Arizona's Move On When Reading: What Parents Need to Know

If your child attends a public or charter school in Arizona, they are screened for reading difficulties — including signs of dyslexia — at least three times a year, starting in kindergarten. When a screening flags your child, the school is required by law to notify you in writing and provide a reading support plan. That process is called Move On When Reading.

Move On When Reading (MOWR) is a set of Arizona state laws — primarily A.R.S. §15-701, §15-704, and §15-211 — that require public schools to provide evidence-based reading instruction in kindergarten through third grade and to identify struggling readers as early as possible. The name comes from its best-known provision: third graders who do not demonstrate sufficient reading skills on the state's AzM2 assessment will not be promoted to fourth grade. But that retention piece affects fewer than 3% of students statewide each year, according to the Arizona Department of Education. The far larger impact of the law is in how it shapes early screening and support.

What does Arizona's dyslexia screening requirement actually require?

Arizona requires all public K–1 students to be screened for indicators of dyslexia within 45 calendar days of the start of each school year — or within 45 days of enrollment if a child starts after the first day of school. This screening is embedded within a broader universal literacy screener that all K–3 students take three times a year: fall, winter, and spring.

Schools must use tools from an approved list published by the Arizona Department of Education. These are research-validated assessments — not informal teacher observations — and the list is reviewed annually to make sure the tools continue to meet state requirements.

What happens if your child is flagged?

If a K–3 screening identifies your child as being at risk of reading difficulties, the school must notify you in writing within three weeks. Under A.R.S. §15-701, that written notification is required to include six specific things:

• A description of your child's specific areas of struggle, including any indicators of dyslexia.
• A description of the reading support currently being provided at school.
• A description of any additional support or programs available to your child.
• An explanation of what you can do at home to support your child's reading.
• Information about how to contact the school or district about your child's reading.
• And notice of the possible implications for third-grade promotion if reading concerns persist.

That letter is not optional — it is a legal requirement. If you received a notice and the letter didn't include all of these elements, you can ask your child's school or district for the complete information.

What support is the school required to provide?

After a child is identified as needing additional reading support (what the law calls being "substantially deficient in reading"), schools in Arizona are required to provide targeted reading instruction — structured, evidence-based support aligned to how your child is struggling. Schools receive an average of approximately $145 per K–3 student each year through MOWR funding, with most of that going to staffing: classroom teachers, reading coaches, and literacy specialists, according to Read On Arizona.

MOWR also requires schools to have a designated dyslexia point of contact — every K–3 campus must assign at least one teacher, literacy coach, or literacy specialist who has completed dyslexia-specific training. If you have questions about what your child's school is doing, that person is a good place to start.

Does the third-grade retention rule apply to my child?

Third-grade retention under MOWR applies to students who do not score at or above the cut score on the reading portion of the AzM2 (Arizona's statewide assessment) at the end of third grade. There are four exemptions from this requirement:

• Students who are English Language Learners with fewer than two years of English instruction.
• Students with an IEP (Individualized Education Program) who receive appropriate special education services.
• Students who have been identified as having a significant reading difference, including dyslexia.
• Students in the process of a special education evaluation or referral.

If your child has been identified as having dyslexia, they fall under that third exemption — meaning the automatic retention rule does not apply. The intent of the law, as stated by the Arizona Department of Education, is to give struggling readers more time and support, not to hold back kids who are already receiving appropriate services.

What to do after your child is screened

If your child's school has notified you of a reading concern, here are practical next steps.

Ask the school for the written notification required by A.R.S. §15-701 if you haven't received it yet. It should explain your child's specific areas of difficulty, what the school is already doing, and what support is available.

Ask who the campus dyslexia point of contact is. This person has specific training and can give you a clearer picture of how your child's school handles reading support.

Ask what approved screener the school uses and request your child's specific results — not just whether they passed or failed, but what the scores mean for their current skill level.

If the school has identified a reading concern and is recommending additional support, ask for a written plan that describes what will be provided, how often, and how progress will be measured.

If you feel the support your child is receiving isn't enough, you have the right to request a full educational evaluation. Arizona law does not require you to wait for the school to make that recommendation first. The article What to Do When the School Says "Wait and See" walks through that process in detail.

Understanding what your child's screening results mean — and what the school is required to do next — is the first step. If you've received a notification and want to understand what it means specifically for your child's age and skill level, the Personalized Results Guide can help you see the picture more clearly.

Sources: Arizona Department of Education, Move On When Reading program page (azed.gov/mowr); A.R.S. §15-701; A.R.S. §15-704; Read On Arizona, Move On When Reading overview; Arizona Department of Education, 2025 MOWR Annual Report.