Assessment

The purpose of assessment under the Strong Readers Act is to identify students with reading difficulties early and accurately so that timely instructional support can be provided. Universal screening is used to determine risk status, diagnostic assessments help guide intervention decisions within an MTSS framework, and progress monitoring measures are used to track student growth over time. Together, these assessments ensure all students receive targeted support needed to become proficient readers.

Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, certain groups of students are exempt from requirements of the Strong Readers Act, including screening and creation of a Student Literacy Intervention Plan (SLIP). These students must be able to demonstrate progress toward literacy goals as defined on an Individual Education Program (IEP) or English Language Academic Plan (ELAP).

Students who are exempt from requirements of Strong Readers must fit one of the following criteria:

• The Student participates in the Oklahoma Alternate Assessment Program (OAAP), which is indicated on the Individual Education Program (IEP), and is taught using alternate methods.
• The student's primary expressive or receptive communication is sign language.
• The student's primary form of written or read text is Braille.
• The student's primary expressive or receptive language is not English, the student is identified as an English language learner using a state-approved identification assessment, AND the student has had less than one (1) school year of instruction in an English-learner program.

Exemption Form for Strong Readers

Decisions to exempt a student should be made with the IEP team or the EL teacher working with the student.

Screening assessments are approved by the Oklahoma State Board of Education. Technical guidance documents specific to each assessment have been completed by the publisher and made available for districts' convenience. For training specific to each assessment, please contact the publisher. 

The following assessments have been approved for use for both Universal screening and screening for characteristics of dyslexia. 

The grade-level target for all assessments is the 40th percentile. 

Guidance has been updated for the 2025-26 school year. 

• Amira

• ExactPath

• i-Ready Diagnostic

• MAP Growth Early Learning

• mCLASS DIBELS 8th edition

• Star Early Learning Suite

• aimswebPlus

• EPS

The Strong Readers law states the following: A student enrolled in kindergarten or first, second, or third grade who exhibits a deficiency in reading at any time based on the screening instrument administered pursuant to subsection A of this section shall receive an individual reading intervention plan no later than thirty (30) days after the identification of the deficiency in reading.