Hallettsville ISD

HISD teachers receive Dyslexia training

  • Hallettsville ISD teachers undergo Dyslexia training at the school. The training is made possible from Texas Education Agency grant toward Reading By Design. The grant is for a two-year period from May 2022 to May 2024 and thus far 24 district educators have gone through the program. Contributed photo
    Hallettsville ISD teachers undergo Dyslexia training at the school. The training is made possible from Texas Education Agency grant toward Reading By Design. The grant is for a two-year period from May 2022 to May 2024 and thus far 24 district educators have gone through the program. Contributed photo

    Information for this article provided by Hallettsville ISD administrative staff:

    In the spring of 2022, the Hallettsville ISD was awarded $191,900 by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to be used toward training teachers in Reading By Design.

    The grant was for a two year period beginning May 2022 through May 2024 and the grant funds are specifically for teacher and staff training.

    State law requires that teachers who provide services for students with dyslexia utilize a program approved by TEA.

    In accordance with 19 TAC §74.28(e), districts must purchase or develop an evidence-based reading program for students with dyslexia and related disorders.

    The program incorporates all components of instruction.

    Educators providing the instruction to dyslexic students must obtain a minimum and have additional documented dyslexia training aligned to 19 TAC §74.28(c), and must deliver the instruction with fidelity

    Since HISD was awarded the grant in 2022, it has been able to train a total of 24 educators in the Reading by Design program including 16 Reading Language Arts teachers, seven Special Education teachers, and one Dyslexia Specialist for the district.

    This spring, all Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten teachers will be trained in Reading by Design.

    The District also received approval to provide training and purchase resources from a program called Really Great Reading that HISD teachers were introduced to through the Region 3 Educational Service Center.

    In addition, other programs provided to HISD paraprofessionals and ELAR teachers included Dysgraphia and Texas Dyslexia Academy.

    Through this grant, teachers trained have had the opportunity to purchase much needed materials to support dyslexic students in the classroom and in support programs.

    Two of the HISD teachers, who received program, provided comments concerning the program.

    The Dyslexia grant has provided educational and informative training for our teachers and paraprofessionals to better help serve and educate our students in reading and especially support and teach students with reading disabilities,” HES Special Education/Dyslexia teacher Sonia Grahmann said.

    "The grant has provided training in the Reading By Design curriculum for all our dyslexia staff, and we have seen tremendous results for our dyslexia students who have participated and been taught this curriculum over the last year.”

    In addition, Grahmann added, “The Reading By Design program provides a strong platform for our dyslexia students, and the students have made great gains in their skills and ability to read. These students are extremely motivated to learn during their lessons and to continue to improve in their reading abilities. When you have highly trained staff who are able to utilize and execute a strong reading program that is effective and beneficial, everyone wins.”

    Hallettsville Jr. High Special Education teacher Karen Darilek also shared her feelings on the program saying, “Students have shown success in the year we have been using Reading By Design. Their reading accuracy rates and spelling skills have shown great improvements. The program is easy to follow and is repetitive in nature. This repeated process encourages students to focus on individual sounds in each word as well as identifying the different syllable types. After using the program, it is evident that their phonemic awareness is getting stronger.”