Parent resources

In Texas public schools, a child with dyslexia can be supported in two ways. A Section 504 plan gives accommodations: changes to how the child learns and shows what they know, such as extra time or text read aloud. An IEP (individualized education program) under the federal special-education law, IDEA, gives specially designed instruction as well as accommodations. Since June 30, 2024, the state treats dyslexia instruction itself as special education. So if your child needs that instruction, the route is a special-education evaluation and an IEP; if your child needs accommodations only, a 504 plan can still be the right fit.

House Bill 3928, passed by the 88th Texas Legislature in 2023, changed how schools identify and teach students with dyslexia (Texas Education Agency, House Bill 3928). The State Board of Education then revised The Dyslexia Handbook to match, and the updated handbook took effect on June 30, 2024 through the board's rule at 19 Texas Administrative Code §74.28 (Texas Education Agency, Dyslexia Rule and Handbook Effective June 30). The handbook no longer separates "standard protocol" dyslexia instruction from other specially designed instruction (The Dyslexia Handbook, 2024 Update).

The 2024 handbook says that evidence-based dyslexia programs and instruction are specially designed instruction, and therefore special-education services, available only to students served under IDEA (The Dyslexia Handbook, 2024 Update). A student who is identified with dyslexia but does not need that instruction may still qualify for accommodations under Section 504. In that case the school uses the same evaluation for the 504 decision; it should not evaluate the child a second time.

A school cannot simply stop a dyslexia program a child already receives through a 504 plan, and it cannot end a 504 plan of accommodations except through the usual periodic review. If the child still needs dyslexia instruction, the school must refer the child for a special-education evaluation, and the child keeps receiving the program while that happens (Texas Education Agency, Dyslexia Handbook FAQs). If you are not sure where your child stands, ask the school's 504 coordinator.

You can ask for a dyslexia evaluation in writing at any time. The school must review your child's data and respond within 15 school days. If it refuses, it must give you written notice explaining why, along with the Overview of Special Education for Parents and the notice of your procedural safeguards; you can then use mediation, a state complaint or a due-process hearing. If the school agrees and you give written consent, it must complete the full individual and initial evaluation within 45 school days. The evaluation team must include someone with specific knowledge of reading, dyslexia and dyslexia instruction, such as a licensed dyslexia therapist. Then the admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee, which includes you, reviews the results and decides eligibility (The Dyslexia Handbook, 2024 Update).

Is my child making progress with the current plan, and what data shows it? Does my child need dyslexia instruction, accommodations, or both? If we ask for an evaluation, who on the team brings the dyslexia expertise the handbook requires? Which accommodations will carry over to classroom tests and the state test? These are our suggestions, not the state's; the ARD or 504 committee is where they get answered.

A plan at school covers the school day. At home, many families mirror the same kinds of supports during practice: shorter sessions, no clock, directions read aloud, one step at a time. Baccare lets you set those supports once for practice at home. It does not provide dyslexia instruction, evaluate children for disabilities or eligibility, or replace anything in a 504 plan or IEP. See how the supports match. This article is general information, not legal advice; your school's 504 coordinator, the ARD committee, and SPEDTex, the state's special-education information center, can answer questions about your child's plan.