Supporting Students with Dyslexia

Dyslexia varies in degrees of severity and is not indicative of low intelligence or a lack of motivation. With appropriate educational strategies and interventions, individuals with dyslexia can achieve academic success.
 

Effective Approaches

PSD's comprehensive literacy program is built with a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), allowing students access to high-quality classroom instruction followed by interventions that increase the time and intensity of instruction.

Key strategies used in PSD:

• Structured Literacy Programs: These programs are explicit, systematic, and sequential. They focus on teaching oral phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, reading fluency, and comprehension strategies. PSD's adopted elementary instructional materials have been approved by the Colorado Department of Education as effective, evidence-based structured literacy programs.

• Phonemic Awareness Training: Teaching students to recognize and manipulate phonemes, the smallest units of sound in a language, is foundational for reading and spelling.

• Systematic and Explicit Phonics Instruction: This approach teaches students the relationships between letters and sounds and how to apply this knowledge in reading.

• Vocabulary and Comprehension Strategies: Direct teaching of vocabulary and strategies to improve comprehension can help students understand and retain what they read.

• Fluency Training: Practices like guided repeated reading can improve reading accuracy, speed, and expression, which are often challenging for students with dyslexia.

• Oral Language: Incorporating oral language development into structured literacy instruction not only supports the specific needs of students with dyslexia but also enhances overall literacy for all students. It's a holistic approach that addresses various aspects of language, necessary for proficient reading and writing. It provides a foundation for reading and writing skills.

• Individualized Instruction: Tailoring lessons to meet the specific needs of each student with dyslexia is crucial. This might include one-on-one or small group instruction based on individual student data and built on strengths with a focus on areas of need.

• Multi-sensory Teaching Techniques: Incorporating visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile elements helps reinforce learning. For instance, students might trace letters while saying the letter sounds.

• Ongoing Assessment and Feedback: Regular assessment helps track progress and provides opportunities for positive feedback, which guides next steps and is important for building student confidence.

• Use of Assistive Technology: Tools like text-to-speech and speech-to-text software can support reading and writing tasks.

Assessment

All PSD students are screened on their reading skills development three times per year in kindergarten through third grade. Students found to have reading deficiencies are provided individualized, targeted instruction and participate in high-quality universal literacy instruction. Their progress is monitored regularly to determine the effectiveness of instruction and next steps for instruction. Targeted instruction and progress monitoring are documented on student READ Plans using DIBELS 8 (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, 8th Edition), a state approved universal screening system for the early identification of reading deficiencies. For more information about this, visit the DIBELS 8 website.

Students who need additional support in reading beyond third grade continue to receive targeted instruction and continue to have a READ Plan.

If you have questions about your child’s progress in reading, please contact their classroom teacher.

PSD Educator Training

PSD K-3 teachers and reading interventionists are knowledgeable about teaching structured literacy and have completed evidence-based training in teaching reading as required by the Colorado READ Act. All reading interventionists completed teacher training in evidence-based practices by Aug. 1, 2024.

Dyslexia Professional Learning 3-Year Plan

The purpose of professional learning about dyslexia with PSD staff includes:

• Foster a deep understanding of dyslexia, including its neurological basis, characteristics, and impact on learning and social-emotional health
• Equip educators with the knowledge, skills, and strategies necessary to effectively identify, support, accommodate, and teach students with dyslexia within all educational settings
• Learn evidence-based instructional methods and interventions rooted in the Science of Reading  
• Enable educators to create inclusive and supportive classroom environments

Ultimately, the goal is to empower PSD educators to ensure that all students, regardless of their reading challenges, have the opportunity to achieve their full academic potential.

Each professional learning session is differentiated and is dependent upon staff roles and responsibilities.