11/19/2024

McAllen ISD: District Sees Literacy Success With ‘Students First’ Planning

Challenge: Ensuring every student receives the instructional support they need.

Solution: Lexia® Core5® Reading 

At McAllen Independent School District (ISD), every student’s success is the top priority. Sal Flores, director of Dyslexia/504/RTI Services, said he believes in this approach wholeheartedly, “The No. 1 thing is: ‘Students first.’ They’re our future tomorrow.”

With a student population made up of 64% Emergent Bilinguals, plus almost 10% of students with disabilities like dyslexia, this student population faced diverse challenges in literacy. When Flores entered his role in 2019, too many students were not meeting grade-level expectations—and parents were unhappy.

Following the adoption of Lexia Core5 Reading, an adaptive literacy program designed to support learners at all levels, the positive results were immediate. Learners with a wide range of needs were able to build essential reading skills. At the same time, teachers began to get a window into the real-time data they needed to track progress.

To further support students with additional learning needs, McAllen ISD leaders provided Lexia® LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) professional learning for educators, improving literacy instruction alongside Core5 use.

In this infographic, Flores shares the specific growth he’s seen among both Emergent Bilingual learners and students with dyslexia. He is thrilled about the progress and what it means for McAllen students. 

Download the infographic to see how much Core5 helped students at McAllen ISD advance to passing grades.