Special Programs Parent Night: Section 504 and Dyslexia Florence ISD April 28th, 2016 Sage Miller, Director of Special Education and Federal Programs

Agenda 1. Welcome & Introductions 3. Section 504 Overview and Process 4. Dyslexia Overview, Process, and Resources

What is Section 504? Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Federal, Civil Rights Legislation Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education It is intended to “level the playing field” and provide “access” for disabled students. Cara-Most of you are familiar with 504 so I’m just going to review some major points to remember. The purpose of 504 is to “level” the playing field” not to give an advantage or “just in case” support to students with a disability.

“Level the Playing Field” The intent of Section 504 is to level the playing field for students with disabilities to the extent of their non-disabled peers.

Protection under Section 504 A person with a disability is any person who: Has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities; OR Has a record of such impairment; OR Is regarded as having such an impairment Sabine- I would like to give an example of what “regarded as having a disability” may look like. For example, We cannot require a parent to provide medical information regarding a student having ADHD. However, part of our collection of data should include ADD screener given to teachers if 504 is being considered for ADHD. This information along with other data should be used to determine if the student is regarded as havintg ADHD.

ADA Amendments Act of 2008 Effective January 1, 2009 Amends ADA and conforms definition of disability in Section 504 with Amendments Act. Retains the elements of the term “disability”, but changes the meaning of “substantially limits a major life activity” and Being “regarded as” having an impairment. Requires “disability” to be construed broadly.

The Department’s Section 504 List of Major Life Activities Caring for oneself Performing manual tasks Walking Seeing Hearing Speaking Breathing Learning Working

The Amendments Act List of Major Life Activities Eating Sleeping Standing Lifting Bending Reading Concentrating Thinking Communicating

The Amendments Act List of Major Life Activities (cont) Functions of the immune system Normal cell growth Digestive Bowel Functions Bladder Brain Circulatory Endocrine Reproductive Neurological Respiratory

Substantially Limits and Mitigating Measures Prior to the Amendments Act, a covered entity was required to consider the effects on “mitigating measures” such as medication and corrective eyeglasses when determining whether an individual was “substantially limited in a major life activity.” Under the Amendments Act, the effects of mitigating measures must not be considered when determining if an individual is a person with a disability, but can be considered in determining if the impairment substantially limits a major life activity. Sabine-We really want to emphasis that a physician statement of a disability alone does not make a student 504. It helps the committee determine that the student has a disability. The committee cannot consider that it may be controlled with medication. However, they CAN consider if the disability substantially limits a major life activity. So you may have a disability but it may not substantially limit them to the level that a 504 is needed.

Evaluation Total evaluation and determination of program eligibility must be completed within 30 school days. Evaluation includes data gathering, health screening, review information provided by parent and teachers, specialized instructional interventions and strategies, and review of assessments. Once the referral has been made, eligibility should be determined within 30 school days.

Sources of Evaluation Data RTI/ Intervention Data Attendance Report Grades/Transcript Benchmark State Assessments LPAC (if applicable) Discipline Report Dyslexia Testing (if applicable) Home Language Survey Health Screening (campus nurse) Other sources of data include the following:

Placement Procedures Decisions must be made by a group that includes persons knowledgeable about the Student Meaning of the evaluation data The placement options Required Members : Administrator §504 Campus Lead Student’s Teacher Dyslexia Teacher (if applicable) LPAC Rep. (if applicable) The group who will make the decision for placement must be people who are knowledgeable about the student, meaning of the evaluation data, and placement obtions. In GISD the required members are the Administrator, 504 campus lead, student’s teacher, dyslexia teacher, and LPAC. While Parents are not required members, every effort should be made to include them in the process and educational program of their child.

§504 Plan Once the committee determines that a student meets Section 504 eligibility, an Individual 504 Plan must be developed. Every child who is eligible for Section 504 services must have a current 504 Plan on file. They may or may not have services or accommodations. Must be reviewed and updated annually . Every student who qualifies for 504 must have a Plan on file even if they do not require accommodations. These students are placed on “monitor status”

What is Dyslexia?   Dyslexia is a learning disability characterized by problems in expressive or receptive, oral or written language.  Problems may emerge in reading, spelling, writing, speaking, listening or mathematics.  Dyslexia results from differences in the structure and function of the brain.  Although visual and auditory processing problems may exist, language-processing difficulties distinguish dyslexics as a group.  This means that the person with dyslexia has problems translating language to thought (as in writing or speaking).

What is Dyslexia? Continued Dyslexia is not the result of low intelligence.  An unexpected gap exists between learning aptitude and achievement in school.  The problem is not behavioral, psychological, motivational or social, and people with dyslexia do not 'see backward'. Dyslexia is not a disease; it has no cure.  People with dyslexia are unique, each having individual strengths and weaknesses.  Dyslexia describes a different kind of mind, often gifted and productive, that learns differently.  Dyslexics often show special talent in areas that require visual, spatial and motor integration.  Many dyslexics are creative and have talent in areas such as art, athletics, architecture, graphics, electronics, mechanics, drama, music or engineering. In 1986, the first Texas State Dyslexia Law was passed after great efforts from parents, educators, and law makers.

Who Has Dyslexia? The National Institute of Health estimate that approximately 15% of the U.S. population is affected by learning disabilities.  Of students with learning disabilities who receive special education services, 80 - 85% have their basic deficits in language and reading.  Other studies from Yale University indicate that reading difficulties, such as dyslexia, affect 20% of the population (1 in 5).  These studies confirm that dyslexia, or problems with reading and language, is the most commonly occurring learning disability.  Every year, 120,000 students are found to have learning disabilities, a diagnosis now shared by 2.4 million U.S. school children. Dyslexia occurs among all groups, regardless of age, race, gender or income.  Many successful people have dyslexia and many dyslexics are successful.  Recent research has established that dyslexia can run in families.  A parent, sister, aunt, uncle or grandparent may have similar learning difficulties. 

Common Risk Factors Associated with Dyslexia If the following behaviors are unexpected for an individual’s age, educational level, or cognitive abilities, they may be risk factors associated with dyslexia. A student with dyslexia usually exhibits several of these behaviors that persist over time and interfere with his/her learning. A family history of dyslexia may be present; in fact, recent studies reveal that the whole spectrum of reading disabilities is strongly determined by genetic predispositions (inherited aptitudes) (Olson, Keenan, Byrne, & Samuelsson, 2014).

Common Risk Factors Continued Preschool: Delay in learning to talk Difficulty with rhyming Difficulty pronouncing words (e.g., “pusgetti” for “spaghetti,” “mawn lower” for “lawn mower”) Poor auditory memory for nursery rhymes and chants Difficulty in adding new vocabulary words Inability to recall the right word (word retrieval) Trouble learning and naming letters and numbers and remembering the letters in his/her name Aversion to print (e.g., doesn’t enjoy following along if book is read aloud)

Common Risk Factors Continued Kindergarten and First Grade: Difficulty breaking words into smaller parts (syllables) (e.g.,“baseball” can be pulled apart into “base” “ ball” or “napkin” can be pulled apart into “nap” “kin”) Difficulty identifying and manipulating sounds in syllables (e.g., “man” sounded out as /m/ /ă/ /n/) Difficulty remembering the names of letters and recalling their corresponding sounds Difficulty decoding single words (reading single words in isolation) Difficulty spelling words the way they sound (phonetically) or remembering letter sequences in very common words seen often in print ( e.g., “sed” for “said”)

Common Risk Factors Continued Second and Third Grade: Many of the previously described behaviors remain problematic along with the following: Difficulty recognizing common sight words (e.g., “to,” “said,” “been”) Difficulty decoding single words Difficulty recalling the correct sounds for letters and letter patterns in reading Difficulty connecting speech sounds with appropriate letter or letter combinations and omitting letters in words for spelling (e.g., “after” spelled “eftr”) Difficulty reading fluently (e.g., slow, inaccurate, and/or without expression) Difficulty decoding unfamiliar words in sentences using knowledge of phonics Reliance on picture clues, story theme, or guessing at words Difficulty with written expression

Common Risk Factors Continued Fourth Through Sixth Grade: Many of the previously described behaviors remain problematic along with the following: Difficulty reading aloud (e.g., fear of reading aloud in front of classmates) Avoidance of reading (e.g., particularly for pleasure) Acquisition of less vocabulary due to reduced independent reading Use of less complicated words in writing that are easier to spell than more appropriate words (e.g., “big” instead of “enormous”) Reliance on listening rather than reading for comprehension

Common Risk Factors Continued Middle School and High School: Many of the previously described behaviors remain problematic along with the following: Difficulty with the volume of reading and written work Frustration with the amount of time required and energy expended for reading Difficulty with written assignments Tendency to avoid reading (particularly for pleasure) Difficulty learning a foreign language

Identification of Dyslexia Made by the §504 Committee The §504 Committee determines the identification of dyslexia after reviewing all accumulated data from the formal evaluation process including: Data gathering Formal assessment Progress from interventions LPAC Documentation (if applicable) All other accumulated data regarding the development of the student’s learning and educational needs

§504 and Dyslexia When formal assessment is recommended, the school completes the evaluation process as outlined in 504 using the following procedures: Notify parents of proposal to assess for dyslexia (§504): Inform parents of rights under §504 Obtain acknowledgement of receipt of rights Obtain written permission to assess for dyslexia

Dyslexia and 504 Resources for Parents www.understood.org         www.learningally.org www.dyslexia.yale.edu/parents Texas Dyslexia Handbook