What is the EarlyBird Literacy Screener?
“Families might be new to the term and use of a reading assessment or screener. Literacy screening is a process for identifying children at risk of later reading problems. Typically undertaken in elementary and middle school, screening measures may be paper and pencil tasks administered directly by the specialist (ie teacher, learning specialist, neuropsychologist) or computer-administered. The EarlyBird screener is an interactive, adaptive game that compares your child’s score to a larger ‘sample size’ of same-grade peers.”
Following is an informational Q+A with Eileen Catizone, Literacy Lead at EarlyBird Education. Thank you to Eileen for sharing this comprehensive overview of the EarlyBird Screener as well as discussing the early signs of dyslexia. Also, thank you to EarlyBird for fulfilling their mission of “giving educators and families the tools and confidence they need to ensure children enjoy the rewards of reading.”
Q: What is the EarlyBird screener?
EarlyBird Screener by EarlyBird Education
A: Developed by experts at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Florida Center for Reading Research, and used by thousands of children in school districts across the country, our early literacy screener assesses critical skills found to be most predictive of later reading success. The EarlyBird screener, currently available for grades Pre-K through 2nd grades, is a child-friendly interactive game, unlike more traditional “pencil and paper” assessments. Your child takes a journey through a city on a fun adventure with their new friend, “Pip”, a friendly toucan, and will meet other animal friends along the way. Each animal friend will introduce a new skill or “subtest”. The screener is broken down into “stations,” each one just a few minutes in length. At each “station” the game adapts to your child’s level of ability in order to quickly and precisely determine their individual strengths and weaknesses. Our screener is neither designed nor intended to be used as a diagnosis, but rather intended to “catch” reading difficulties early so that children can receive timely and targeted intervention and prevent reading and comprehension challenges down the road.
Q: How does the screener help to identify students who are dyslexic?
A: The EarlyBird screener assesses the key literacy milestones shown to be most predictive of later reading success identified by the National Reading Panel1. Coupling the latest research with cutting edge technology, EarlyBird identifies children at substantial risk for dyslexia and other reading struggles. It provides parents with a “risk flag” for dyslexia utilizing the game’s algorithm for scoring of the subtests that feed into the risk profile. Please note however, that our screener is not a diagnostic tool nor meant to replace a formal evaluation.
1 https://ortongillinghamonlinetutor.com/the-national-reading-panel-and-the-big-five/
Q: What are the early signs of dyslexia?
A: Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. Dyslexia is predominantly characterized by a core deficit in phonological processing (the ability to recognize and manipulate speech sounds), which results in impairments in decoding (“sounding out” words), spelling, and word recognition. These impairments almost always lead to difficulties in reading fluency and comprehension, reduced vocabulary, lower content knowledge, and a decline in overall school performance.
Dyslexia impacts children in different ways. For preschool aged children, signs can include:
● Mispronouncing words or having trouble with letter placement in a word
● Rhyming difficulties
● Challenges or processing delays around naming or identifying common objects.
● Trouble following directions or remembering sequencing (ie multi-step directions)
For kids in Kindergarten through 2nd grade, signs can include:
● Confusing the order of letters in words
● Struggling with reading and writing, often more slowly than peers
● Trouble following directions or remembering sequencing (ie multi-step directions)
● Difficulty with spelling
● Forming letters the wrong way round (e.g. writing ‘b’ instead of ‘d’)
Q: When should parents reach out to EarlyBird?
A: Cognitive-behavioral research has revealed that there are early literacy skill deficits that represent red flags for dyslexia risk and can be measured as early as preschool age (approx. 4-5 years old). The goal of screening is to identify kids who are struggling with reading so they can receive targeted intervention. EarlyBird believes that taking a preventive approach makes a difference. Intervention in Kindergarten & 1st grade has shown to be 25-50% more effective than waiting until 2nd & 3rd grades. As such, we encourage parents to reach out in Kindergarten if there is a family history of dyslexia or other signs their child might be struggling with building reading skills. Trust your instincts in what you are observing about your child and suspect they might have dyslexia. Even if your child ultimately does not have dyslexia, getting screened or tested can uncover other reading challenges that need to be addressed. From there, parents can work with their child’s teachers. If you suspect that your child might have dyslexia, EarlyBird is here to help. You can schedule a free call to speak with one of our literacy specialists about your child.
To learn more about our program please go to our “families” section of our website or book a free 20 minute consultation with a team member using the scheduling link: https://info.earlybirdeducation.com/meet-with-a-literacy-specialist.
Q: How often could a child be screened with EarlyBird?
A: We offer two different options for parents to screen their child. They can either purchase the solution 1x to identify where a child might be struggling at any given time of the year (including the summer) or they can purchase the option to screen their child 3x’s over the course of the year to evaluate progress and skill acquisition. In this scenario, we typically will evaluate every 4-5 months.
Q: It’s so valuable that parents have the opportunity to work with an esteemed literacy specialist. What is their role in the screening process?
A: Our Literacy Specialist team all have deep experience in the implementation of the “Science of Reading” instruction as well as certifications from dyslexia programs like Orton-Gillingham and Wilson. Our Literacy Specialist helps parents understand their child’s reading strengths and weaknesses. She has 20 years as a dyslexia therapist and provides both technical support during the assessment as well as moral support (if needed) for your child if they are struggling with the game. She brings her background and observations of your child’s game play to the family conference where you receive a comprehensive report. During the virtual meeting, she will review your child’s results and provide insight into the areas/skills where they might need intervention and/or additional support. Whether parents are fluent in reading skills or new to this, our Literacy Specialist provides an accessible and easy way for parents to understand their child’s results and discuss recommendations. We offer families a free consultation so they can learn more about our program and answer any questions they have.
Q: Is there anything else that you’d like to share with our families?
A: Families might be new to the term and use of a reading assessment or screener. Literacy screening is a process for identifying children at risk of later reading problems. Typically undertaken in elementary and middle school, screening measures may be paper and pencil tasks administered directly by the specialist (ie teacher, learning specialist, neuropsychologist) or computer-administered. The EarlyBird screener is an interactive, adaptive game that compares your child’s score to a larger “sample size” of same-grade peers. We’ve developed a screener for children as early as Pre-Kindergarten that doesn’t require that your child can read. It gives parents the ability to know if their child is at risk for dyslexia, as early as Kindergarten, during that early learning window when intervention is most effective. EarlyBird’s goal is for every child to have the opportunity to learn. It is the first and only innovative solution in the market for pre-reading children, ages 4-8. We look forward to meeting your family and starting your child off on a life-long journey of reading success!
Save 20% on the comprehensive EarlyBird assessment with code RTORA20.
The assessment includes:
1 hour session with a Literacy Specialist to observe the child take the assessment.
45 minute conference with an EarlyBird Literacy Specialist to review the results.
Personalized, comprehensive report and action plan based on the child’s results. This includes details on the level of the child, observations the Literacy Specialist made, and advice on next steps for each of the subtests in the EarlyBird Assessment.