Dyslexia

Mission Statement

The mission of Burleson Independent School District Dyslexia Department is to provide all eligible students with dyslexia with the multi-sensory and phonological awareness skills necessary to compensate for deficiencies in the areas of reading, writing, and spelling, in order to nurture a strong self-esteem and to provide opportunities for them to develop their talents.

Program Goals 

Burleson Independent School strives to have an exemplary dyslexia program for students enrolled in grades K – 12.  Through a responsiveness to intervention process, Burleson ISD monitors students on a regular basis utilizing formal and informal observations, student data and other assessments including but not limited to DRA, ISIP, and/or curriculum based measures.

Pursuant to the TEA’s The Dyslexia Handbook, 2024 Update, students being referred for consideration of dyslexia should have demonstrated age appropriate developmental progress and have received appropriate instruction in reading, including but not limited to accelerated reading programs as required by the state.  Schools must recommend evaluation for dyslexia if the student demonstrates poor performance in one or more areas of reading and spelling that is unexpected for the student’s age/grade and if the student exhibits the characteristics and risk factors of dyslexia as outlined in Ch. 2 of The Dyslexia Handbook, 2021 Update.  In 2017, the 85th Texas Legislature passed House Bill (HB) 1886, amending Texas Education Code (TEC) §38.003, Screening and Treatment for Dyslexia,1 to require that all kindergarten and first-grade public school students be screened for dyslexia and related disorders. Additionally, the law requires that all students beyond first grade be screened or tested as appropriate. In response to the screening requirements of HB 1886, the SBOE amended its rule in 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §74.28, Students with Dyslexia and Related Disorders. While this rule speaks primarily to evaluation and identification of a student with dyslexia or related disorders, it also requires that evaluations only be conducted by appropriately trained and qualified individuals. 

Progression through RTI is not required in order to begin the identification of dyslexia.  Parents/guardians always have the right to request a referral for a dyslexia evaluation at any time.

Burleson ISD is committed to the development and implementation of a dyslexia program that addresses both the Texas Education Code at §38.003 and the Texas Administrative Code at §74.28.

 Addressing Burleson ISD’s commitment, the following reflects the goals of the district dyslexia program:

•     Identify, refer, and evaluate students in K-12 who may be demonstrating characteristics of dyslexia and related disorders;
•     Provide instructional treatment options for students identified with dyslexia and related disorders;
•     Provide staff development that includes:
  • Understanding the characteristics of dyslexia;
  • Evaluation process for the identification of dyslexia;
  • Instruction of students with dyslexia; and
  • Intervention strategies and accommodations.

•     Provide a parent education program pursuant to 19 TAC §74.28(k) that includes:
  • Awareness and characteristics of dyslexia and related disorders;
  • Information on testing and educational diagnosis of dyslexia and related disorders;
  • Information on effective strategies for teaching students with dyslexia and related disorders;
  • Information on qualifications of those delivering services to students with dyslexia and related disorders;
  • Awareness of information on accommodations and modifications, including those allowed for standardized testing;
  • Information on eligibility, evaluation requests, and services available under IDEA, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, and information on the RTI process;
  • Contact information for the relevant regional and/or school district specialist.

•     Provide parents with additional information on the following:
  • Copy of or a link to The Dyslexia Handbook, 2024 Update;
  • Information on effective strategies and options for parents to use at home to effectively communicate and help their child with dyslexia and related disorders; and
  • Information on accommodations allowed for post-secondary testing (PSAT/ACT/SAT).

Objective

All campuses, through an individualized referral process, will identify students with dyslexia and related disorders and provide appropriate, individualized services based on the results of a comprehensive evaluation conducted according to the guidelines outlined in TEA’s The Dyslexia Handbook, 2024 Update, and according to state and federal laws implementing Section 504 and/or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Instruction

Those students who are identified are provided with an appropriate instructional program. The BISD Dyslexia Program includes the components of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and reading comprehension strategies. The instructional strategies utilize research-based, explicit, multisensory phonetic methods and a variety of writing and spelling components to meet the specific learning needs of each individual student.

Reading By Design

Burleson ISD uses Reading by Design for our elementary and secondary standard protocol dyslexia instruction. Reading by Design is based on the Orton-Gillingham model, which is the best practice standard for dyslexia intervention. The Reading by Design Program is a systematic, multisensory set of instructional routines that include content and pedagogically appropriate practices. This intervention follows an intensive, explicit, and cumulative design for the remediation of reading and writing skills at all grade levels. Reading by Design includes all the components of instruction and instructional approaches supported through research as cited in The Dyslexia Handbook -2018 Update: Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders (pp.40-41 ). 

Reading By Design Lesson Components:

Phonological Practice, Alphabet, Review Decks, New Learning, Reading Practice, Handwriting Practice, Spelling Practice, Extended Reading Practice, Components of Language