders, the hard part is not the screener. It is what happens next: telling parents on time, starting intervention, monitoring progress and referring for an evaluation when a disability is suspected, without letting a screening flag stand in for that evaluation.

How Many States Require Dyslexia Screening?

As of September 2026, at least 45 states and the District of Columbia require assessments such as screeners before the federally mandated third grade tests, but neither dated national count isolates dyslexia screening mandates, because states write them in different ways.

The two dated 50-state sources measure different things. ECS’s State K-3 Policies 2026 counts states whose statutes or regulations require any assessment before the federally mandated third grade tests: screeners, diagnostic, formative or summative assessments. NCIL’s State of Dyslexia site reports, as of 2026, that all 50 states have passed legislation related to dyslexia and counts 194 dyslexia-related laws. Neither figure means that every state runs a dyslexia screener, so read your own state’s law.

What Dyslexia Screening Laws Typically Require

Dyslexia screening laws typically set the grades screened, the timing, who may screen, the screener allowed, parent notification and what schools must do when a student is flagged.

• Grades: kindergarten and grade 1 in Texas and Mississippi; kindergarten through grade 2 in California and Washington; kindergarten through grade 3 in Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New Jersey, and in Michigan from 2027-28.
• Timing: from once a year (Ohio’s kindergarten screening) to three times a year (Georgia and Minnesota).
• Who screens: trained staff. The Texas Dyslexia Handbook states that an educational aide may not administer or interpret the screener; New Jersey’s 2013 law requires a teacher or other teaching staff member trained in the screening process.
• Parent notification: California requires notice at least 15 calendar days before screening and results within 45 calendar days; Massachusetts requires notice within 30 school days of a result significantly below benchmarks.
• Follow-up: intervention and progress monitoring, and in several states a recommendation or referral for evaluation when signs persist.
• Older students and transfers: Ohio screens students in grades 1 to 6 on a parent’s request or a teacher’s request with parent permission; from 2027-28, Michigan screens students in grades 4 to 12 who show warning signs, and K-3 transfer students within 90 days of enrollment.

Dyslexia Screening Laws by State

The table below summarizes the dyslexia screening laws of 10 states, each checked against the current statute, rule or state agency page linked in the first column, with its date.

Laws change often: Georgia adopted its current rule in August 2026, Michigan’s dyslexia screening requirements start in 2027-28 and Texas moves K-1 screening into new K-3 literacy instruments in 2027-28. Texas details are in our Texas Dyslexia Handbook guide.

What a Dyslexia Screener Measures

A dyslexia screener measures the early skills that predict word reading: phonological awareness, letter knowledge, rapid automatized naming, decoding, spelling and, from grade 1, word reading and oral reading fluency.

Mississippi requires six components in every approved screener, and NCIL’s report Screening for Dyslexia (Petscher et al., 2019) describes which tasks fit which grade.

Texas’s 2024 handbook sets the same pattern for its K-1 screeners: letter sound knowledge or letter naming fluency and phonological awareness in kindergarten; word reading accuracy or fluency and phonological awareness in grade 1. Minnesota adds oral language to the skills its universal screening must cover.

Dyslexia Screeners on State-Approved Lists

A dyslexia screener is only “approved” for the state, school year and purpose that a state list names, so districts should check their own state’s current list rather than any national ranking.

The table shows screeners that appear on at least two of four official lists, with each name exactly as the list writes it: Ohio’s 2026-2027 List of Approved Assessments (Tier 1 dyslexia screeners, April 2026), Michigan’s K-3 screening and progress monitoring list (July 2026), California’s list in the CDE FAQ, and the Mississippi Approved List of Dyslexia Screeners 2025-2030. Rows group entries by name; the exact product or version approved can differ from one state to another, and listing here is not a rating.

Each list also names other screeners, such as Multitudes in California, CUBED-3 in Michigan, ReadBasix, Exact Path, aimswebPlus and Imagine+ Early Literacy/Dyslexia Screener in Ohio, and Imagine EarlyBird Screener and Lexercise in Mississippi. Lists are revised every year or every few years. For districts looking for a no-cost option, Georgia’s rule lets schools use a free universal reading screener provided by the Georgia Department of Education.

Dyslexia Screening vs Evaluation

A dyslexia screening identifies students at risk; a special education evaluation decides whether a student has a disability and needs special education, and a screening result never replaces or delays that evaluation.

Federal rules draw the line clearly. Screening by a teacher or specialist “to determine appropriate instructional strategies for curriculum implementation shall not be considered to be an evaluation for eligibility for special education” (34 CFR 300.302). Child Find still requires states to identify, locate and evaluate children with disabilities who need special education (34 CFR 300.111), and a parent may request an initial evaluation at any time (34 CFR 300.301(b)). OSEP’s Memo 11-07 (January 21, 2011) adds that response to intervention cannot be used to delay or deny an evaluation. California’s FAQ says results “must be used as a flag for potential risk of reading difficulties, not as a diagnosis of a disability,” and Mississippi tells parents the same. The full process is in our guide to special education evaluation.

What Districts Do With Screening Results

When a screener flags a student, districts start targeted reading intervention, monitor progress on a set schedule, inform parents and consider an evaluation when a disability is suspected.

1. Intervene quickly. Georgia requires a tiered reading support plan within 30 school days of identifying a student as significantly at risk; Washington requires evidence-based multisensory structured literacy interventions within a multitiered system of supports.
2. Monitor progress. Ohio checks an at-risk student’s progress for up to six weeks, at least at weeks 2, 4 and 6, then gives a tier two screening if no progress is seen. Simple formats for weekly checks are in IEP data collection sheets.
3. Inform families. Ohio, Mississippi and Massachusetts require notice when a student is flagged, and New Jersey requires every family to receive results within 30 days after each screening window in 2026-27.
4. Refer when signs persist. Washington requires districts to recommend an evaluation for dyslexia or a specific learning disability when indications continue after interventions; Michigan’s law, from 2027-28, requires districts to consider a full evaluation when a student responds poorly and a disability is suspected.
5. Plan instruction and supports. Write measurable goals with our reading IEP goals guide and choose classroom supports from our list of dyslexia accommodations.

Screening English Learners

Several states now set rules for English learners. California screens a student who lacks sufficient English in the primary language when an approved instrument exists, and its results cannot be used to reclassify English learners. From 2027-28, Michigan does not require dyslexia screening for English learners at an entering or beginning level of proficiency unless staff see characteristics of dyslexia not explained by language, and it screens students at a developing level or higher. Minnesota screens multilingual learners and students in dual language programs. Our guide to dually identified students explains how teams separate language difference from disability.

Funding and Staffing

Screening costs time, training and licenses, and states fund it in different ways.

Staff time is the larger cost: screeners must be trained, results reviewed and interventions staffed while 45 states reported special education teacher shortages in 2024-25 (Learning Policy Institute, 2026).

Common Mistakes District Leaders Make

1. Treating a flag as a diagnosis, or a passing score as proof that no evaluation is needed; Child Find and parent requests still apply.
2. Using intervention as a waiting room. Response to intervention cannot delay or deny an evaluation.
3. Screening without a plan for results. Intervention, monitoring and notices should be ready before the first window.
4. Using a screener that is not on the current list in states that require one.
5. Letting untrained staff screen, or aides where state guidance forbids it.
6. Missing transfer students who arrive after the screening window.
7. Screening English learners without the state’s guidance on language and timing.

Questions District Leaders Should Ask

• How many students were not screened in the last window, and why?
• How many flagged students started intervention within our state’s deadline?
• How many flagged students who did not respond were referred for evaluation?
• Do parents receive results on time and in a language they understand?
• Are we ready for law changes taking effect in 2027-28?

Frequently Asked Questions

How many states mandate dyslexia screening?

The two dated national counts measure different things. As of September 15, 2026, the Education Commission of the States found that at least 45 states and the District of Columbia require assessments, such as screeners, before the federally mandated third grade tests, and the National Center on Improving Literacy reports dyslexia-related legislation in all 50 states. Some states use a dyslexia-specific screener; others use universal reading screeners that also flag dyslexia risk.

What is a dyslexia screening?

A dyslexia screening is a short assessment given to all students in certain grades to find those at risk for dyslexia or reading difficulties. It checks skills such as phonological awareness, letter knowledge, rapid naming, decoding and spelling. A screening flags risk so that intervention can start early; it does not diagnose dyslexia and is not a special education evaluation.

What happens in a dyslexia screening?

A trained teacher or staff member gives the student brief tasks: naming letters or their sounds, blending or splitting sounds in spoken words, naming items quickly, reading real and made-up words and, from grade 1, reading words or a passage aloud. Scores are compared with benchmarks to show which students may need closer monitoring or intervention.

Is a dyslexia screening the same as a diagnosis?

No. Under 34 CFR 300.302, screening to choose instructional strategies is not an evaluation for special education. California’s guidance says results are a flag for potential risk, not a diagnosis, and Mississippi tells parents the same. Identifying a disability requires a full evaluation with parental consent, which a parent may request at any time.

Will public schools test for dyslexia?

Public schools must evaluate any student suspected of having a disability who may need special education, under IDEA’s Child Find rule (34 CFR 300.111), and a parent may request that evaluation. Separately, most states require early reading screening, and many require screening for dyslexia risk, in the early grades. A screening is not the evaluation itself.

Who cannot administer a dyslexia screener?

It depends on the state. In Texas, the Dyslexia Handbook states that an educational aide may not administer or interpret the dyslexia screener; the screener must be certified or licensed in dyslexia, or be a classroom teacher certified for kindergarten and grade 1, and must be trained on the instrument. New Jersey requires a teacher or other teaching staff member trained in the screening process.

At what age are children screened for dyslexia?

Most state laws start in kindergarten and continue through grade 1, 2 or 3. California may not screen kindergartners before the 91st school day, Mississippi screens in the spring of kindergarten and Ohio screens kindergartners from January onward. Several states also screen older students who show signs, such as Michigan from 2027-28.

Related Resources

• Dyslexia Accommodations for Students
• Texas Dyslexia Handbook
• Special Education Evaluation
• Reading IEP Goals
• Dually Identified Students
• IDEA Disability Categories

Conclusion

Dyslexia screening laws now reach most early elementary classrooms, but each state sets its own grades, windows, screener rules and notices, and several are changing in 2027-28. A screener only helps when results lead quickly to intervention, progress monitoring, clear notice to families and, when a disability is suspected, an evaluation. Districts that build those steps into one calendar meet the law and catch reading difficulties early.

Sources: Education Commission of the States, 50-State Comparison: State K-3 Policies (September 15, 2026); National Center on Improving Literacy, State of Dyslexia (2026); Petscher et al., Screening for Dyslexia, National Center on Improving Literacy (2019); 34 CFR 300.302, Screening for instructional purposes is not evaluation; OSEP Memo 11-07, A Response to Intervention (RTI) Process Cannot Be Used to Delay-Deny an Evaluation for Eligibility under IDEA (January 21, 2011); California Department of Education, Screening for Risk of Reading Difficulties FAQs; Texas State Board of Education, The Dyslexia Handbook, 2024 Update; Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, List of Approved Assessments; Michigan Department of Education, K-3 Valid and Reliable Screening and Progress Monitoring Assessment List (July 2026); Mississippi Department of Education, Approved List of Dyslexia Screeners 2025-2030; New Jersey Department of Education, Universal Screening. State statutes and rules are linked in the state table.

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Screening finds the students who need help early; those students then need many repetitions of practice between lessons, and adult 1-on-1 time is scarce in every early grade classroom. Telo AI is being adapted for students with IEPs: patient, 1-on-1 practice aligned to each student’s IEP goals and pace, including speaking practice, with teachers setting the goals, topics and rules. It is a practice tool that does not diagnose or treat any condition. We are inviting districts to shape it with us in a 2027 pilot.

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