I. Screening & Treatment

1. A.Teachers will gather data normally collected in student cumulative folders (vision and hearing screening, academic progress reports, teacher reports of aptitudes, parent conferences TEAMS/ TAAS results basal reading assessments, and, if necessary, speech and language evaluation) and confer with the principal and dyslexia designee to determine further action.
   
   If additional assessment t information is needed informal and or formal tests on word recognition, reading comprehension, handwriting, spelling, and composition should be used to identify specific problems related to written language skills.
   
2. Teachers will use information normally gathered in Grade 1 through current grade to identify students who may be at risk for dyslexia.
   
3. Data available during Phase I of the screening and treatment program for dyslexic students include the results of the following that are gathered:

• Vision screening
• Hearing screening
• Speech and language screening through a referral process
• Academic progress reports
• Teacher reports of aptitude behavior, and problems
• Parent conferences
• TEAMS/TAAS scores
• Results of basal reading series assessment

If problems in academic achievement have been noted through academic progress reports, parent conferences or inadequate performance on standardized tests, the school district will evaluate the students academic progress to determine what actions arr. needed to ensure improved academic performance

4. Teachers of At-risk students will be given inservice on gathering information to be used in identifying dyslexic students.
   
5. In Conjunction with the LPAC, the particular needs of Limited English Proficient (LEP) students will be addressed to determine if language barriers are causing the academic problem.
   
6. A student may be referred for testing through special education at anytime. The dyslexia program is not meant to take the place of the special education program. There will be some students with sever dyslexia or related disorders who will be unable to make adequate academic progress within any appropriate remedial or compensatory programs, In such cases, referral to special education for a comprehensive assessment and possible identi6carion as handicapped should be made as needed. Such referral shall be accompanied by the written general and specific notices to the parents of federal and state rights for handicapped children and will follow all mandated procedures.
   
7. From the information obtained in Phase I, it may be determined that specific remedial programming is needed.
   
8. Assessment procedures prior to the development of appropriate remedial instruction may include:

• tests to determine basic reading, reading comprehension, writing, and spelling competency and specific related problems.
• an informal reading inventory to identify specific programs related to reading

9. If expected progress in reading is not made, the student will be placed in an appropriate remedial or compensatory program such as Chapter I, ESL, tutorial, summer school, etc. If a student does not make appropriate progress in Phase II, referral may be made for services in the Phase III remedial program.
   
10. Parents will be made aware of any school difficulty as soon as the problem is noted. Notice of the proposal to identify the child as being dyslexic or having a related disorder will be accomplished by conferences and/or written notices.
    
11. The procedures concerning dyslexia state that the identification will be made by the school district's designee. This designee may be the superintendent, a principal, a counselor, a consultant, a specialist, or a teacher - someone who is knowledgeable about the dyslexia program and guidelines.
    
12. The identification of the dyslexic student requires the elimination of factors, factors that cannot be eliminated, determination of unsuccessful program in remedial programs, and amalgamation of collected data.

1. A student may be identified as having dyslexia or a related disorders if:

• the academic difficulty is specific to reading and/or writing, and/or spelling
• the student's intelligence is average or above average
• other factors have been ruled out

2. The identification of dyslexic students requires the elimination of the following factors as causes of reading or writing difficulties:

• physical causes; brain insult, surgery, disease
• chronic absenteeism
• lack of language proficiency
• lack of experiential background

These factors must be ruled out as causes of the reading or writing difficulty. Further investigation to determine the presence of dyslexia and related disorders may be necessary.

3. If all of the above factors cannot be clearly eliminated as causes of the reading or spelling difficulty, appropriate actions to consider at this time include:

• continuation of Phase II remediation
• additional investigation

4. When it has been determined that a student has been identified as having primary difficulties in reading, writing, and spelling is not progressing academically in the remedial programs of the school district and all other causes have been eliminated, continued evaluation must consider the student's identification as being dyslexic or having a related disorder. Notice of the proposal to identify the child must be issued in accordance with federal regulations all accumulated data and; in addition, a consideration of the possible constitutional origin of the problems. The identification would be determined by:

• the student exhibiting characteristics associated with dyslexia,
• the student lack of appropriate academic progress,
• the student having adequate intelligence,
• the student receiving conventional regular and remedial instruction,
• the student's lack of progress not being due to socio-cultural factors such as language differences, inconsistent attendance, and lack of experiential background, and
• the student's lack of progress having a constitutional origin, in other words, having an inborn developmental basis.

13. If the designee determines that the student has adequate intelligence based on the information collected, then it is not necessary to administer a test.
    
14. Once the identification of dyslexia or a related disorder has been made, the school shall provide for the treatment of a student so identified. This treatment should be offered in a remedial class setting in which the major instructional strategies utilize individualized intensive multisensory methods, also containing writing and spelling components, that include the following descriptors:

• individualized,
• multisensory,
• intensive phonetic, which takes advantage of the letter-sound plan in which words meaning are made of sounds; sounds are written with letters in the right order.
• synthetic phonics, in which sounds of letters can be blended into words for reading, and the words can be divided into the component sounds - for spelling and writing.
• linguistic, which is based on proficiency and fluency with the patterns of language so that words and sentences are the carriers of meaning,
• meaning based, which is directed toward reading comprehension and/or written composition,
• systematic, as material is organized and presented in a way that is logical and fits the nature of language,
• process-oriented,
• sequential, and
• cumulative.

Teachers of these classes shall be trained in and shall utilize these techniques. They will also serve as trainers and consultants in the area of dyslexia and related disorders to regular, remedial and special education teachers.