• What if I Suspect a Reading Disorder?

    First, talk with your child's teacher. Document what you've seen both at home and with schoolwork. Ask if the teacher has any concerns about your child's academic progress.

    If the teacher shares your concerns, the student's data can be brought to a committee of school personnel who will recommend research-based response-to-intervention (RTI) methods to address the particular area of difficulty.

    Based on the results of these interventions, your child may then be referred on for testing for dyslexia, Section 504, or special education.

    The following steps are taken, in the order listed, when referring a student for evaluation and placement in the Pearland ISD Dyslexia program:

      1. Preventive programs: Strong classroom instruction in phonics, writing, spelling, language arts, and a literature-based reading program.
      2. Response-to-Intervention Committee (RTI): Parents, teachers, counselors, and administrators may refer students to the RTI Committee who will then recommend appropriate intervention strategies.
      3. Intervention: Appropriate interventions are tailored to the student's particular weakness and can include intensive small group sessions, tutoring, additional instruction by the teacher, pullout reading programs, summer school and bilingual programs. These interventions are monitored to collect data on student progress.
      4. Evaluation: Testing can take up to 60 school days and includes a battery of tests that assess phonological awareness, reading fluency (speed and accuracy), rapid naming, reading and listening comprehension, ability to decode both real and nonsense words, and spelling. The committee will then recommend placement, no placement, accommodations with monitoring only, referral for special education testing, or other recommendations suitable for the student. Written parental permission is required for this step and will be obtained prior to any final decision.

    Parents are encouraged to watch the "Could It Be Dyslexia" video by Susan Barton: http://www.brightsolutions.us/.