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Graham ISD

District Dyslexia Plan

Graham ISD

400 3rd Street

Graham, TX 76450

2018-2019

Graham Independent School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability or genetic information in employment or provision of services, programs or activities.

Table of Contents

I. Definition of Dyslexia

II. Screening for Dyslexia

III. Assessment for Dyslexia

IV. Procedures for Identification/504 or ARD Committee

V. English Language Learners

VI. Special Education Students

VII. Students with Outside Independent Evaluations for Dyslexia

VIII. Students Identified Outside the District

IX. Programming

X. Components of Instruction

XI. Program Exit Criteria

XII. Monitoring of Students

XIII. District Contacts

Definition of Dyslexia

As defined in Texas Education Code 38.003

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

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

http://www.statues.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/ED/htm/ED.38.htm#38.003

The International Dyslexia Association defines dyslexia in the following way:

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. (Adopted by the International Dyslexia Board of Directors, November 12, 2002.)

Students identified as having dyslexia typically experience primary difficulties in phonological awareness, including phonemic awareness and manipulation, single-word reading, reading fluency, and spelling. Consequences may include difficulties in reading comprehension and/or written expression. The difficulties in phonological awareness are unexpected for the students age and educational level and are not primarily the result of language difference factors. Additionally, there is often a family history of similar difficulties.

The following are the primary reading/spelling characteristics of dyslexia:

Difficulty reading words in isolation

Difficulty accurately decoding unfamiliar words

Difficulty with oral reading (slow, inaccurate, or labored)

Difficulty spelling

It is important to note that individuals demonstrate differences in degree of impairment.

Graham ISD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability or genetic information in employment or provision of services, programs, or activities.

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Primary Reading and Spelling characteristics of Dyslexia continued:

These reading/spelling characteristics are most often associated with the following:

Segmenting, blending, and manipulating sounds in words (phonemic awareness)

Learning the names of letters and their associated sounds

Holding information about sounds and words in memory (phonological memory)

Rapidly recalling the names of familiar objects, colors, or letters of the alphabet (rapid naming)

Consequences of dyslexia may include the following:

Variable difficulty with aspects of reading comprehension

Variable difficulty with aspects of written language

Limited vocabulary growth due to reduced reading experiences

Screening for Dyslexia

In accordance with TEC 28.006, Graham ISD administers early reading instruments (e.g. DIBELS) to all students in kindergarten, first, and second grades to assess their students reading development and comprehension. If, on the 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. Should students continue to struggle with reading, writing, and spelling during the intensive reading instruction, Graham ISD will initiate procedures to recommend these students for assessment for dyslexia. The information from the early reading instruments will be one source of information in deciding whether or not to recommend a student for assessment for dyslexia.

Graham ISD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability or genetic information in employment or provisions of services, programs, or activities.

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Screening for Dyslexia continued:

Evaluation for dyslexia of students in grades K-12 may include, but is not limited to:

Performance on state mandated test(s)

A students grades/performance in reading, writing and spelling

Teacher observations of the characteristics of dyslexia

This information will be utilized when deciding whether or not to recommend a student for assessment for dyslexia.

Assessment Process

At any time (K-12), that a student continues to struggle with one or more components of reading, Graham ISD will collect additional information about the student. The information will be used to evaluate the students academic progress and determine what actions are needed to ensure the students improved academic performance. Information to be considered includes some or all of the following:

Vision/Hearing screenings

Teacher reports of classroom concerns

Classroom reading assessments

Accommodations of interventions provided

Academic progress reports (report cards)

Gifted/Talented assessments

Samples of school work

Parent conference notes

K-2 reading instrument results as required in TEC 28.006

(English and native language, if possible)

7th grade reading instrument results as required in TEC 28.006

State student assessment program as described in TEC 39.002

Observations of instruction provided to the student

School attendance

Full Individual Evaluation

Outside evaluations

Speech and language assessment

Curriculum-based assessment measures

Instructional strategies provided and the students response to the instruction

Universal screenings

Graham ISD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability or genetic information in employment of provisions of services, programs, or activities.

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Assessment Process continued:

The next step of the assessment process is the formal assessment. This is not a screening; rather, it is an individualized evaluation used to gather data that will be included, along with other data available, to determine whether the student exhibits a pattern of evidence for dyslexia.

Assessment for Dyslexia

Students enrolling in Graham ISD shall be assessed for dyslexia and related disorders at appropriate times (TEC 38.003(a)). The appropriate time depends upon multiple factors including the students reading performance, reading difficulties, poor response to supplemental, scientifically based reading instruction, teachers input, and parents or guardians input. Additionally, the appropriate time for assessing is early in a students school career (19 TAC 74.28), the earlier the better after the implementation of intensive supplemental intervention. While earlier is better, students will be recommended for assessment for dyslexia even if the reading difficulties appear later in a students school career.

Through the 504 process, the school completes the evaluation as outlined using the following procedures:

Notify parents/guardians of proposal to assess student for dyslexia (504).

Inform parents/guardians of their rights under 504.

Obtain parent/guardian permission to assess the student for dyslexia.

Assess student, being sure that individuals/professionals who administer assessments have training in the evaluation of students for dyslexia and related disorders (19 TAC 74.28).

Note: The 504 process is used most frequently unless a referral to special education is indicated.

In compliance with 504 and IDEA 2004, test instruments and other evaluation materials must meet the following criteria:

Be validated for the specific purpose for which they are used

Include material tailored to assess specific areas of educational need and not merely materials that are designed to provide a single general intelligence quotient


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Assessment for Dyslexia continued:

Be selected and administered so as to ensure that, when a test is given to a student with impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the students aptitude or achievement level, or whatever other factor the test purports to measure, rather than reflecting the students impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills

Be selected and administered in a manner that is not racially or culturally discriminatory

Include multiple measures of a students reading abilities such as informal assessment information (e.g. anecdotal records, district universal screenings, progress monitoring data, criterion-referenced assessments, results of informal reading inventories, classroom observations)

Be administered by trained personnel and in conformance with the instructions provided by the producer of the evaluation materials

Be used for the purpose for which the assessment of measures are valid or reliable

Be provided and administered in the students native language or other mode of communication and in the form most likely to yield accurate information regarding what the child can do academically, developmentally, and functionally, unless it is clearly not feasible to provide or administer

Domains To Assess

GISD administers measures that are related to the students educational needs. Difficulties in the areas of letter knowledge, word decoding, and fluency (rate and accuracy) may be evident depending upon the students age and stage of reading development. In addition, many students with dyslexia may have difficulty with reading comprehension and written composition.

Difficulties in phonological and phonemic awareness are typically seen in students with dyslexia and impact a students ability to learn letters and the sounds associated with letters, learn the alphabetic principle, decode words, and spell accurately. Rapid naming skills may or may not be weak, but if deficient, they are often associated with difficulties in automatically naming letters, reading words fluently, and reading connected text at an appropriate rate. Memory for letter patterns, letter sequences, and the letters in whole word (orthographic processing) may be selectively impaired or may coexist with phonological processing weaknesses. Finally, various language processes, such as morpheme and syntax awareness, memory and retrieval of verbal labels, and the ability to formulate ideas into grammatical sentences, may also be factors affecting reading (Berninger & Wolf, 2009, pp. 134-135).


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Domains to Assess continued:

Based on the students academic difficulties and characteristics and/or language acquisition, additional areas related to vocabulary, listening comprehension, oral language proficiency, written expression, and other cognitive abilities may need to be assessed. Areas for assessment are as follows:

Academic Skills letter knowledge (name & associated sound), reading words in isolation, decoding unfamiliar words accurately, reading fluency (both rate and accuracy are assessed), reading comprehension, and spelling

Cognitive Processes phonological/phonemic awareness, and rapid naming of symbols or objects

Possible Additional Areas vocabulary, listening comprehension, verbal expression, written expression, handwriting, memory for letter of symbol sequences (orthographic processing), mathematical calculation/reasoning, phonological memory, verbal working memory, processing speed

Procedures for Identification/504 or ARD committee

The identification of dyslexia is made by a 504 committee or, in the case of a special education referral, the admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee. The committee must include members who are knowledgeable about the

Student being assessed,

Assessments used, and

Meaning of the collected data.

To appropriately understand evaluation data, the committee (504 or ARD) must interpret test results in light of the students educational history, linguistic background, environmental or socioeconomic factors and any other pertinent factors that affect learning.

The committee (504 or ARD) must first determine if a students difficulties in the areas of reading and spelling reflect a pattern of evidence for the primary characteristics of dyslexia with unexpectedly low performance for the students age and educational level in some or all of the following areas:

Reading words in isolation

Decoding unfamiliar words accurately and automatically

Reading fluency for connected text (both rate &/or accuracy)

Spelling (An isolated difficulty in spelling would not be sufficient to identify dyslexia.)


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Procedures for Identification/504 or ARD Committee continued:

The evaluation data collected also may include information on reading comprehension, mathematics, and written expression. Dyslexia often coexists with learning difficulties in these related areas.

Based on the above information and guidelines, should the committee (504 or ARD) determine that the student exhibits weaknesses in reading and spelling, the committee will then examine the students data to determine whether these difficulties are unexpected in relation to the students other abilities, sociocultural factors, language difference, irregular attendance, or lack of appropriate and effective instruction. It is not one single indicator but a preponderance of data (both informal and formal) that provide the committee with evidence for whether these difficulties are unexpected.

If the students difficulties are unexpected, in relation to other abilities, the committee (504 or ARD) must then determine if the student has dyslexia. If the student has dyslexia, the committee also determines whether the student has a disability under 504. A student is disabled under 504 if the physical or mental impairment (dyslexia) substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as the specific activity of reading (34 C.F.R. 104.3 (j)(1)).

English Language Learners (This refers to students served in Bilingual and ESL programs.)

Much diversity exists among English Language Learners (ELLs) and so the identification and service delivery process for dyslexia must be in step with the students linguistic environment and educational background. In Graham ISD, the Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC) will be involved in the decision making process.

Additional data to be gathered when assessing English Language Learners include:

Home Language Survey

Assessment related to identification for limited English proficiency (oral language proficiency test and norm-referenced tests all years available)

Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) information for four language domains (listening, speaking, reading, and writing)

Instructional interventions provided to address language needs

Information regarding previous schooling inside and/or outside the United States

Type of language program model provided and language of instruction


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English Language Learners continued:

If there is not a test in the native language of the student, informal measures of evaluation such as reading a list of words or listening comprehension in the native language may be used.

Assessment of Special Education Students

At any time during the assessment for dyslexia, identification process, or instruction related to dyslexia, students might be referred for evaluation for special education services. At times, students will display additional factors complicating their dyslexia and will require more support than what is available through the general education dyslexia program. At other times, students with severe dyslexia or related disorders will be unable to make a sufficient rate of academic progress within any of the programs described in the procedures related to dyslexia. In such cases, a referral to special education for evaluation and possible identification as a child with a disability within the meaning of IDEA 2004 (20 U.S.C. 1400 et. seq.) should be made.

If the student with dyslexia is found eligible for special education services in the area of reading, and the ARD committee determines that the students instructional needs for reading are most appropriately met in a special education placement, the students individualized education program (IEP) must include appropriate reading instruction. Appropriate reading instruction includes the components and delivery of dyslexia instruction listed in Chapter III: Instruction for Students with Dyslexia. If a student has previously met special education eligibility, the ARD committee should include goals that reflect the need for dyslexia instruction in the IEP and determine the least restrictive environment for delivering the students dyslexia intervention.


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Students Presenting An Outside Independent Evaluation for Dyslexia

For students who present evidence of an outside independent evaluation addressing dyslexia, the following must be considered.

The outside independent evaluation (assessment) must:

Have been administered by an individual certified to conduct an educational evaluation and be knowledgeable about dyslexia;

Be considered valid and comparable to the evaluation standards the Graham ISD would conduct; and

Comply with the requirements set forth in Section 504 and the guidelines in Chapter II: Procedures for the Assessment and Identification of Students with Dyslexia of The Dyslexia Handbook Revised 2014.

The 504 regulations provide that the group of knowledgeable people have a duty to document and carefully consider all sources of evaluation data (34 C.F.R. 104.35(c)(2)). While an outside assessment may be brought to the 504 committee and must be reviewed, it is part of the evaluation data but does not, independently, create eligibility. Instead, the 504 committee determines eligibility based on a review of data from a variety of sources (34 C.F.R. 104.35(c)(1)).

In addition to the outside independent evaluation, data that should be submitted for review include the following:

The student has passed the hearing screening by the school nurse.

The student has passed the vision screening with or without correction (i.e. glasses, contacts) by the school nurse.

The classroom teacher (K-2) has previously provided effective classroom instruction and interventions. [TEC 28.006.]

Parents (in K-2) must be provided with written information concerning their childs difficulties in reading and must have been informed about the accelerated (intensive) reading program and/or interventions that appropriately address the students reading difficulties.

Assessment of Students Identified Outside the District

Students identified as having dyslexia or related disorders from outside the school district source will be reviewed for eligibility in the Graham ISD program. A campus 504 committee will review the identification status of a student newly enrolled in Graham ISD, and the placement of the student in the dyslexia program(s).


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Out-of-State Transfers:

For students who are transferring into Graham ISD from a state other than Texas and who have been identified with dyslexia within the same school year by a public school agency, the following procedures will be followed:

Receiving campus must have written documentation from the previous school district that the student has been identified with dyslexia.

Receiving campus must have written documentation from the previous school district of a current 504 individual accommodation plan (IAP).

Graham ISD will provide the student with a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE) and comparable services to those described in the childs IAP from the previous school district UNTIL the current school district either:

a. Conducts a dyslexia evaluation pursuant to the procedures outlined in The

Handbook, Revised 2014, Section 504; and Senate Bill 866 (2011).

b. Develops, adopts and implements a new IAP, if appropriate, that meets

applicable requirements pursuant to the procedures outlined in The

Dyslexia Handbook, Revised 2014 and Section 504.

Program Description and Options

Once a student has been identified as having dyslexia and require services, Graham ISD shall provide an appropriate instructional program for the student (TEC 38.003). The following procedures will be followed:

In accordance with 19 TAC 74.28(c), districts shall purchase or develop a reading program for students with dyslexia and related disorders that incorporates all the components of instruction and instructional approaches found in The Dyslexia Handbook Revised 2014 (see Chapter III: Instruction for Students with Dyslexia)

Graham ISD will provide each identified student access at his/her campus to the services of a teacher trained in dyslexia and related disorders and a specialized dyslexia intervention at each grade level.

Parents/guardians of students eligible under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 504, will be informed of all services and options available to the student under IDEA (2004).


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Program Description and Options continued:

Teachers who provide the appropriate instruction for students with dyslexia will be trained in the professional development activities specified by the district and/or campus decision making committee. As stated in 19 TAC, 74.28, the teachers who provide appropriate instruction for students with dyslexia must be trained and be prepared to implement instructional strategies that utilize individualized, intensive, multisensory, phonetic methods and a variety of writing and spelling components.

Graham ISD will provide a parent education program each school year for the parents/guardians of students with dyslexia and related disorders. The program will include the following components as stated in the Texas Administrative Code 74.28 Section (h):

Characteristics of dyslexia and related disorders

Information on assessment and the identification of dyslexia

Information on effective strategies for teaching students with dyslexia

Awareness of information on classroom accommodations and especially of accommodations allowed on standardized testing

Components of Instruction

The instructional program will be offered in a small class setting and include reading, writing and spelling as appropriate. The major instructional strategies will utilize simultaneous, multisensory, systematic and cumulative, explicit, individual and intensive instruction as appropriate. Instruction also needs to include diagnostic teaching to automaticity and synthetic and analytic instruction.

Components of instruction will include:

Phonological awareness

Sound-symbol association

Syllabication

Orthography

Morphology

Syntax

Reading Comprehension

Reading fluency

(The Dyslexia Handbook Revised 2014 pp. 26-28)

Graham ISD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability or genetic information in employment or provision of services, programs, or activities.

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Program Exit Criteria

Exit from specialized dyslexia intervention program should be based on a comprehensive and thorough consideration of a preponderance of student data that includes the criteria outlined below. The committee (504 or ARD) will make the determination to exit a student from the Districts dyslexia instructional program if a preponderance of evidence supports such a decision. The data may include the following:

The student has completed &/or mastered the lessons in the Districts regular dyslexia instructional program.

Graham ISD will implement the following measures for consideration as evidence of successful completion of the dyslexia instructional program: Phonemic Segmentation K-12, Phonics Survey K-12, Graded High-Frequency Word Survey K-4, Word Recognition by Grade Level, Oral Reading Fluency Measures 1-6, Reading MAZE Comprehension by Grade Level, Spelling

Other pertinent data from the dyslexia instructional program and the classroom will be considered.

Lack of progress due to factors such as behavior and/or absenteeism prevent the student from benefiting from the Districts dyslexia instructional program. This lack of progress must be documented in either the students 504 committee minutes or ARD minutes along with documentation indicating District remediation.

At times, students will display additional factors complicating their dyslexia and will require more support than what is available through the general education dyslexia program. At other times, students with severe dyslexia or related disorders will be unable to make a sufficient rate of academic progress within any of the programs described in the procedures related to dyslexia. In such cases, a referral to special education for evaluation and possible identification as a child with a disability within the meaning of IDEA 2004 (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) should be made. (The Dyslexia Handbook Revised 2014, p. 23.)

Monitoring of Students

A student that is exited from Graham ISDs dyslexia instructional program will continue to be monitored by the campus dyslexia team to determine if the student is continuing to be successful in his/her classes. The student may continue to require an Individual Accommodation Plan (IAP) to be implemented in the general education classroom. All students will receive an annual review by either the Campus 504 committee or the ARD committee. (Handbook, p. 73)

Graham ISD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability or genetic information in employment or provision of services, programs or activities.

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Contacts for Dyslexia:

Location

Name

Phone Number

GISD Admin. Building

Dr. Colleen Netterville, 504 District Coordinator

940.549.3399

Graham High School

Gary Browning, Director of Curriculum and Instruction

940.549.1504

Pioneer Elementary

Lisa Budarf, Principal

940.549.2442

Crestview Elementary

Amanda Townley, Principal

940.549.6023

Woodland Elementary

Donna Gatlin, Principal

940.549.4090

Graham Junior High

Ginger Robbins, Principal

940.549.2002

Graham High School

Joe Gordy, Principal

940.549.1504

All Campuses

Micki Bullock, Holly Camp, Suzanne Hollingsworth, Dana Burgess Dyslexia Therapists with GISD

*See above numbers

Graham ISD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability or genetic information in employment or provision of services, programs or activities.

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