Is your child receiving early childhood intervention services through a community agency?

The public school system will support your child in the following ways:
- By providing district and federal special education guidelines,
- By providing ECSE introduction and information.

Do you feel your child may need special education services?

If your child is too young to enroll in Calhoun County ISD schools we are here to guide you through the Child Find process. This process is crucial for identifying and supporting children with potential special education needs, and we will coach you on how to engage with the state for evaluations.

ECI Referral

Parents, guardians, and/or community agencies with suspicions that their early childhood student may have a disability as recognized by IDEA and may need specialized instruction and services should complete the following call (361) 552-2550 regarding your child and your interest in special education services.

My child currently attends an Calhoun County ISD campus.
I would like them to evaluate my child, what is the process? 

You may contact your child's campus administrator and request an evaluation. Your request may be written or verbal and the campus has 15 calendar days to respond to your written request.

I am moving to Calhoun County ISD, and my child has special education services in our current district.
What is the enrollment process?

• All campuses in Calhoun County ISD are equipped to provide a range of special education services.
• Begin by enrolling your child at the home campus based on your address. Contact the District Office for help finding the home campus. (361) 552-552-9728.
• Reach out to the campus Registrar to let them know your child accesses special education services. If you are able to provide the most recent evaluation (Full Individual Evaluation or FIE) and/or paperwork from the most recent IEP/ARD meeting, that would be helpful
• The team on your child’s home campus will work to determine how Calhoun County ISD can most closely match services to the most recent recommendations from your last school. If a specialized classroom is required but not available on the home campus, the home campus will coordinate with parents to identify the closest available classroom, and transportation will be available.
• Parents will be invited to a meeting with the campus staff to review recommendations and discuss any further information that is required.

My family homeschools/attends a local private school.
What services/supports are available to us?

Proportionate Share is a program where a student can access a portion of the services on their IEP (Individual Education Program) while continuing to access homeschool or private school. 

Dyslexia is a brain-based learning disability that makes learning to read, write, and/or spell difficult despite adequate instruction and intelligence. Students with dysgraphia, a related learning disorder, demonstrate academic challenges in handwriting, spelling, and written expression. For more information review: 
Dyslexia One-Pager - English
Dyslexia One-Pager - Spanish
What Is Dyslexia? Video by Sandman Hurley
 

Characteristics

Risk factors and signs of dyslexia:

• Family history of dyslexia or reading difficulty
• Early language difficulties, such as delayed speech or trouble pronouncing words
• Difficulty identifying and manipulating individual sounds within words
• Challenges learning letter names
• Difficulty recalling the names of letters, numbers, and familiar objects
• Avoidance of reading and writing tasks
• Inaccurate or slow reading
• Difficulty with note-taking and producing written work
• Overuse of pictures to guess at word

Primary characteristics include difficulties:

• Learning the sounds letters make
• Reading words in isolation or reading unknown words
• Reading smoothly with enough speed and accuracy to comprehend
• Spelling

Secondary characteristics may include difficulty:

• Expressing ideas or concepts in writing
• Understanding what is read

Screening

Per Texas Education Code (TEC), §38.003, all kindergarten and first-grade students in CCISD are screened for dyslexia and related disorders. Kindergarten students are screened at the end of the school year, and first-grade students are screened before January 31st. CCISD uses the Texas Kindergarten Entry Assessment (TX-KEA) and Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI) screener to meet the requirements of (TEC), §38.003, K/1 Dyslexia Screening. Screening results are shared with families. At this time, there is no instrument available for screening for dysgraphia, nor is formal screening required.

Evaluation

To meet federal and state requirements, CCISD provides timely evaluation and identification of students with dyslexia. Professionals conducting assessments (e.g, school psychologists or educational diagnosticians) to identify dyslexia look beyond scores on standardized assessments alone and examine the student’s classroom reading performance, academic history, and early language experiences as part of a comprehensive evaluation.

When the school suspects a student may have dyslexia or dysgraphia and requires additional services, it is the school's responsibility to seek parent consent for a Full Individual Initial Evaluation (FIIE) through special education. This evaluation process, which is part of our commitment to the well-being of our students, ensures that those who are eligible for special education services are identified and provided with the necessary support. It's important to note that students are not evaluated without parental consent.

DYSLEXIA PROGRAM

Calhoun County ISD’s Dyslexia Program currently meets the needs of our dyslexic students through the Reading by Design program and if needed, in high school Reading I/II Course. See the descriptions below: 

June 24, 2024

Per HB 3928, dyslexia and/or related disorders is considered a specific learning disability (SLD) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Parents have a right to request an evaluation through special education if they suspect their child has dyslexia (or another disability). Assessment through the special education process ensures that students eligible for special education services are identified and provided the support they need.  Students are not evaluated or admitted into special education without parental consent. 

From The Texas Education Agency (TEA):

At the April 12, 2024 State Board of Education (SBOE) meeting, the SBOE approved for second reading and final adoption changes to 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) 74.28. Included as a figure in 19 TAC 74.28 is the SBOE’s Dyslexia Handbook. The rule was filed in the Texas Register on June 1, which makes the rule and handbook effective on June 30, 2024. View the handbook.

The Dyslexia Handbook
(Handbook effective June 30, 2024)

Manual Sobre Dislexia
(Manual vigente a partir del 30 de de 2024)junio

Providers of Dyslexia Intervention must be fully trained in the school district's adopted instructional materials for students with dyslexia, as required by Texas Education Code (TEC) §29.0032 (added by HB 3928). This means that a PDI must be fully trained in the school district's evidence-based dyslexia program and able to use individualized, intensive, multisensory, phonetic methods, and a variety of writing and spelling components described in the Dyslexia Handbook [19 TAC §74.28(e)].