Texas Dyslexia Handbook: 2024 Update, Screening and Instruction

Estimated reading time: 14 minutes

The Texas Dyslexia Handbook is the State Board of Education’s set of required procedures for screening, evaluating, identifying and teaching students with dyslexia and related disorders in Texas public and charter schools. The edition in force for 2026-27 is The Dyslexia Handbook: Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders, 2024 Update, effective June 30, 2024. This guide covers what changed with HB 3928 (2023) and the 2025 laws, K-1 screening, evaluation under IDEA and Section 504, the ARD committee’s role, the components of dyslexia instruction, who may provide it and what parents must be told.

Executive Summary

In 2025-26, Texas public schools identified 388,493 students with dyslexia or a related disorder, 7.1% of enrollment and 175.5% more than ten years earlier, according to the Texas Education Agency (TEA). From 2024-25 to 2025-26, the share of students in special education rose from 15.5% to 16.7%, while the share receiving Section 504 services fell from 6.8% to 6.5%.

Those shifts follow the law. Since HB 3928, dyslexia instruction counts as specially designed instruction, so a student who needs it is served through an IEP. The handbook sets the steps; the hard part for districts is having enough trained evaluators, committee members and providers to run them on time.

Which Edition of the Texas Dyslexia Handbook Is in Effect?

The 2024 Update is in effect. The State Board of Education (SBOE) incorporated it into its rule at 19 TAC 74.28, effective June 30, 2024, so districts must follow it as they follow the rule.

TEA’s dyslexia page posts the English handbook (updated August 9, 2024), with TEA’s Dyslexia Handbook FAQs appended, and a Spanish version updated October 2, 2024. There is no 2025 or 2026 edition: TEA’s July 30, 2026 letter says dyslexia screeners must continue to follow the 2024 Update in 2026-27. TEC 38.003(b) also requires each school board to adopt a policy committing the district to the handbook and to commissioner guidance.

What Changed: HB 3928 and the 2025 Laws

HB 3928 (2023) and the 2024 Update

HB 3928 was signed on June 10, 2023 and applied from 2023-24, according to TEA’s August 2023 letter. Now written into TEC 29.0031, 29.0032 and the handbook:

• One kind of dyslexia instruction: no more separate “standard protocol” instruction; all evidence-based dyslexia instruction is specially designed instruction.
• A qualified dyslexia member on the evaluation team and on any committee that decides eligibility.
• A TEA parent form, the Overview of Special Education for Parents, when dyslexia and a possible disability are suspected.
• Progress reports on dyslexia instruction at least once each grading period.
• No more dyslexia programs under Section 504: TEA’s FAQs set the start of 2025-26 as the latest date for these students to begin services under an IEP.

HB 2 and SB 568 (2025)

• Screening moves into K-3 literacy instruments. TEC 38.003(a) and (a-1) now ask the SBOE to define the elements of K-1 dyslexia screening, to be built into reading instruments approved under new TEC 28.0063. TEA’s January 2026 letter says those instruments become required in 2027-28.
• Talking Book Program notice: parents of a student identified with dyslexia must be told about the state library’s Talking Book Program and other audiobook services (TEC 29.0031(e)).
• Monitoring: TEA oversight now includes general supervision under IDEA Part B (TEC 38.003(c-1)).
• Funding: the dyslexia allotment rules changed on September 1, 2026 (see Funding and Staffing).
• Definition: the definition of dyslexia in TEC 38.003(d), which the handbook quotes, was repealed effective June 20, 2025; TEC 29.0031(a) still says dyslexia meets the IDEA definition of a specific learning disability.

Dyslexia Screening in Kindergarten and Grade 1

Screening is a short universal measure that flags students at risk. The handbook is explicit that it is not an evaluation.

• Who screens: a person certified or licensed in dyslexia, or a teacher certified for kindergarten and grade 1, trained on the specific instrument. An educational aide may not screen.
• Cut points are fixed: districts use the publisher’s cut points and report results in PEIMS.
• Parents get results in writing. Many students below the cut point is a signal to review core reading instruction.
• RTI is not a gate: tiered intervention must not delay or deny an evaluation, and any student may be referred at any time.

Evaluation for Dyslexia Under IDEA

When staff who know the student have reason to suspect dyslexia and a need for special education, they must refer the student for a full individual and initial evaluation (FIIE). Core instruction and interventions continue meanwhile.

Notices and Timelines

• Notices: prior written notice, the Notice of Procedural Safeguards, the Overview of Special Education for Parents and a request for consent. See Texas procedural safeguards and prior written notice examples.
• Parent requests: after a written request, the district has 15 school days to seek consent or refuse with notice (TEC 29.004(c)).
• Deadline: the FIIE report is due within 45 school days of consent, extended for three or more absences; consent received 35 to 44 school days before the last instructional day means a report by June 30 (TEC 29.004).
• No waiting period: TEA’s FAQs say a district cannot require a set length of intervention before evaluating.

The Qualified Dyslexia Member

Under TEC 29.0031(b), the evaluation team needs a member who knows the reading process, dyslexia and dyslexia instruction. That person must hold the higher of Texas’s two dyslexia licenses (Occupations Code chapter 403) or the most advanced certification of an SBOE-recognized association; the handbook names ALTA, the International Dyslexia Association, the Orton-Gillingham Academy, Wilson Language Training and IMSLEC-accredited centers. Only if no one qualifies may a district designate another person, who must, within one calendar year, complete TEA’s Texas Dyslexia Academies and its specific learning disability evaluation training, and document training in evidence-based dyslexia assessment.

What the Evaluation Covers

The team assesses academic skills (letter knowledge, word reading, decoding, fluency, comprehension, spelling) and cognitive processes (phonological awareness, rapid naming), then asks whether the difficulties come from a phonological deficit and are unexpected given the student’s other abilities and instruction. Average phonological scores alone do not rule out dyslexia, and a spelling difficulty alone does not establish it.

For emergent bilingual students, the LPAC committee must be involved, TELPAS and home language data are reviewed, oral language proficiency should be assessed again, and an LPAC representative must join the ARD committee.

The ARD Committee’s Role

The evaluation team completes the FIIE; the ARD committee, parents included, decides. Our ARD meeting guide explains the meeting itself. For dyslexia, the committee:

1. Applies two prongs: dyslexia is a specific learning disability (34 CFR 300.8(c)(10) names it), and a need for dyslexia instruction is a need for specially designed instruction. Dyslexia should be named in the evaluation and the IEP.
2. Includes the qualified dyslexia member, plus an LPAC representative when the student is emergent bilingual.
3. Sends accommodation-only cases to Section 504: the 504 committee uses the FIIE rather than a second evaluation.
4. Plans program access: how the program covers the required components, its fidelity rules, and whether the provider is fully trained; departures from fidelity need support in the present levels.
5. Decides placement under least restrictive environment rules, and decides state test accommodations. A campus may not delay services for lack of a beginner group.

Measurable goals for the IEP are covered in reading IEP goals.

What Dyslexia Instruction Must Include

The handbook requires evidence-based, multisensory structured literacy that is explicit, systematic and intentional, usually in small groups, taught by a trained provider and implemented with fidelity.

Delivery must be simultaneous and multisensory, systematic and cumulative, explicit, diagnostic to automaticity, and both synthetic and analytic. The handbook lists approaches research has not supported, such as colored overlays and lenses, dyslexia fonts, vision training exercises and working memory training. TEA’s Resource List of Evidence-Based Dyslexia Programs (November 2024) is optional and, TEA says, not an endorsement. See also specially designed instruction examples.

Who May Provide Dyslexia Instruction

Under TEC 29.0032, a provider must be fully trained in the district’s adopted dyslexia materials and needs no special education certificate unless the position requires one; a literacy achievement academy does not count as that training. The handbook adds documented dyslexia training aligned to 19 TAC 74.28(d), and TEA’s FAQs state that a paraprofessional cannot provide the program.

Credentials are optional. The state’s licensed dyslexia practitioner license requires a bachelor’s degree, 45 course hours, 60 practicum hours and an exam; the higher license requires a master’s degree, 200 course hours and 700 practicum hours, per the handbook. Associations such as ALTA and Wilson also certify. Teaching certificates are covered in Texas special education certification.

Parent Notice and Information

Under 19 TAC 74.28(f), districts must tell all parents about the characteristics of dyslexia, evaluation and identification, effective instructional strategies, the qualifications and contact information of campus providers, accommodations and modifications, the special education process and how to get the handbook. TEA’s Information for Parents handout covers these points. Depending on the student, parents also receive screening results, grading-period progress reports and the Talking Book Program notice. The state dyslexia helpline is 1-800-232-3030.

Funding and Staffing

TEA’s allotment guidance (July 2026) requires spending 100% of the allotment on services for these students; CEIS rules are summarized by TEA. People are the real constraint: every evaluation needs a qualified dyslexia member and every group a trained provider, while 45 states report special education teacher shortages (Learning Policy Institute, 2024-25 data).

Common Mistakes District Leaders Make

1. Using RTI as a waiting room. Tiered intervention cannot delay or deny an evaluation.
2. Keeping dyslexia programs in 504 plans. Since 2025-26, dyslexia instruction comes through an IEP.
3. Filling the dyslexia seat by default. The training route is a fallback with a one-year deadline.
4. Letting aides screen or adjusting the publisher’s cut points.
5. Modifying the program without data. Departures from fidelity need support in the IEP.
6. Delaying services for scheduling. Once the IEP is in place, instruction starts.
7. Skipping the grading-period progress report on dyslexia instruction.

Questions District Leaders Should Ask

• How many kindergarten and grade 1 students were not screened last year, and why?
• What share of students flagged at risk were referred for an FIIE, and how fast?
• How many of our dyslexia members hold a license or advanced certification?
• Is every provider fully trained in our adopted program, and is fidelity documented?
• Does every family of a student in dyslexia instruction get a report each grading period?

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the new laws in Texas regarding dyslexia?

HB 3928 (2023) made dyslexia instruction specially designed instruction, required a qualified dyslexia member on evaluation teams and ARD committees, and set provider and progress-report rules; the 2024 Update implements it. In 2025, HB 2 moved K-1 screening into K-3 literacy instruments required from 2027-28 and added a Talking Book Program notice, and HB 2 and SB 568 revised the dyslexia allotment from September 1, 2026.

What must be included in dyslexia instruction in Texas?

Eight components: phonological awareness, sound-symbol association, syllabication, orthography, morphology, syntax, reading comprehension and reading fluency. Delivery must be simultaneous and multisensory, systematic and cumulative, explicit, diagnostic to automaticity, and both synthetic and analytic. Instruction must be evidence-based, taught by a fully trained provider with fidelity, and delivered through the student’s IEP.

Is dyslexia considered a disability in Texas?

Yes. TEC 29.0031(a) states that dyslexia is an example of, and meets the definition of, a specific learning disability under IDEA, and 34 CFR 300.8(c)(10) names dyslexia. A student qualifies for special education when the ARD committee finds dyslexia and a need for dyslexia instruction; a student who needs only accommodations may be served under Section 504.

What is required to be a dyslexia teacher in Texas?

No specific license is required. A provider must be fully trained in the district’s adopted dyslexia materials, have documented dyslexia training and deliver the program with fidelity. A special education certificate is needed only if the position requires it. The licensed dyslexia practitioner license and association certifications are optional credentials.

Is there a 2025 Texas Dyslexia Handbook?

No. The edition in force is the 2024 Update, effective June 30, 2024 through 19 TAC 74.28, with the English version updated August 9, 2024. TEA’s July 2026 guidance tells districts to follow it for 2026-27 screening. Because the 2025 laws changed statutes the handbook quotes, read it alongside the current Education Code.

Can AI help teachers support students with dyslexia?

AI tools can help a teacher draft a plain-language letter explaining screening results, or turn class notes into a study guide a student can hear with text-to-speech. They do not replace the district’s evidence-based program. Keep student names and records out of prompts, follow district policy and check every output. See the ChatGPT for teachers guide.

Related Resources

• ARD Meeting Guide for Texas Schools
• Texas Procedural Safeguards
• Texas Special Education Certification
• LPAC Committee
• Reading IEP Goals
• Dyslexia Accommodations
• Dyslexia Screening Laws by State
• Specially Designed Instruction Examples

Conclusion

The Texas Dyslexia Handbook turns a short statute into a full process: screen every young reader, evaluate under IDEA, let a qualified ARD committee decide, and deliver structured literacy with fidelity through the IEP. The 2024 Update governs 2026-27, and the 2025 laws point to new screening instruments in 2027-28. Districts that keep policy current, staff every seat with qualified people and report progress each grading period will be ready for both.

Sources: SBOE, The Dyslexia Handbook: Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders, 2024 Update; TEA, The Dyslexia Handbook FAQs; 19 TAC 74.28, Students with Dyslexia and Related Disorders; Texas Education Code, Chapter 29 (29.0031, 29.0032, 29.004); Texas Education Code 38.003; Texas Education Code 28.0063; HB 2, 89th Legislature, enrolled text; TEA, Dyslexia Rule and Handbook Effective June 30 (June 27, 2024); TEA, Enrollment in Texas Public Schools, 2025-26; 34 CFR 300.8, Child with a disability. Other TEA letters and guidance are linked where they are cited.

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