What the letter is
Colorado's READ Act requires public schools to assess reading for every student in kindergarten through third grade. Students in grades 1 through 3 are assessed within the first 30 days of enrollment. Kindergartners are assessed within the first 90 days. A low score is a first alert, not a label. The school then looks at a diagnostic assessment and the rest of the child's language and literacy work.
The law calls a gap that meets the state's line a significant reading deficiency. The skills in that line are phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, reading fluency including oral language, and comprehension. If the school determines a deficiency, it writes a READ plan, meets with you, and gives you a written copy. That is the letter.
What the letter is not
The letter is not a diagnosis of dyslexia. It does not say tutoring failed, and it does not say a private evaluation is required. A statewide screen specifically for characteristics of dyslexia is scheduled to begin in the 2027–28 school year. A letter before that is still a reading-deficiency finding. Parents who were hoping the paper would name the reason will not find it there. The reason is a different question, and it is a fair one to ask.
We wrote the parent version of the letter itself in what a Colorado READ plan letter means. This page is about what to do after you have read it.
What an SLP can screen, and what we refer
Reading is a language skill. A speech-language pathologist looks at the spoken-language pieces under the score: hearing and moving the sounds in words, matching those sounds to letters, vocabulary, sentences, and whether a child who can say a word can still understand the paragraph. That is within our scope.
A formal dyslexia identification, when you need that name for a school or a testing battery, is a psychoeducational evaluation. We do not do that evaluation in this clinic. We refer to a psychologist we trust, and therapy can start before that report comes back. We also do not replace the school's READ plan. If the school's support is the right amount, we will say that.
How a video session works from anywhere in Colorado
You request a reading consultation and tell us what the letter says and what you see at home. The evaluation and the weekly sessions are on secure video. A parent is part of the visit, especially while a child is still learning how to look at print on a screen. Families near Greeley who would rather come in person can do that at the Greeley clinic. The drive is not the plan for the rest of the state.
Two districts account for a large share of the families who write to us from outside northern Colorado. The details differ, and the offer does not: Denver, on video and Colorado Springs, on video. The service itself is explained on our reading and literacy page.
Sources
- Colorado Department of Education, READ Act handbook
- Colorado Department of Education, significant reading deficiency
- Colorado Department of Education, READ Act assessment timeline
- ASHA, written language disorders
Request a reading consultation when you are ready. Bring the plan if you have one. Call or text (720) 798-6930 if that is easier.