Written by Sandie Barrie Blackley, Speech-Language Pathologist
Published on November 12, 2013

Last March, Lexercise proudly launched a free screening tool to help educators identify kindergarten and 1st grade students at risk for dyslexia. This free, online screener was inspired by legislation in Mississippi requiring dyslexia testing in public schools, but can be used by educators and professionals anywhere!
We were so pleased to hear from Renee Matlock, M.A., CCC/SLP in Frankford, IL, who used the screener with a Kindergartener. Here’s what Renee had to say when we asked about her experience.
Renee Matlock: I administered the Mississippi Dyslexia Screener to a kindergarten student. I wish all tests were as easy to administer and score. The print out of the screening results was an excellent summary of the student’s skills as assessed by the screener. (I love using the Z-Screener and the SDQA also.)
RM: Yes, additional information in the following areas might be helpful: 1) Purpose of a screener 2) Rationale for inclusion of the 5 tasks 3) What to do if a student is unable to complete a particular task (for example, this student was unable to decode nonsense words.) I would encourage the educator to do a practice administration.
— Great suggestions, Renee! We’ll work on them.
RM: Absolutely. The results confirmed my initial impressions of the student.
RM: I was able to use the print out to discuss the results with the child’s parent. I could then use these results to explain the need for additional follow-up testing. Also, I loved the ‘timer’ included within the screener!
To learn more about the Missisippi Screener, or to administer it yourself, click here. We’d love to hear your feedback, too!
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