Finding Help
Where to Begin
If you are concerned about your child’s reading skills, one of the most important steps you can take is to have an open and collaborative conversation with your child’s teacher. Teachers have valuable insights into your child’s learning and can work with you to identify specific areas of difficulty and explore potential solutions. https://learningally.org/resource/a-parents-guide-to-identifying-and-addressing-reading-issues-in-children.
Once you have talked with your child’s teacher, you should immediately establish a collaborative action plan, which includes defining specific reading goals and identifying at-home support strategies. The teacher will likely observe your child more closely and, if needed, initiate reading interventions or formal evaluations. https://childmind.org/article/how-to-work-well-with-your-childs-teacher/
If your child is in Kindergarten through Grade 2, California law stipulates that your child should be screened in school for reading difficulties at least once a year, starting in the 2025-2026 school year. The law requires the state to identify approved, evidence-based screening tools, with screenings intended for early intervention rather than definitive diagnosis. Information gathered from early screenings offer added insight into your child’s learning.
Finding help for your child is a collaborative process that may entail the following steps:
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If a child is seen to be struggling in school, a Student Study Team (SST) may be created to explore interventions in general education before considering formal special education assessments. An SST can be requested by anyone concerned about a student's academic, behavioral, social, or emotional performance, including parents/guardians, teachers, school counselors, administrators, or staff members.
Parents can request an SST meeting by submitting a written request to the school principal, classroom teacher, or counselor, detailing specific concerns about the student's academic, social, or emotional progress. While a verbal request is permissible, written documentation creates a necessary record to trigger the process. The school will review the request, possibly monitor progress, and then convene a meeting with relevant staff to create an action plan. There are no state-mandated timelines for how quickly a school must hold an SST meeting, but it is typically convened within a few weeks of the request.
Parents are considered vital members of the SST, ideally collaborating with educators to identify student strengths and address academic, social, or emotional needs within general education. While parents are encouraged to attend SST meetings, they are not required to participate.
Forming an SST is a school-based, best practice, problem-solving process. The team is designed to help teachers, staff, and parents develop effective personalized classroom intervention plans. The process used to develop these plans includes the identification of student strengths and needs and research-based interventions that address those needs. The interventions are documented and monitored to determine their effectiveness.
Once the plan has been implemented, typically for four to eight weeks, the team reviews the student's progress and determines if additional modifications are necessary. If insufficient progress is made, the intervention may be continued or modified for another 8-12 week period. When the SST determines that all possible modifications have been exhausted or the modifications available are not appropriate, the SST or classroom teacher refers the child for an assessment for possible special education services. Parents are notified if a referral for a special education assessment is made by the team. https://www.cahelp.org/program-support-services/regional-services/student-study-team-sst
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When a parent or Student Study Team concludes that a student requires a formal assessment for special education support, it triggers a structured legal process governed by IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 1975)
The following steps typically occur once a referral is made:
1. Development of an Assessment Plan
The school district must provide the parent or guardian with a written Assessment Plan (and a copy of their procedural safeguards) within 15 calendar days of the referral. This document outlines the specific types of tests to be conducted, such as academic, psychological, or speech and language evaluations.
2. Parental Consent
The school cannot begin formal testing without written consent from the parent. Parents generally have at least 15 calendar days to review and sign the plan. The 15 day timeline also applies to any re-assessing as well.
3. The Evaluation Process
Once the signed consent is received, the school has 60 calendar days (excluding long school breaks) to complete all assessments and hold a meeting to discuss the results. Evaluations are conducted by a multidisciplinary team, which may include:
School Psychologist: For cognitive and social-emotional testing.
Special Education Teacher: To assess academic achievement levels.
Specialists: Such as Speech-Language Pathologists , Reading Specialists, Resource Specialists, or Occupational Therapists, if needed.
4. Eligibility Meeting
After testing is complete, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team meeting is held to review the findings. The team determines if the student meets the criteria for one of the 13 disability categories defined under IDEA and if they require specialized instruction.
5. Potential Outcomes
Eligible for IEP: If the student qualifies, the team develops an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that outlines specific measurable goals, services, modifications, and accommodations.
Eligible for 504 Plan: If the student has a disability but does not need specialized instruction, they may instead receive a Section 504 Plan for classroom accommodations.
Ineligible: If the student does not qualify for either, the SST may continue to monitor them through general education interventions and informal
Google. (2026). Gemini 3 [Large language model]. https://gemini.google.com/
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At this stage, the student’s IEP and associated services begin. Accommodations and modifications are provided for both instruction and testing along with a range of multidisciplinary services from different providers as needed to support the child’s educational program.
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An IEP requires accountability and consistent follow up by the school and the child’s parents. An IEP review is conducted annually and must be held no more than 12 months from the date of the last annual IEP, although parents can request an IEP meeting to be held at anytime to address concerns they may have. There will also be a triennial IEP review which must be held every 3 years following the first triennial review. The purpose for annual and triennial reviews is to determine whether the child is meeting their educational goals.
If the goals are not being met, revisions are made in the IEP. In the event that the child is meeting or exceeding their IEP goals, new milestones are determined, or it may be decided that the child no longer needs an IEP and support services will be discontinued
Additional Information about Parent Rights:
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While the law requires the school district to consider and use the resources of the general education program before making a referral for formal special education assessment, a parent has the right to request a special education evaluation at any time by submitting a formal written request to the school’s principal for an evaluation under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 1975).
If a parent or teacher suspects a disability, they can request a formal special education assessment directly, and the district must respond within specific legal timelines (typically 15 days) regardless of whether an SST has met. A school cannot legally require a student to go through the SST process as a prerequisite to an IEP evaluation. By law, a parent’s formal written referral for special education assessment must initiate the assessment process and timelines. https://serr.disabilityrightsca.org/serr-manual/chapter-2-information-on-evaluations-assessments/2-3-does-my-child-have-to-be-referred-to-the-student-study-success-team-before-assessment-for-special-education/#identifier_1_372
Cal. Ed. Code Sec. 56303[↩]
Cal. Ed. Code Sec. 56321(f).[↩]When making a written request, it is recommended to include:
The child’s name, date of birth, and grade.
Specific concerns and observed behaviors.
A request for a comprehensive evaluation.
Documented evidence of previous interventions, if available.
Click on this link to find a sample letter of a request for evaluation: https://learningally.org/Portals/6/Docs/DyslexiaResources/LA_Letters.pdf
A parent can always get a private evaluation at their own expense but, under IDEA, they have the right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense if they disagree with the school's assessment or if the school can't meet the child's needs. The school would either agree to pay for the IEE or, if they dispute the need, go through due process to prove their own evaluation was sufficient.
If you are interested in a private evaluation or private reading support, click on this link to find a list of SERVICE PROVIDERS IN HUMBOLDT COUNTY.
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If you are interested in a private evaluation or private reading support at your own expense, click on this link to find a list of SERVICE PROVIDERS IN HUMBOLDT COUNTY.
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Once a parent requests a meeting, the district has 30 days from the date of the request to hold an IEP meeting. However, if the request for an IEP meeting is to discuss additional assessment, the timeline is 15 days from the date of the request. The meeting needs to be held on a mutually agreeable date in which the parent’s schedule takes priority.
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A parent has the right to request their child’s educational records at any time. From the date the request is made, the district has 5 days to deliver the records. Some districts may charge per page to copy, however, an electronic copy of the records may be requested.
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A Student Study Team (SST) is an informal, general education process focused on brainstorming interventions for struggling students, while an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a formal, legally binding, special education program for students with documented disabilities
Key Comparisons:
Legal Status: SSTs are generally not legally binding under federal special education law (IDEA), while IEPs are highly regulated, legally binding documents.
Purpose: SSTs focus on brainstorming interventions in the general education classroom. IEPs provide specialized instruction to meet unique needs.
Consent & Timelines: IEPs require formal assessment, parental consent, and adhere to strict timelines (e.g., 60 days in California).
Documentation: SSTs produce a plan of interventions; IEPs create a legally binding document that includes goals, accommodations, and services.
Goal: Both aim to support students, but the SST is often the initial step to explore, whereas the IEP is for when disability-related support is required.
Differences at a Glance:
Student Study Team (SST)
General Education (Non-binding)
Early Intervention & Strategies
Open to all struggling students
Regular classroom, usually
Brainstorming, progress monitoring
Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
Special Education (IDEA Law)
Special Education Services
Must have an IDEA-qualified disability
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
Formal Assessment, Annual Reviews
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There's no single test to diagnose dyslexia; it involves gathering data on listening/speaking skills, word recognition, and thinking skills and is often a collaborative process. Some of the professionals involved in your child’s reading journey may include the following:
Educational Psychologists evaluate students' thinking skills, learning styles, and potential learning disabilities, including reading disorders, language-based learning disorders and dyslexia. They can rule out other causes for struggles with reading and assess key areas like the ability to understand the sound structure of language (phonological processing), sounding words out (decoding), spelling (encoding), reading smoothly (fluency) and understanding what is read (comprehension). Using standardized tests and background information on language, education, and family history they can identify persistent difficulties despite instruction. Psychologist-led testing services help schools, families, and educators understand strengths and areas for growth. They provide detailed reports, IEP (Individual Educational Plan) support, strategies to address learning needs, consultation with other professionals, and personalized teaching recommendations for effective interventions.
Reading Specialists are licensed educators with formal advanced training in literacy development including assessments, teacher and parent collaboration, and personalized student intervention. Using evidence-based strategies, targeted instruction focuses on reading, writing, and comprehension skills. Reading Specialists work directly with students of all ages and literacy needs, including those with dyslexia.
Private Literacy Coaches provide personalized reading and writing support, working directly with students and/or parents/teachers to improve literacy skills. Literacy coaches should have training in the Science of Reading and Structured Literacy methods to build skills and confidence. Literacy coaches can assess reading issues, offer targeted intervention, model strategies, and create personalized plans to foster lifelong reading habits.
Speech and Language Pathologists (SLPs) assess, diagnose, and treat a wide variety of speech and language disorders including communication, swallowing, articulation, language, voice, and fluency skills in children and adults. They are uniquely positioned to address reading skills because reading is a language-based activity. SLPs are trained to develop foundational language skills like phonological awareness, vocabulary development, and sentence structure, which directly impact sounding out words (decoding), fluency, and comprehension. Some SLPs have specialized training in Structured Literacy to work on early literacy, diagnosing reading disorders (like dyslexia), and providing interventions for sound-to-letter matching, word-building, and understanding context to ensure strong reading and writing skills. For further information on the roles and responsibilities of Speech-Language Pathologists with respect to reading and writing in children and adolescents click on this link. https://www.asha.org/policy/ps2001-00104/
Resource Specialists (RSP) provide consultation, resource information and materials development as may be needed to address the instructional objectives established for students through the IEP process. The Resource Specialist provides direct individual and small group instruction both within the classroom and on a “pull-out” basis as a supplement to the regular or other special class instructional program in which students may be enrolled. https://hcoe.org/job-descriptions/resource-specialist-teacher/
Child and Family Therapists support dyslexia treatment by addressing emotional impacts (anxiety, low self-esteem, and growth mindset), building resilience, improving family communication, and connecting families to resources. Therapists help normalize the experience, teach coping strategies, and advocate for accommodations, fostering a supportive home and school environment for the child's overall well-being.
If you are interested in reading more about the assessment process, click on these links: