IL dyslexia screening takes effect Jan. 1, drawing reading instruction
debate
[December 27, 2025]
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributor
(The Center Square) – As Illinois rolls out a new law requiring early
literacy screenings beginning Jan. 1, some educators question whether it
will solve reading issues or just mislabel children as dyslexic.
Senate Bill 1672 requires public school districts to conduct early
literacy screening testing and report data for students in kindergarten
through third grade. Supporters say the mandate will catch reading
problems earlier, while critics argue it risks mislabeling students as
dyslexic instead of fixing flawed reading instruction.
Sarah Fletcher, head of school at White Horse Academy, said many signs
of dyslexia stem from how reading is taught, not a learning disorder.
“I think it goes back to whole language learning, where students look at
parts of words or letter patterns and use context or picture clues to
figure out a word, instead of phonics,” she said. “They see a few
familiar letters and guess what word might make sense in the sentence,
and as crazy as that sounds, I do think that’s how reading is taught in
public schools.”
Fletcher also linked the rise in dyslexia diagnoses to changes in
handwriting instruction. She said that as schools shifted from teaching
cursive to manuscript, children faced greater challenges forming letters
correctly, which can mimic signs of dyslexia.
“Manuscript is actually harder for kids to learn than cursive,” she
said. “You pick up your hand more often, and kindergartners struggle
with left and right, so letters can end up the wrong way. Over time,
that can look like dyslexia, and in some cases, even contribute to it.”
While Fletcher emphasized that identifying struggling readers early is
better than doing nothing, she said screening alone will not solve
Illinois’ literacy challenges without a shift in how reading is taught.
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“Screening kids is good, and it’s better to know than not know,”
Fletcher said. “But sometimes you’re creating a problem, then
spending extra time and money to fix it, instead of teaching reading
correctly in the first place.”
Fletcher emphasized that a phonics-based approach, such as Orton-Gillingham,
can prevent reading struggles before they start.
“At my school, we use a skills-based assessment called [Dynamic
Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills], which looks at phonics
and letter-sound recognition without just labeling kids dyslexic,”
she said. “You’re monitoring the skills they should be learning,
like segmenting words and phonological awareness, so interventions
are targeted and effective.”
The Orton-Gillingham approach is a multisensory, structured method
for teaching reading and spelling, especially effective for students
with dyslexia. It breaks language into sounds and syllables,
building skills cumulatively through sight, sound, touch and
movement. Developed by Dr. Samuel Orton and Anna Gillingham, it’s
personalized to help learners master language, not just memorize
words.
Fletcher also raised concerns about declining emphasis on spelling
in some districts. She noted that some districts have eliminated
spelling lists and tests, which she believes can affect reading
development.
“Good spellers are almost always good readers,” Fletcher said.
“Writing, spelling and reading are all interconnected. Doing away
with one affects the others, and that could make more students
appear dyslexic than they really are.”
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