ITASCA, Ill. – Riverside Insights®, a leading developer of research-based assessments and analytics, today debuted a new Assessment Playbook focused on streamlining the evaluation of dyslexia, the most common learning disability, affecting 20% of the population. The new playbook makes assessments more effective and efficient by providing a recommended process for selective testing and a specific test list for querying the most salient features of dyslexia.
“The pandemic disrupted teaching and learning, and has led to a dramatic increase in the number of students who are referred for dyslexia evaluations by their teachers and/or parents. Consequently, evaluators must determine if a student’s reading difficulties are primarily a reflection of this disruption or an indication of a true reading disability,” said dyslexia expert Dr. Nancy Mather, a professor in the College of Education, Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies at the University of Arizona. “To address this issue and the increase in assessment referrals, evaluators need effective and efficient assessment tools to ensure that all students are accurately identified and get the help they need. In this way, children can be provided with systematic interventions prior to experiencing chronic reading difficulties.”
In the 2021-2022 school year, more than 20 states – including California, Florida, Texas and Connecticut – updated their dyslexia legislation, passing new codes and statutes to support more effective identification and intervention practices to address the increasing dyslexia referrals.
Practitioners also face increased pressure from concerned parents. A recent U.S. News & World Report article highlighted how parents are struggling to understand why their early reader is struggling and what’s a cause for concern. With the learning disruption of COVID-19, parents are trying to differentiate between reading challenges from circumstances versus causes for further concern and the need for evaluations.
To support more focused evaluations, the Riverside Dyslexia Assessment Playbook provides:
- An Assessment Guide, describing how each test informs the comprehensive assessment of a specific condition for a particular group of students, including early childhood, ages 7+ and English language learners (ELL)
- Profile Sheet, enabling practitioners to organize their data, and facilitating analysis and interpretation of test results
- Product List, offering a recommended list of tests for dyslexia so that practitioners can quickly gather and use data needed to influence student outcomes
In response to the increased challenges faced by school-based practitioners, these resources go beyond what is currently available by providing a detailed explanation on how specific elements of each test contribute to a comprehensive evaluation to provide essential information to inform instructional planning. Additionally, the profile sheets provide practitioners a useful tool to organize their assessment data to facilitate interpretation. Tests recommended in the playbook are tailored to the needs of practitioners working with early childhood, 7+ and ELL populations.
For more information on the Riverside Dyslexia Assessment Playbook, please visit the Riverside Insights website.
About Riverside Insights
Riverside Insights, one of the nation’s leading and most long-standing developers of research-based assessments, is led by a powerful mission: to provide insights that help elevate potential and enrich the lives of students, clinical patients, employees, and organizations globally. For more information, visit www.RiversideInsights.com.
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