Testing and Identification:

Students at Aristoi are screened for Dyslexia in Kindergarten and in 1st grade. Parents of those students determined to be at risk for Dyslexia will be notified. Parents may in turn request a Full Individual Evaluation (FIE) for Dyslexia and related disabilities pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA). For more information about this process, see Special Education Required Postings.

Effective Teaching Strategies for students with Dyslexia and Related Disorders:

1. Multi-sensory approach
2. Direct instruction
3. Systematic and sequential
4. Positive & reinforcing
5. Emotionally sound

Providers of Dyslexia Instruction (from the Dyslexia Handbook):

In order to provide effective intervention, school districts are encouraged to employ highly trained individuals to deliver dyslexia instruction. Teachers, such as reading specialists, master reading teachers, general education classroom teachers, or special education teachers, who provide dyslexia intervention for students are not required to hold a specific license or certification. However, these educators must at a minimum have additional documented dyslexia training aligned to 19 TAC §74.28(c) and must deliver the instruction with fidelity. This includes training in critical, evidence-based components of dyslexia instruction such as phonological awareness, sound-symbol association, syllabication, orthography, morphology, syntax, reading comprehension, and reading fluency. In addition, they must deliver multisensory instruction that simultaneously uses all learning pathways to the brain, is systematic and cumulative, is explicitly taught, uses diagnostic teaching to automaticity, and includes both analytic and synthetic approaches….A provider of dyslexia instruction does not have to be certified as a special educator when serving a student who also receives special education and related services if that provider is the most appropriate person to offer dyslexia instruction.

Although Texas does not have a certification requirement specific to teachers providing intervention to students with dyslexia, opportunities for those who provide dyslexia instruction to pursue a certification and/or license are available through several professional organizations as well as through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Accommodations and Modifications for Dyslexia/Dysgraphia:

Potential classroom accommodations include but are not limited to:

1. Extra time for tests*
2. Oral administration of tests*
3. Small group administration of tests*
4. Extra time for assignments
5. Note taking assistance

*can also be used on the STAAR Test

Evaluation Requests:

Requests for an evaluation can come from the school or from parents. If from the school, parents will be contacted and prior written notice provided of the proposed evaluation(s), the relevant timelines (see below), etc. If a request for student evaluation comes from parents, the following process will be followed:

1. The school will respond to the request within 15 school days
2. If the school agrees with the parent request, prior written notice will be sent home along with a consent form that requires parent signature.
3. If the school disagrees, notice regarding the district’s refusal to conduct an evaluation will be sent home along with a copy of the procedural safeguards.

Timelines for Initial Evaluations:

Whether the request for an initial evaluation comes from the parent or from the school, once signed consent is received from the parent, the following process applies:

1. The district, in most circumstances, has 45 school days in which to conduct the evaluation and complete a written report.
2. Once the written report has been completed, the district has 30 calendar days to conduct an Initial ARD meeting with parents in order to consider the report and make an eligibility determination.

Services Available: Special Education, 504, & RTI:

The ARD committee, in which parents participate, will make a determination as to eligibility and educational placement. The placement options are as follows, from most to least restrictive:

Special Education

The ARD committee will have two questions to answer:

1. Does the student meet eligibility criteria for one or more disabilities?
2. By reason of the disability/disabilities, does the student have a need for special education and related services?

If the answer to both questions is ‘Yes’, and there are no exclusionary factors, then the student qualifies for special education services and an Individualized Education Program (IEP) will be developed. Possible services can include: accommodations, modifications to the curriculum, In Class Support, and the Resource room. For more detailed information, please visit the links on our Special Education Required Postings page. [insert Req. Postings link again]

Section 504

Students who meet eligibility criteria for one or more disabilities but who do not need special education and related services may qualify for protections under section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. Such students are eligible to receive classroom accommodations, the purpose of which is to level the playing field for students with disabilities.

Response To Intervention (RTI)

RTI is a means by which schools monitor students irrespective of the presence of a disability. RTI plans can be developed at one of three tiers and classroom accommodations can be implemented as needed. These interventions can help expedite possible future evaluations under IDEA or section 504.

Contact information for questions about Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, or Related Disorders:

Blaine Locheed
Special Education Director - District
[email protected]
(281) 371-0700.