Here's what you need to know in Arizona

Arizona has one of the more comprehensive early literacy and dyslexia frameworks in the country. The Move On When Reading (MOWR) program combines universal screening, required reading support, teacher training, and a third-grade promotion policy — all aimed at making sure children who need help with reading get it early.

If your child has been screened and you're not sure what the results mean or what happens next, this page walks you through how Arizona's system works and what your rights are as a parent.

How Screening Works in Arizona

Arizona law requires all public school students in kindergarten through third grade to be screened for reading difficulties — including indicators of dyslexia — three times per year: at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year.

For kindergarten and first grade specifically, your child must be screened for indicators of dyslexia within the first 45 calendar days of the school year (or within 45 days of enrollment if your child starts mid-year). This dyslexia-specific screening looks at five areas: phonological and phonemic awareness, rapid naming skills, how well your child connects sounds to letters, nonsense word fluency, and sound-symbol recognition.

Schools must use a screener from the Arizona Department of Education's (ADE) approved list. As of the 2025-26 school year, the approved screeners include Acadience Reading K-6, DIBELS 8th Edition (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills — a widely used assessment that measures foundational reading skills), mCLASS, Amira, FastBridge, iReady, Istation, aimswebPlus, iSTEEP, and Star AZ Literacy Assessment. ADE reviews the approved list annually and accepts new vendor applications through a Request for Information (RFI) process, so this list can change from year to year.

The dyslexia screening is integrated into the broader literacy screening — your child's school likely administers one assessment that covers both general reading proficiency and dyslexia indicators together.

What Screening Results Mean

After screening, your child's results will typically fall into benchmark categories — terms like "at or above benchmark," "approaching benchmark" (sometimes called "some risk"), or "well below benchmark." The specific categories depend on which screener your child's school uses, but the general idea is the same: the screening measures whether your child's reading skills are developing on track for their grade level.

A result that shows your child is "below benchmark" or "at risk" does not mean your child has dyslexia. Screening is not a diagnosis — it identifies children who may need additional support or further evaluation. Many children who are flagged during screening respond well to targeted reading instruction and catch up. Others may benefit from a more thorough evaluation to understand what's happening.

If your child's screening shows indicators of dyslexia specifically, the school is required to notify you. This notification is separate from the general reading results and should include information about what the indicators mean and what support is available.

What Your School Must Do

When a K-3 student is identified as at risk of reading below grade level, Arizona law is specific about what happens next. The school must provide you with a written notification within three weeks of identifying the reading difficulty. That notification must include:

• A description of your child's specific individual needs
• A description of the reading services your child is currently receiving
• A description of available reading support programs — the school must offer more than one evidence-based approach, and the notification must list the options
• Strategies you can use at home to support your child's reading
• How often the school will update you on your child's progress toward reading proficiency
• A statement that your child may not be promoted from third grade if they don't demonstrate sufficient reading skills on the statewide assessment

That last point is important and often causes anxiety. Arizona's MOWR policy does include a provision where a third grader who doesn't meet the reading benchmark on the statewide English Language Arts exam may be held back (the law calls this "retention"). However, this affects less than 3% of Arizona's third graders each year, and there are four good-cause exemptions. A child can only be held back once.

The good-cause exemptions include: your child is an English learner with fewer than three years of English instruction; your child is in the process of a special education referral or has been identified as having a reading impairment including dyslexia; your child has a disability and the IEP (Individualized Education Program — a legal document outlining the specific support a student with a disability receives) team agrees promotion is appropriate; or your child demonstrates sufficient reading progress through a collection of assessments or through summer intervention.

The focus of MOWR is early identification and support — not retention. The retention provision exists as a last step, not a first response.

Your Rights as a Parent

Beyond the specific MOWR notification requirements, you have broader rights under both federal and state law:

You can request an evaluation. If you believe your child has dyslexia or another learning difference, you can request that the school conduct a full evaluation at no cost to you. This is your right under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act — the federal law that ensures students with disabilities receive appropriate support through public schools). The school must respond to your request — they can agree to evaluate or explain in writing why they don't think an evaluation is needed.

You get to choose your child's reading support strategy. Arizona law specifically requires schools to offer more than one evidence-based support option and to let you choose, in consultation with your child's teacher, which one is used. This is unusual — not all states give parents this level of input.

You have the right to a 504 Plan or IEP. If your child is found to have dyslexia through an evaluation, they may be eligible for a 504 Plan (a plan that provides accommodations like extra time on tests or audiobooks) or an IEP (which provides more comprehensive, specially designed instruction). Which one is appropriate depends on your child's specific needs.

Your child's school has a trained dyslexia designee. Under A.R.S. §15-211, every public school campus serving K-3 students must have at least one teacher or literacy specialist designated as the Dyslexia Training Designee (DTD). This person has received specific training on recognizing characteristics of dyslexia and implementing structured literacy instruction. You can ask to speak with your school's DTD.

ADE has published a Dyslexia Resource Guide for Families. This guide, available in English and Spanish from the ADE website, covers the definition of dyslexia, characteristics by age, and how families can support their child. It also includes a question-and-answer section.

What If My Child Is in Private School?

• Arizona's MOWR screening requirements apply to public schools and public charter schools. Your private school may or may not conduct its own reading or dyslexia screening.
• Under federal law (IDEA Child Find), you can request a free evaluation from your local public school district — even if your child attends private school. The district is required to identify and evaluate children with suspected disabilities who reside in their boundaries, regardless of where they go to school.
• If your child is evaluated and found eligible for services, the support available while remaining in private school is more limited than what a public school student would receive. Services for privately placed students are funded through a proportional share of federal funds, not the full entitlement.
• You can use screening and evaluation results to work with your private school on accommodations and instructional approaches — even though they aren't legally required to provide them the way public schools are.

Where to Get Help

Arizona Department of Education — Dyslexia Resources ADE's dyslexia page includes the approved screener list, the Dyslexia Handbook for educators, the Family Resource Guide, and information about the Dyslexia Training Designee Grant. The ADE also employs a dyslexia specialist who provides statewide support and resources. azed.gov/mowr/dyslexia

ADE — Move On When Reading Parent Resources ADE offers parent-facing MOWR overview videos in English and Spanish, along with guidance on the K-3 reading program, retention exemptions, and how to support your child's reading at home. azed.gov/mowr/family-and-community

IDA Arizona (International Dyslexia Association — Arizona Branch) IDA Arizona provides information on dyslexia legislation, professional development, and a provider directory for families looking for qualified reading specialists and tutors. az.dyslexiaida.org

Read On Arizona A statewide literacy initiative that brings together organizations, agencies, and communities to support early literacy. Their website includes family resources and information about MOWR. readonarizona.org