• What is Dyslexia? 

    Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.

    These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.

    Mastering the ability to read, spell, and write is fundamental to achieving academic success. Students with dyslexia struggle with those skills despite receiving the same classroom instruction that benefits most students and having adequate intelligence.  

    RMA Public Schools is committed to providing students identified with dyslexia with instruction that is individualized, intensive, and includes phonetic methods and a variety of writing and spelling components as outlined in the Texas Education Agency’s Dyslexia handbook.

    The New Dyslexia Handbook* Effective June 30, 2024, is linked below.

    Dyslexia Instruction

    Those students who are identified are provided with an appropriate instructional program. The dyslexia program includes the components of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and reading comprehension strategies. The instructional strategies utilize research-based, explicit, multisensory phonetic methods and a variety of writing and spelling components to meet the specific learning needs of each individual student.

    RMA uses Reading by Design for our secondary standard protocol dyslexia instruction. Reading by Design is based on the Orton-Gillingham model, which is the best practice standard for dyslexia intervention. The Reading by Design Program is a systematic, multisensory set of instructional routines that include content and pedagogically appropriate practices. This intervention follows an intensive, explicit, and cumulative design for the remediation of reading and writing skills at all grade levels. Reading by Design includes all the components of instruction and instructional approaches supported through research as cited in The Dyslexia Handbook -2018 Update: Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders (pp.40-41).

    Reading By Design Lesson Components

    • Phonological Practice
    • Alphabet
    • Review Decks
    • New Learning
    • Reading Practice
    • Handwriting Practice
    • Spelling Practice
    • Extended Reading Practice
    • Components of Language