SB 691 (Portantino) – SUPPORT

March 24, 2023
Honorable Anthony Portantino
1021 O Street, Suite 7630
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: SB 691 (Portantino) – SUPPORT

Dear Senator Portantino:

I write on behalf of SF Parent Coalition in support of SB 691. This bill would require the State Board of Education (SBE) to adopt evidence-based screening tools which are culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate to identify students at risk for dyslexia and provide that all California students are screened annually in kindergarten through second grade with screening results being made available on a timely basis to parents/guardians and teachers, as specified.

Dyslexia is the single largest learning disability. Without universal screening for signs of dyslexia, many students are never identified as being at risk and, consequentially, never get the intervention they need to become literate.

Children showing signs of dyslexia can reliably be identified before they experience school failure, which can help put them on the path to reading success. Early identification, as proposed in SB 691, makes early intervention possible, sparing children years of struggle with lasting academic, social, and emotional impacts.

Thank you for authoring SB 691 and for your commitment to improving reading
outcomes for California students.

Sincerely,
Meredith W. Dodson
Co-Founder and Executive Director
SF Parent Coalition