California Briefs: Early Screening for Children’s Reading Challenges and Federal Backing for Behavioral Health

California to Screen 1.2 M. Children for Reading Challenges Earlier Than Ever Before
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California’s reading difficulties risk screener selection panel has identified and approved reading difficulties risk screening instruments. Local educational agencies or LEAs can use these tools to meet a new requirement taking effect for the 2025-26 school year to annually screen all kindergarten through second grade students for risk of reading difficulties, including dyslexia.

Current law does not require California’s students to be screened for reading difficulties. Identifying and addressing reading difficulties earlier in childhood can help students succeed and prevent them from falling behind their peers. In partnership with the legislature, the 2023 Budget Act signed by the Governor required that beginning with the 2025-26 school year, students in kindergarten through second grade be screened for risk of reading difficulties using the tools approved by the panel of experts appointed to the reading difficulties risk screener selection panel on Dec. 16, 2024. This change will ensure that 1.2 million students receive risk identification and any needed interventions early in their educational journeys.

The reading difficulties risk screener selection panel — led by Dr. Young-Suk Kim, Professor and Associate Dean at the University of California, Irvine’s School of Education, and Yesenia Guerrero, a special education teacher at Lennox School District — consists of nine experts who were appointed by the State Board of Education or SBE on Jan. 18, 2024. The Panel was tasked with creating an approved list of evidence-based, culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate screening instruments, by Dec. 31, 2024 to assess pupils in kindergarten, first, and second grade for risk of reading difficulties, including possible neurological disorders such as dyslexia.
The list of screening instruments approved this week and associated resources can be found HERE.

State Secures Federal Approval/Support to Better Help Californians with Behavioral Health Challenges

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom, Dec. 16 announced that the state has received approval from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services or CMS for its proposed Behavioral Health Community-Based Organized Networks of Equitable Care and Treatment or BH-CONNECT demonstration waiver. The waiver comes after Gov. Newsom traveled to Washington, DC to advocate for its approval.
Mental illnesses are among the most common health conditions faced by Californians, with nearly 1 in 26 residents experiencing serious mental illnesses. In 2022, two-thirds of adults with mental illness did not receive treatment. These individuals have historically faced expansive challenges when leaving treatment settings or while experiencing homelessness and stand the most to gain in terms of recovery and community stabilization by accessing services provided through BH-CONNECT. This initiative will help Medi-Cal members — of which there are more than 14 million Californians — with significant behavioral health needs.

BH-CONNECT represents a shift in how California addresses behavioral health care. In partnership with county behavioral health plans, BH-CONNECT strengthens California’s behavioral health workforce, incentivizes measurable outcomes, and fills service gaps to create an equitable and effective system of care — including up to $5 Billion in federal investments. Key features include:
Workforce Investments: Supports a $1.9 billion robust and diverse behavioral health workforce initiative that includes scholarships, loan repayment programs, recruitment incentives, residency and fellowship expansions, and professional development. The workforce initiative will be managed by the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI).
Transitional Rent Assistance: Provides up to six months of rental support, through a member’s Managed Care Plan, for eligible Medi-Cal members transitioning from certain health care facilities, congregate settings, or homelessness. This housing support is crucial in stabilizing individuals during vulnerable periods, significantly reducing the risk of returning to institutional care or experiencing homelessness. Transitional rent will serve as a bridge to permanent housing for members who need it. For members with significant behavioral health needs, other program funding dedicated to housing interventions would provide permanent rental subsidies and housing following transitional rent, providing continuity and supporting members in achieving long-term housing stability as they recover.
Support for Foster Children and Youth: Includes funding to improve access and outcomes for youth involved in the child welfare system who receive specialty mental health services.
Incentives for Counties: Supports a $1.9 billion Access, Reform, and Outcomes Incentive Program to reward county behavioral health plans for improving access, reducing disparities, and strengthening behavioral health quality improvement.
Community Transition In-Reach Services: Supports members transitioning from long-term institutional stays to ensure continuity of care and successful reintegration into the community.
Short-term Inpatient Psychiatric Care: Provides new flexibility for federal Medi-Cal funding for short-term mental health care provided in inpatient and residential treatment settings that meet the federal institution for mental diseases (IMD) criteria.