Dyslexia is a specific learning disability, which means it can be identified through testing. In Sherman ISD, we test students for the characteristics of dyslexia, and those who fit the profile of a dyslexic student begin the class at the beginning of the following semester. Parents can request dyslexia testing. If a student needs testing, the referral comes from the classroom teacher and goes through the Response to Intervention committee. The Take Flight dyslexia program typically lasts two years.  

Characteristics of dyslexia:

• Problems with accurately reading words in isolation
• Problems with reading fluency 
• Problems with spelling

These characteristics are a result of:

• Problems with distinguishing sounds in words (phonological awareness)
• Problems with phonological memory
• Problems with rapid naming

Students will have strengths in non-print areas, such as Oral Language or Math, that make their problems with reading unexpected. (Reversals are irrelevant to the identification of dyslexia.)