Screening for Reading Difficulties in Middle School: Why Teacher Insights MatterWhy Screening Still Matters in Middle School

Reading challenges aren’t just an early-primary concern. Many students who read fluently in the lower grades encounter difficulties later, when reading comprehension becomes more complex and academic demands increase. By middle school, the language, reasoning, and background knowledge needed for success in reading expand rapidly—and some students begin to struggle for the first time.

Accurately identifying those students early is essential. It allows for targeted support, prevents further academic decline, and can reduce the long-term impact of reading problems on learning, confidence, and career opportunities.

What the Research Says

A 2025 study by Cho and Barrett examined the best ways to screen for reading difficulties among sixth graders.

They compared a variety of screening tools, including:

• Sight Word Efficiency

• Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)

• Maze (a reading comprehension measure)

• Multiple-Choice Reading Comprehension (MCRC)

• Teacher Ratings of student reading performance

The findings were clear:

• No single test could reliably identify all students who needed help.

• Combinations of two or three screeners worked better—especially ORF + MCRC, or ORF + Maze + MCRC.

• Teacher ratings added significant value, particularly when schools had fewer screeners available. In resource-limited settings, teacher observations substantially improved accuracy.

• When the full combination of ORF + Maze + Teacher Ratings was used, schools achieved the highest accuracy in identifying students who would later struggle on the year-end assessment.

  
  

Why Teacher Ratings Make a Difference

Teachers see the bigger picture—how a student engages with reading in daily classwork, responds to complex texts, and persists through challenging assignments. This perspective adds nuance that purely standardized measures can miss. When blended with objective screening data, teacher ratings help ensure fewer students slip through the cracks.

What This Means for Families

If your child is in middle school, it’s important to remember:

• Reading skills continue to develop well beyond primary school.

• Screening for reading difficulties should be ongoing, not a one-time event.

• Teacher input is a valuable part of identifying who may benefit from extra support.

Early detection in middle school can mean the difference between a short-term challenge and a long-term struggle.

Our Approach at Baumgarten Child Psychology and More

At Baumgarten Child Psychology and More, we stay current with the latest research so we can support children and families with the most effective, evidence-based strategies. Studies like this one remind us that the best outcomes come from combining objective data with professional insight. When we assess reading concerns, we look at multiple sources of information—formal tests, teacher feedback, and real-world performance—to create a clear, individualized plan for each child.