Editorial Standards & Methodology
ReadFlareexists to help parents and teachers support struggling readers and navigate the school process around reading help. The subject is a child's education, so we hold our content to a clear standard for sourcing, accuracy, and honesty. This page explains exactly how we work.
Last reviewed August 13, 2026. We review this policy at least twice a year.
Our commitment in one sentence
We explain reading development, reading support, and the school processes around them accurately from published sources, we never present anything on this site as a diagnosis, and we never invent a study, a benchmark, a statistic, a credential, or a person.
Where our information comes from
Reading support sits at the intersection of education law and reading research, so our sources come from both. When we describe a requirement or a finding, we work from the material that actually stands behind it:
- The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the U.S. Department of Education's published materials on evaluations and IEPs.
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Department of Education's published guidance on 504 plans.
- NIH and NICHD research on how children learn to read and why some children struggle, described as research rather than repackaged as a rule.
- State education agency materials, because special education procedures and timelines are implemented state by state.
Where a claim depends on an outside source, we link to a primary reference, favoring official .gov pages so you can read it at the source and confirm it yourself.
Your child's numbers stay your child's numbers
Our Reading Intervention Plan is built from the screening scores your school already gave you. You copy the numbers off the report; we never invent benchmarks, we never generate scores, and we never claim to measure your child ourselves. The same honesty applies across the site: reading levels and screening results mean what the school's own assessment says they mean, and interpreting them for your child is work for the educators and evaluators who know them.
Who writes and reviews our content
Our articles are researched, written, and edited by the ReadFlare Editorial Team, a group of writers and researchers who focus on reading support and the school processes around it. Every article carries this team byline and a published or updated date.
We are deliberate about what we are not. We are not reading specialists, psychologists, speech-language pathologists, special education attorneys, or diagnosticians, and we do not publish content under invented expert names or fabricated credentials. When a question calls for professional judgment, such as whether a child has dyslexia or how to handle a dispute with a district, we say so and point you to a qualified evaluator, your school's special education office, or a special education attorney or advocate instead of pretending to be one.
How we keep content current
Each article shows when it was published and, when applicable, when it was last updated. We revisit content on a rolling basis and when we learn that federal guidance, a state procedure, or the research picture has changed. Rules and programs still move faster than any publisher can track perfectly, so a date on this site tells you when we last reviewed a page, not that nothing has changed since. Always confirm current procedures with your district or state education agency before you act.
Corrections and feedback
If you spot something that looks out of date or wrong, tell us and we will check it against the source and fix it promptly. Accurate content is more valuable to us than being right the first time, and corrections from parents and teachers make this resource better for the next family.
Email corrections to team@readflare.com with the page URL and what you believe should change.
What we will never publish
- Anything that diagnoses a child, or any claim that a tool on this site can detect dyslexia or any learning disability.
- Promises that a child will reach a reading level, close a gap, or make any specific gain by any date.
- Invented studies, statistics, benchmarks, or citations to research that does not say what we claim.
- Content that suggests we attend meetings, negotiate with schools, or represent families in any proceeding.
- Fabricated parent or teacher testimonials, success stories, reviews, or ratings.
Independence and how we pay for this
ReadFlare is an independent information publisher. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, NIH, any school district, or any dyslexia or literacy organization, and we do not accept payment from anyone in exchange for coverage. Our free tools, guides, and letter templates are supported by our paid $29 Reading Intervention Plan and the optional Reading Progress Membership. Buying either is never required to read our free content, and a purchase never changes what your school is required to provide or what is right for your child.
Related
Read more about who we are on our About page, review our full disclaimer, or browse our 1733 published articles.
Disclaimer: ReadFlare is an educational technology tool, not a diagnostic instrument. It does not diagnose dyslexia or any learning disability. Consult qualified specialists for formal diagnosis.