Dyslexia Program Awareness for Educators and Parents

Information for educators and parents about dyslexia in the State of Texas.

• What is dyslexia?

• What are the school districts’ requirements related to dyslexia?

• Who can I contact if I have questions or concerns?

What is Dyslexia?

The current definition from the International Dyslexia Association states: Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective  classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.

Dyslexia and School District/Charter School Requirements

Texas Education Code §38.003:

•  Students enrolling in public schools shall be tested for dyslexia at appropriate times.

• The board of trustees of each school district or charter school shall provide for the treatment (i.e., instruction) of any student determined to have dyslexia.

Texas Administrative Code §74.28: 

• The board of trustees of a school district or charter school must ensure that procedures for identifying a student with dyslexia and for providing appropriate instructional services to the student are implemented.

• A school district or charter school shall purchase or develop its own reading program for students with dyslexia, as long as the program is characterized by the descriptors found in The State Dyslexia Handbook ~ Revised 2014.

• Each school district or charter school must provide each identified student access at his or her campus to the services of a teacher trained in dyslexia and related disorders.

• Each school district or charter school shall provide a parent education program for parents/guardians of students with dyslexia.

Teacher Training Requirements:

Teachers who provide instruction for students with dyslexia:

• Must have valid Texas teaching certificates for the particular grade level(s) that they teach

• Must be trained in dyslexia and related disorders

• Must be trained in the program the district has developed or purchased for use with students with dyslexia as well as in instructional strategies that utilize individualized, intensive, multi sensory,

• phonetic methods

Common Risk Factors of Dyslexia

Parents Preschool – Third grade:

• Failure to understand that words are made up of parts or individual sounds

• Difficulty learning the letter names and their corresponding sounds

• Difficulty reading single words in isolation

• Difficulty reading fluently

• Difficulty spelling phonetically

Fourth grade – High School:

• History of reading and spelling difficulties

• Difficulty reading aloud

• Avoids reading for pleasure

• Difficulty learning a foreign language

Post-secondary:

• Difficulty with spoken vocabulary

• Difficulty completing the reading demands for multiple course requirements

Contacts for further information:

State Dyslexia Consultant

Region 10 Education Service Center

400 E. Spring Valley Road

Richardson, TX 75083-1300

Texas Dyslexia Hotline: 1(800) 232-3030

Statewide English Language Arts/Reading Coordinator

Texas Education Agency Division of Curriculum

1701 N. Congress Avenue

(512) 463-9581

Dyslexia contacts at the Texas Regional Education Service Centers

The State Dyslexia Handbook ~ Revised 2014 is available to download here.

 Dyslexia Brochure