SAISD 504/Dyslexia Newsletter
March 2024
504 Coordinators of the Month
Lauren Saucedo - J.T. Brackenridge ES
Dyslexia Program Specialist Ms. Catalina Almeida (left), Ms. Lauren Saucedo (center), and Principal Marco Morales (right)
The goal of 504 is to remove barriers to learning and provide equal access to education. Working with 504 has deepened my understanding of the needs of my campus and has given me an opportunity to advocate for accommodations and supports which allow ALL of our students to succeed.
Cassandra Gonzales - Bonham Academy
I am the Kinder - 4th grade 504 coordinator and believe early intervention is key to our success in the classroom, transitions, and having a whole team approach that always intervenes and knows our kids. When the whole team is together and aware of the 504 plans, it ensures safety and security for our students and those around them.
Section 504
The 504 Plan is a plan developed to ensure that a child who has a disability identified under the law and is attending an elementary or secondary educational institution receives accommodations that will ensure their academic success and access to the learning environment.
The Texas Education Agency has developed a document with embedded links to provide technical assistance to local education agencies and parents.
Click on the following link for more information: TEA 504_guide.pdf
Supporting Students with Dyslexia
Classroom Support
When it comes to dyslexia, schools in Texas can offer a wide range of support options at an individual classroom level. Some teachers may want to pursue non-degree courses to help them understand current evidence-based trends in dyslexia education, which can help them remain up-to-date on pedagogical research. With or without specialized courses, however, teachers working with students with dyslexia may want to try some of the following options to boost student engagement and to help students retain what they have learned even when they struggle with reading-based tasks and activities.
Providing Multi-Sensory Instruction
Students with dyslexia often struggle to parse written instructions or write long answers to questions. When delivering lessons, teachers should aim to provide multi-sensory instruction that allows students to understand the content of a lesson from a variety of perspectives. This often means delivering a verbal lesson while also providing visuals to improve student comprehension or providing a worksheet in addition to a video that explains the same information. Multi-sensory instruction helps students with dyslexia, and can boost other students' comprehension as well, making it a highly effective and relatively resource-light teaching strategy.
Creating an Inclusive Classroom
Dyslexia can be an isolating experience for students. It can make them feel unintelligent or insufficiently competent compared to their peers, even though dyslexia is not linked to lower overall intelligence. Creating an inclusive classroom means creating an educational space where all students are valued and considered important parts of the educational environment. It means destigmatizing learning disabilities, learning differences, and other experiences that students might have that can make education alienating or challenging for them. When teachers are able to create an inclusive classroom, students with dyslexia and other students are often better able to work together and express their educational needs, ultimately leading to a more respectful and productive classroom for all.
Website: https://texestest.org/dyslexia-training-requirements-texas-teachers/
Dyslexia Explained:
What is dyslexia? What are dyslexics good at? This video helps understand the basics.
Dyslexia Success Stories
Nancy Brinker - founder of Susan G. Komen
Did you know that even the strongest and most successful individuals face challenges? Today, we want to share an incredible story of determination, resilience, and triumph against all odds. Meet Nancy Brinker, the founder of Susan G. Komen, who recently opened up about her personal journey with dyslexia.
Resources - Learning Ally
Learning Ally
More than 80,000 human-read audio textbooks! Learning Ally offers an expansive library of titles built with the help of our nation-wide network of volunteers and professionals with subject matter expertise in areas such as science, technology, engineering and math, making our digital audio books both effective and essential. As a result, now struggling readers can access and absorb the classic books they want to read or need to read for school. For students struggling with literacy reading, listening to real people narrate while following highlighted text on a screen helps them model fluent reading over time. Students can read the same books as their peers, allowing them to participate in class discussion with confidence. The audiobook app helps your students, regardless of grade-level, thrive in the classroom and beyond.
How students can access via SAISD Classlink:
Students login to their Classlink.
Search for Learning Ally and click it.
It will automatically log them in.
Use the “Browse Audiobooks” to find books by title, author, or topic to download.
“My Bookshelf” shows all the books that have been downloaded.
“Read Now” lets students pick one of their books and start reading.