Last year, McAllen Independent School District educators identified approximately 1,700 students with dyslexia in grades K–12. Sal Flores, director-RTI/504/dyslexia for the district, expects that number to creep closer to 2,000 once screening is completed for all first and second grade students. While recent Texas legislation is bringing big transitions, Flores is focused on creating the best possible outcomes for students in dyslexia-focused classes across the district’s 30 campuses.
“Personally, the science of reading is much, much needed across districts in the state of Texas,” Flores said. After 31 years in education, he knew the importance of the science of reading and saw the impact on student scores and reading skills when curriculum and instruction were not based on it.
Flores’ solution for students was implementation of a science of reading-based literacy program, hand in hand with teachers helping students with dyslexia getting trained in the science of reading. “We have the most certified academic language therapists, we’re incorporating Lexia—Core5 and PowerUp—and layer that with Lexia® LETRS®, and it seals everything we want for our students. They all learn in different ways and we have the tools and knowledge to meet them where they are,” Flores said. “We’ve seen incredible growth in our district.”
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