Texas

State Education Agency (SEA) Dyslexia Legislation

Has Legislation?Yes

Parent Opt-Out/Consent Procedures by Law?
No
SEA Recognizes IDA Definition?
Yes
SEA Recognizes State Definition?
Yes
SEA Has Dyslexia Specialist?
Yes

Texas has numerous laws concerning dyslexia, including Texas Education Code 8.061, 21.044, 21.054, 20.0112, 29.011, 29.017, 38.003, 38.0031, 48.103, 51.9701, and Occupations Code, Ch. 403

HB1886 relates to “dyslexia screening and testing in public schools, the employment of dyslexia specialists by regional education service centers, the development of a list of training opportunities for educators regarding dyslexia, and transition planning for students enrolled in a special education program.”

Texas Administrative Code, Texas Education Code, and Texas Occupations Code all have provisions concerning the education of students with dyslexia. Consult Texas Education Agency’s handbook for more information about laws and regulations.

Screening

Required?Yes

Parents Must Be Notified of Results?
Yes
SEA Publishes List of Screeners?
Yes
Annual Reporting to the SEA?
No
Response to Intervention for Student Learning Disability Eligibility in 2010?
Permitted by law
Severe Discrepancy for Student Learning Disability Eligibility in 2010?
Permitted by guidelines
Student Learning Disability Eligibility (Zirkel & Thomas 2010 Classification)?
RTI permitted, SD and Other permitted only by guidelines (ambiguity in guideline noted)

Texas has a number of regulations concerning the screening of students with dyslexia.  Guidelines are described in the latest version of the Texas Dyslexia Handbook.

HB1886 states, “Unless otherwise provided by law, a student  determined to have dyslexia during screening or testing under Subsection (a) or accommodated because of dyslexia may not be rescreened or retested for dyslexia for the purpose of reassessing  the student's need for accommodations until the district reevaluates the information obtained from previous screening or testing of the student.”

State Recognized Screeners

Please refer to the state handbook for guidance on selecting screeners.

Pre-service

Required?Yes

TEC §21.044(b) describes various pre-service requirements related to dyslexia.

In-service

Required?Yes

HB1886 states, the state education agency “shall annually develop a list of training opportunities regarding dyslexia that satisfy the requirements of Section  21.054(b). The list of training opportunities must include at least one opportunity that is available online. (b)  A training opportunity included in the list developed under Subsection (a) must:  (1)  comply with the knowledge and practice standards of an international organization on dyslexia; and (2)  enable an educator to:  (A)  understand and recognize dyslexia; and (B)  implement instruction that is systematic, explicit, and evidence-based to meet the educational needs of a student with dyslexia.”

TEC §21.054(b) also describes various in-service requirements related to dyslexia.

Intervention

Required?Yes

Multisensory?
Required
Evidence-Based?
Required
Explicit/Direct?
Required
MTSS/RTI?
Required

Texas has a number of regulations concerning the interventions for students with dyslexia. Guidelines are described in the latest version of the Texas Dyslexia Handbook. The above components are described as “standard protocol.” We therefore coded them as required.

Literacy State-identified Measurable Result (SIMR) - Part B

Has Literacy SIMR?Yes

Increase the reading proficiency rate for all children with disabilities in grades 3-8 against grade level and alternate achievement standards, with or without accommodations.

Resources

Texas State Education Agency’s Dyslexia Page

Decoding Dyslexia Texas

International Dyslexia Association Austin

International Dyslexia Association Dallas

Citations

Zirkel, P. A., & Thomas, L. B. (2010). State laws for RTI: An updated snapshot. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 56-63.

Gearin, B., Turtura, J., Kame’enui, E. J., Nelson, N. J., & Fien, H. (2018). A Multiple Streams Analysis of Recent Changes to State-Level Dyslexia Education Law. Educational Policy, 0895904818807328.

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Last modified: 
07/19/2023 - 7:27pm