The five stages
The process is more predictable than it feels from the inside. Knowing the sequence makes it much easier to tell whether things are moving or stalled.
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You raise a concern in writing
Anyone can raise it, but a written parent request starts a legal clock that a conversation in the hallway does not. Put it in an email so the date is fixed.
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The school responds
The district either provides consent forms to evaluate, or gives you prior written notice explaining in writing why it is declining. A refusal must be explained, and it can be challenged.
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The evaluation is conducted
Testing usually happens across more than one session, alongside review of work samples, instructional history and teacher input.
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A report is written
You are entitled to the full written report, and you should ask for it far enough ahead of the meeting to actually read it.
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A committee meets and decides
In Texas this is the ARD committee, which stands for Admission, Review and Dismissal. You are a member of it, not a guest at it.
How to make the request
Keep it short and specific. Address it to the principal and copy the school counselor or the special education contact. Include:
- Your child’s full name, date of birth, grade and teacher.
- A direct sentence requesting a full individual evaluation, including for dyslexia.
- Two or three concrete observations, with dates if you have them.
- Any family history of reading or spelling difficulty.
- Anything already tried at home or school, and what happened.
- A request for written confirmation of the date the request was received.
Verbal requests are frequently absorbed into a wait and see conversation without anyone intending to stall. A dated email creates a record, starts the timeline, and gives everyone a shared reference point later.
The timelines that apply in Texas
Districts operate under defined deadlines. These are the figures currently used in Texas, and your district should confirm them in writing for your specific case.
| Stage | Typical deadline |
|---|---|
| Response to a written request | Within 15 school days, with either consent forms or written notice of refusal |
| Evaluation completed | Within 45 school days of receiving your signed consent |
| Report provided to you | Before the eligibility meeting, so you have time to read it |
| Eligibility meeting held | Within 30 calendar days of the completed report |
School days and calendar days are not the same thing, and holidays and breaks extend the school day count. A request made in mid May can land its meeting in the autumn. If timing matters, ask in writing for the projected completion date at the point you sign consent.
The eligibility meeting
The meeting decides two things: whether your child qualifies, and what services follow. Those are separate decisions and the second one is the one that changes daily life.
Bring the report with your questions already marked. Bring a second adult if you can, because the meeting moves quickly and two sets of ears are better than one. Useful questions to have written down:
- What specific program will be used, by name? A program name is checkable. Dyslexia services is not.
- How many minutes per day, how many days per week? Ask for it to be written into the plan rather than described.
- What are the qualifications of the person delivering it? Ask about training in the specific program being named.
- In what setting, and what will my child miss to attend? Intervention that costs a child recess or a favorite subject has a hidden price.
- How is progress measured, and when will we review it? Ask for a date and a measure, not a reassurance.
You do not have to sign anything at the table. You can ask for time to review, and you can request the meeting be reconvened.
If you disagree with the result
Families have real options here, and most never hear about them.
- Ask for the data. Request the actual scores and subtest results, not only the summary paragraphs.
- Request an independent educational evaluation. If you disagree with the school’s evaluation you may request an IEE at public expense. The district must either fund it or file to defend its own evaluation.
- Get a private evaluation. You can obtain one at any time, and the school must consider it.
- Reconvene the committee. You can request a new meeting when you have new information.
- Use dispute resolution. Texas offers mediation and complaint procedures through the state education agency.
School versus private evaluation compares the two routes directly, including cost and what each one gets you.
Where this information comes from
This page draws on the organizations below alongside the clinical experience of the therapists who teach at Key School. Where the sources disagree, or where a policy is still changing, we say so in the text instead of picking an answer for you.
- The Dyslexia Handbook, evaluation and timelines Texas Education Agency
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, procedural safeguards and evaluation timelines U.S. Department of Education
- Special education rights and the evaluation process in Texas Disability Rights Texas
- Parent guidance on requesting and understanding evaluations Partners Resource Network, the Texas Parent Training and Information Center
