The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) is required to compile a list of reading assessments for use by districts to identify students at risk for reading failure in Kindergarten, first, second and third grades.
These assessments produce data that is useful for informing individual and classroom instruction, including the grouping of students and the selection of instructional activities and also helps to determine eligibility for special education services.
These assessments must be evidence-based with proven psychometrics for validity and must meet technical/efficiency standards approved by the State Board of Education. However, recent actions by the CSDE reveal a troubling disregard for these requirements, putting students at risk and burdening districts with flawed tools.
For nearly a year, Decoding Dyslexia CT (DDCT) has raised concerns about Amira Learning, an artificial intelligence driven computer reading screener that was added to the approved list, in 2022 without documented evidence of proper review. Through a contested Freedom of Information Act complaint, Decoding Dyslexia uncovered that assessments on the state’s approved list lacked sufficient documentation and were either:
- Never reviewed,
- Partially reviewed with incomplete documentation, or
- Went against reviewer recommendations.
In 2024, as part of a multi-year/multi-million dollar contract, CSDE commissioned experts to review the technical adequacy of the assessments on the list. On September 16, 2024, the commissioned experts submitted their report to CSDE which indicated in part that Amira Learning “does not meet key criteria.”
Yet, instead of immediately acting on this finding, CSDE has yet to disclose this information to the State Board of Education even when presenting an update to the Board in December, 2024 and additionally did not notify superintendents when providing notice on December 13, 2024, of the assessments calendar for the 25-26 school year.
Instead, CSDE has engaged the publisher in an attempt to generate and prompt supporting research after the fact. This lack of transparency has continued to allow districts to purchase Amira.
This inaction is indefensible. Schools are spending taxpayer and federal dollars on an assessment that does not meet approved standards or statutory requirements—directly impacting students who depend on accurate identification and intervention.
The failure to ensure transparency, accountability, and adherence to evidence-based practices highlights the urgent need for an independent Education Ombudsman in Connecticut. An education ombudsman would serve as an impartial watchdog, ensuring that policies and decisions affecting students are based on sound research and best practices rather than bureaucratic inertia or corporate influence.
This office could investigate complaints, enforce compliance with statutory requirements, and provide an avenue for families and educators to raise concerns about education policies that fail to serve students’ best interests. Connecticut’s students deserve an independent advocate to hold agencies accountable and protect the integrity of our educational system.
CSDE must immediately remove Amira Learning from the approved list, inform districts of its deficiencies, and prevent further waste of public funds. The state’s commitment must be to children and evidence-based education.
Allison Quirion is Founder of Decoding Dyslexia-CT, a grassroots movement concerned with the limited identification and access to educational interventions for dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities within our public schools.