Identification

Dyslexia Services

What’s Required

All children with disabilities residing in the State, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, and who need Special Education and related services, must be identified, located, and evaluated. In addition to children enrolled in the public schools, the Child Find duty extends to children who are homeless or wards of the State or are who are attending private schools (34 CFR 300.111. (a)(1)(i) and 20 USC 1412(a)(3)(A)).

For private schools, each district must locate, identify, and evaluate all children with disabilities who are currently enrolled by their parents in private, including religious, elementary schools, and secondary schools located in the district (20 USC 1412(a)(3)(A)). The district must conduct timely and meaningful consults with representatives of private schools; and maintain and provide to TEA the number of children evaluated, determined, and served under this framework 34 CFR 300.131(c), and 20 USC 1412(a)(10)(A)(i)(V).

BIRDVILLE ISD Board Policy Manual 

What We Do

In coordination with the Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) of Tarrant County, we provide services for children from birth up to the third birthday who are deaf/hard of hearing, or visually impaired.

Infants and Toddlers

A meeting will be held with the school district and ECI Program representative before the child's third birthday to transition from ECI to school services.

Through home visits, the teacher models support and advises the parents in the instructional areas of hearing aid management, parent-child communication, listening skills, and language development for students who are deaf/hard of hearing. Instructional materials are brought to the home to make the program effective for the family.

This plan includes activities and techniques that address the impact of the visual impairment on the child's development.

The teachers of the visually impaired demonstrate these activities to the caregiver which can then be continued in the home between sessions.

For children referred before age three, special education services must be made available to the child on his or her third birthday if the student is found eligible.

Not all children served by the ECI Program will qualify for special education services.

Referral Process for Children Served Through ECI:

• A meeting will be scheduled by the Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Team to help the family make the transition from ECI services to special education services at least 90 days before a toddler receiving ECI turns three years old, if appropriate.
  Referral Process for Children Not Served Through ECI
• The child's parents or guardian should contact the district Child Find Coordinator to initiate a Special Education Referral for an evaluation of the child's needs for a pre-school child who is at least two years and 9 months of age.
• The Coordinator or SLP will provide the parent or guardian a referral packet or Prior Written Notice (parent’s native language) of the school's refusal to evaluate by email or physical address.
• After the referral packet is received by the ECSE Evaluation Team, the parent or guardian will be contacted to schedule an evaluation date.
• The evaluation will be completed within 45 school days of receipt of the signed Consent for Initial Evaluation.
• The ARD/IEP meeting will be held within 30 calendar days of the completion date of the written Full Individual Evaluation.

Child Find Procedures for Private Schools

Students who attend private schools located within Birdville ISD are eligible for referral, evaluation, and determination of eligibility for Special Education regardless of the child's district of residence.

In Texas, home schools are considered private schools.

• For students presently attending a private school, the referral source should request an evaluation by contacting the BISD Assessment Coordinator.
• The evaluation will be completed within 45 school days of receipt of Written Initial Parent Consent.
• The ARD/IEP meeting will be held within 30 days of the completion date of the Full Individual Evaluation.

Resources

Child Find: U.S. Department of Education

Dyslexia Services                                                                   

Texas Education Code § 38.003. Screening and Treatment for Dyslexia and Related Disorders. 

(1)  "Dyslexia" means a disorder of constitutional origin manifested by a difficulty in learning to read, write, or spell, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and sociocultural opportunity.   

(2)  "Related disorders" include disorders similar to or related to dyslexia, such as developmental auditory imperception, dysphasia, specific developmental dyslexia, developmental dysgraphia, and developmental spelling disability.

Procedures:

19 Texas Administrative Code § 74.28. Students with Dyslexia and Related Disorders. 

(j) Because early intervention is critical, a process for early identification, intervention, and support for students at risk for dyslexia and related disorders must be available in each district and open-enrollment charter school as outlined in the "Dyslexia Handbook: Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders." School districts and open-enrollment charter schools may not use early intervention strategies, including multi-tiered systems of support, to delay or deny the provision of a full and individual evaluation to a child suspected of having a specific learning disability, including dyslexia or a related disorder. 

• Per TEC § 28.006 Reading Diagnosis, Birdville ISD administers early reading instruments in kindergarten and first grades to determine students’ reading development and comprehension. The information from reading instruments administered under TEC 28.006 is one source of information in deciding to recommend a student for assessment for dyslexia. Additional qualitative and quantitative data is gathered from parents and classroom teachers.
• If on basis of the reading instrument results, students are determined to be at risk for dyslexia and other reading difficulties, the students’ parents/guardians are notified. In addition, an accelerated (intensive) reading program that appropriately addresses students’ reading difficulties and enables them to “catch up” with their typically performing peers is implemented.
• Only those trained in “valid, evidence-based assessments and who are trained to appropriately evaluate students for dyslexia” (19 Texas Administrative Code § 74.28. Students with Dyslexia and Related Disorders) conduct assessments.
• If the committee determines eligibility for dyslexia services, the student may receive standard dyslexia protocol, on the home campus, by a person trained in the area of dyslexia. Progress is monitored using formal and informal tools.
• Upon determination of eligibility for dyslexia, the campus diagnostician reports to the PEIMS clerk for coding.
• Campus reading Interventionists confirm dyslexia rosters every six weeks.

19 Texas Administrative Code § 74.28. Students with Dyslexia and Related Disorders. 
(e) A school district or open-enrollment charter school shall purchase a reading program or develop its evidence-based reading program for students with dyslexia and related disorders that is aligned with the descriptors found in the "Dyslexia Handbook: Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders."

• Students with dyslexia are provided instruction per the TEA Dyslexia Handbook, Revised 2021.
• Students are instructed according to their instructional level. Supplemental reading materials may be utilized to individualize instruction.
• Purchased programs align with the TEA Dyslexia Handbook, Revised 2021.
• Students with disabilities, and who are also identified as a student with dyslexia, receive services following their IEPs. Goals related to specific areas of need are developed and implemented in collaboration with the campus reading Interventionist and/or special education teacher.
• Birdville ISD uses research-based curricula that meet the critical, evidence-based components of dyslexia instruction as outlined in the Texas Dyslexia Handbook.
• Instruction is multi-sensory and interactive.
• All formal evaluators receive initial and follow-up training through the Education Service Centers, district staff trained in the area of dyslexia assessment, as well as dyslexia consultants with expertise in the area of dyslexia.
• General education teachers receive instruction in dyslexia strategies and identification from the campus dyslexia provider.
• BISD Reading Interventionists, who provide dyslexia instruction, participate in onboarding which includes the following:
• Enrollment in Education Service Center’s dyslexia overview
• District instruction in the TEA Dyslexia Handbook, Revised 2021, and local practices and procedures.
• Instruction in district dyslexia curriculum
• Participate in ongoing yearly professional development
•  

Parents of Students with Dyslexia

Parents and guardians receive information regarding dyslexia services from the campus dyslexia provider.

• Parents are provided an opportunity to attend informational meetings.
• Parents may access the BISD Dyslexia webpage for information related to dyslexia and related disorders.
• Parents receive communication from campus reading interventionists regarding dyslexia processes, learning and training opportunities, and resources.

Services to Students with Dyslexia

When a member of the multidisciplinary team or the MTSS/RtI team suspects dyslexia: The TEA Dyslexia Handbook, Revised 2021 notes: “If the student is being assessed as part of a special education evaluation or is already served in special education and a dyslexia evaluation is being requested, IDEA 2004 procedures must be followed.”   

Referrals

The first consideration for dyslexia is evaluation under IDEA.

A request for an evaluation may be made at any time before, during, or after receiving an intervention. Parents or guardians also have the right to request a referral for assessment at any time. Upon receipt of a request for a dyslexia evaluation, parents will be informed that such evaluations are now completed as Full and Individual Evaluations (FIEs) by the Special Education Department.

1. If the parent refuses an evaluation under IDEA:
2. The parent will be provided with the form “Special Education – Consent for Initial Evaluation) and check NO to consent for testing. The Ready, Willing, and Able statement is embedded in the Consent for Initial Evaluation Form.
3. PARENT SIGNATURE IS REQUIRED WHEN AN INITIAL FIE IS DECLINED.
4. The counselor will provide the signed form to the Diagnostician within 24 hours of receipt.
5. The diagnostician will upload and lock the form in the software management system. The student’s status under SpEd will automatically change to “Parent Declined Evaluation”.
6. If a student is suspected of having dyslexia or related disorders, and a parent/guardian has denied evaluation under IDEA/Special Education, the teacher, school administrator, parent or guardian initiates a referral for evaluation to the Section 504 Campus Coordinator.
7. If the parent agrees to an evaluation under IDEA:
8. The campus will follow the district process for Initial Evaluations.

Parent Request:

1.  The district has 15 school days to respond to a parent's request for an initial special education evaluation received by the Building Administrator or Counselor.
2. Upon receipt of the request, the designated campus staff will:
3. Provide the parent with a copy of Procedural Safeguards and have the parent sign receipt indicating receipt of the Safeguards.
4. Request parent to complete and return parents' information form (Note: Not having the completed form should not delay the process)
5. Gather data to be included in the evaluation packet.
6. No later than the 7^th school day, a group of individuals familiar with the student, including the campus diagnostician or SLP will meet to review the documentation and consider the request. The campus reading interventionist should be included.

If the campus team determines that a special education evaluation is warranted:

1. The parent will be notified by building staff by the 10^th day that the referral has been assigned to a Diagnostician.
2. The campus referral lead will add the referral information to the Evaluation Log located in the shared drive.
3. The diagnostician or SLP will contact the parent to initiate the process and allow the parent to give written consent for an initial evaluation by the 15^th school day.

 If the team determines that a special education evaluation is not warranted:

1. The campus Diagnostician will create and provide the parent with Prior Written Notice (PWN) and Procedural Safeguards.
2. The PWN must be provided to the parent no later than the 15^th school day.
3. A copy of the PWN will be kept in the student folder and uploaded into the software management system.

Staff Responsible:

District Level:  

• Section 504 & Dyslexia Coordinator
• Section 504 & Dyslexia Specialist
• Special Education Director
• Special Education Assessment Coordinator

Campus Level:

• Diagnosticians
• Reading Interventionists
• Special Education Teachers
• Section 504 Campus Coordinators

Timelines for Dyslexia Services Activities:

Training:

New reading interventionists participate in Dyslexia Onboarding which includes the following:

• Texas Dyslexia Identification Academy participation - ongoing
• Collaboration & networking with an assigned mentor – ongoing throughout the first year
• Dyslexia assessment training through Education Service Center – second year
• Training in Standard Dyslexia Protocol – August

Education programs for parents and guardians of students with dyslexia:

• Annual Dyslexia Informational events
• Campus outreach
• Newsletter posted to the district website
• District dyslexia webpage

Parent Notification

Before dyslexia testing, the campus dyslexia provider notifies parents of dyslexia services and options.

Dyslexia Screening

• Occurs throughout the year as suspected or requested
• All first-grade students are screened before January 31.
• All kindergarten students are screened before the end of the school year.

FIE (referral for dyslexia under IDEA)

A student will be assessed for dyslexia under IDEA, within 45 school days of the request being made, if a student is suspected of having a disability requiring specially designed instruction.

Evidence of Practice

Description of the reading program(s) used for students with dyslexia:

For the student who has not benefited from the research-based core reading instruction, the components of instruction will include additional focused intervention as appropriate for the reading needs of the student with dyslexia. Standard protocol dyslexia instruction provides evidence-based, multisensory structured literacy instruction for students with dyslexia. (TEA Dyslexia Handbook, Revised 2021

Depending on the grade level, programs may be used in isolation or in conjunction with other resources, to provide instruction in the following required areas as required by the TEA Dyslexia Handbook, Revised 2021:

• Phonological awareness
• Sound-symbol association
• Syllabication
• Orthography
• Morphology
• Syntax
• Reading comprehension
• Reading fluency

Program descriptions, utilized by the district, are provided on vendor websites.

• Multisensory Teaching Approach (MTA)
• Lexia
• AmplioTherapy
• Esperanza
• Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words (SIPPS)

Effective dyslexia intervention includes all of the following (pg. 42):

• Simultaneous, multisensory
• Systematic and cumulative
• Explicit instruction
• Diagnostic teaching to automaticity
• Synthetic instruction
• Analytic instruction 

TSDS/PEIMS reports for students with disabilities identified with dyslexia

• Verified by Dyslexia Providers and submitted to PEIMS clerks before yearly TEA deadlines.
• Ongoing roster updates were provided to campus and district PEIMS clerks.

Evidence of Practice:

• Forms or checklists
• Teacher training artifacts (presentation handouts, sign-in sheets, etc.)
• Agendas from education programs for parents
• Written consent for evaluation
• Evaluation reports
• Copies of Section 504 meetings
• Copies of ARD committee meetings
• Description of the reading program(s) used for students with dyslexia
• TSDS/PEIMS reports for students with disabilities identified with dyslexia

Resources

TEA Dyslexia

Legal Framework for Dyslexia Services

Legal Framework for Special Education

Related Resources