Manteca Unified Has Been Using an Illegal Reading Test on Kindergartners for at Least a Year. The State Knew. Nobody Stopped It.

<p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</strong><br>April 15, 2026<br>Contact: newsroom@dismalfreedompress.org · (209) 425-2677</p><p>Dismal Freedom Press is publishing findings from a months-long public records investigation into Manteca Unified School District's use of a non-state-approved reading screener in violation of California Education Code § 53008.</p><p><strong>KEY FINDINGS:</strong></p><ul><li>MUSD adopted NWEA MAP Growth as its K–2 universal reading screener in June 2025. NWEA MAP Growth does not appear on California's state-approved screener list under Ed. Code § 53008.</li><li>At the June 2025 board adoption meeting, a district staff member acknowledged on the record that the screener had not yet received state approval. The board approved it anyway.</li><li>MUSD is in year four of a five-year, $1.48 million contract with NWEA. The students being screened are in kindergarten through second grade.</li><li>On December 17, 2024, CDE distributed a letter to every local educational agency in California — including MUSD — identifying the state-approved screeners. MUSD continued using MAP Growth.</li><li>On April 3, 2026, CDE Chief Deputy Superintendent Dr. Ingrid Roberson sent a formal non-compliance letter to MUSD Superintendent Clark Burke, ordering the district to re-screen all K–2 students with an approved instrument before the end of the 2025–26 school year.</li><li>On April 4, 2026, CDE Chief Communications and Engagement Officer Liz Sanders confirmed on the record to DFP: <em>"CDE has reached out to MUSD to offer technical assistance to help bring the district into compliance regarding screening for reading risk."</em></li><li>DFP's CPRA investigation — three separate records requests, a statutory delinquency notice, and a demand letter placing CDE's written confirmation on the record — is the proximate cause of MUSD's production of the CDE non-compliance finding.</li></ul><p><strong>DOCUMENTS:</strong> The complete record, including MUSD's NWEA contract, CDE's approved screener list, Dr. Roberson's non-compliance letter, and Liz Sanders' on-record confirmation, is publicly available at <a href="https://dismalfreedom.press/data">dismalfreedom.press/data</a>.</p><p><strong>PUBLISHED INVESTIGATION:</strong> <a href="https://dismalfreedompress.substack.com/p/manteca-unified-has-been-using-an">dismalfreedompress.substack.com</a></p><p>DFP offered right-of-reply to CDE, MUSD, and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond's press office before publication. CDE responded; MUSD and Thurmond's office did not.</p><p>###</p>