What grade is your daughter in? Is the tutor doing an Orton-Gillingham based reading program with her? Did they give you a measure of her phoenemic awareness? By symbol interpretation, did they mean her ability to recognize the letters or her ablity to understand the sound letters represent?
I would do some checking with the PA department of education to find out the rules that the district must follow for disablities that do not quailfiy for IDEA. If you do not have your own evaluation, I would try to find a way to pay for one from a nuerophsycholgist. There is a chance that you can get this covered by insurance, especially if you can have the order come from your physician, or a psychiatrist. IDEA has favored something called RTI, response to intervention, and the NCLB gives you some additional teeth. Children need not fail to quailfy for assistance and she is entitlled to make a year of progress in a years time, the trick is going to be realizing if she is off track before a year goes by and getting her what she needs. I think you can get this through the school, if you speak the right language and do the right things.
Can you tell me if they used the discrepancy formula to make their call? Did they tell you that her IQ was one number, and her reading abililty is not two standard deviations below that to make their determination? They are in a rough spot if they did, Response to Intervention is the preference now, so kids need not qualify for IDEA before they get intervention for reading issues, that is the whole idea behind RTI, that they get intervention before they are identified as being disabled, in the hopes that fewer children will actually carry the identification.
The place I would push is on the school end. Start wtih www.wrightslaw.com, read about dylsexia, 504 plans (some dyslexia intervention is offered this way) RTI, and Orton Gillingham based reading programs (alphabet phonics.) Also read "Tests and Measurements for Parents and Advocates."
You can PM me with the information and I will try to walk you through. If you have a Scottish Rite Temple in your area, sometimes they offer free dyslexia intervention, and easter seals is worth a try. I would call the PA DOE, and get some help there too, the department of exceptional children, or what ever PA calls their division that oversees school districts with IDEA and 504 issues will be a helpful source of information.
On the wrightslaw web site, you will find a "yellow pages" there may be some support groups in your area and advocates too, get her help as soon as you can. The reading window closes between age 8 and 9, and she does not have any time to waste!
M.