State Approves UCSF Reading Screener in CA Public Schools
The screener, called Multitudes, was developed by UCSF’s Dyslexia Center and is based in neuroscience.
California officials have picked a UC San Francisco-created tool as one that public schools can use to spot early signs of reading problems including dyslexia.
State law requires all California public schools to screen young children in reading starting in the 2025-26 school year. The screener identifies risks for dyslexia and other reading challenges in kindergarten through second grade.
The UCSF Dyslexia Center developed its screener, Multitudes, over four years with more than 15,000 California schoolchildren.
“We’re using technology to bring UCSF's cutting-edge neuroscience directly into California's classrooms,” said Marilu Gorno Tempini, MD, PhD, director of the UCSF Dyslexia Center.
“Our screener is science-backed, free of charge, and culturally responsive,” she said. “It supports early readers from diverse backgrounds, including California’s more than 1.1 million English learners.”
Multitudes is available in English and Spanish. It has real-time dashboards and information to guide interventions for individual students as well as classrooms. It also contains resources for professional development.
UCSF researchers continue to refine the tool and hope to extend it to the healthcare setting.
“Early screening can provide all children the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive in literacy,” said Tempini, who is the principal investigator of UCSF Multitudes. “We’re so thrilled to play a part in advancing equity in education and brain health across the Golden State.”
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is exclusively focused on the health sciences and is dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes UCSF Health, which comprises three top-ranked hospitals, as well as affiliations throughout the Bay Area. Visit ucsf.edu, or see our Fact Sheet.