II. Characteristics

1. Characteristics of the dyslexic student:

1. lack of academic progress commensurate with potential
2. characteristics of dyslexia or a related disorder
3. adequate intelligence
4. problems learning the letters of the alphabet
5. difficulty in learning to write the alphabet correctly in sequence
6. difficulty in learning and remembering printed words
7. reversal of letters or sequence of letters
8. difficulty in learning to read
9. difficulty in reading comprehension
10. cramped or illegible handwriting
11. repeated erratic spelling errors
12. the constitutional origin of the disability has been documented by ruling out all other possibilities.

2. The following factors must not be considered to be the cause of the student's inability to read:

1. the language difference
2. inconsistent attendance
3. lack of experiential background
4. a brain insult, disease, or surgery

III. Preliminary Data Collection

1. If a student experiences difficulty with reading and/or writing, the following steps are suggested:

• The classroom teacher should make accommodation and modify classroom instructional strategies.
• If a student continues to have difficulty with reading and/or writing, begin the identification process.
• Gather data normally collected in student cumulative folders (vision and hearing screening, academic progress reports, teacher reports of aptitudes, parent conferences, TEAMS results, basal reading assessment, and, if deemed necessary, speech and language evaluation) and confer with the principal and dyslexia designee to determine further action.
• If additional assessment 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 writing language skills.

IV. Student Performance

1. Prior to placing a student in a Phase m program, the dyslexia designee will:

• look for the trends from grade one through the current grade placement
• determine if grades are consistently higher in some subject areas and lower in others
• compare homework to class work; if homework seems consistently better than class work, the designee will investigate reasons
• note the wide range of stanine scores on a standardized achievement test
• if the math total is low, contrast the computation and application (written story problems) scores

V. Speech and Language

1. Students who are refereed to the speech-language pathologist and are subsequently identified as language delayed are at risk for reading difficulties (Not all students will be referred to the speech-language pathologist.) Additional data will be needed to determine the presence of dyslexia and related disorders.

VI. Intelligence Testing

1. If the designee determines that a student has adequate intelligence based on the information collected, then it is not necessary to administer a test

VII. Special Education

1. There will be some students with severe dyslexia or related disorders who will be unable to make adequate academic progress within any of the programs described above. In such cases referral to special education for a comprehensive assessment and possible identification as handicapped should be made as needed. Such referral would be accompanied by the written general and specific notices to the parents of federal and state rights for handicapped children and would follow all mandated procedures.