Getting to know the Dyslexia Services Department

When students with dyslexia need help developing the independent literacy skills needed to overcome reading and writing challenges and achieve long-term academic success, the Dyslexia Services Department is there to support them. 

Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties with reading words in isolation, spelling, or phonological awareness. The department serves approximately 4,300 students across the district who have been identified as having dyslexia, ensuring they have the support they need to succeed in reading and writing.  

Around 130 dyslexia interventionists are placed on campuses throughout the district, to work with students daily. Interventionists provide targeted instruction in reading, writing and spelling through specialized small-group support.  

“As a department, we are able to grow and develop our own practitioners and therapists and provide them with the training they need so they can help us close reading gaps,” said Veronica Allen, director of Dyslexia Services. 

Most recently, the department has been developing an updated tool that gives principals easier access to the information needed to support and evaluate the progress of dyslexia interventionists on their campuses.  

“We have a really great team, and we share the same purpose,” said Melita Carlton, supervisor in the Dyslexia Services Department. “We manage a large task in providing specialized services to students, and we’ve built effective systems to ensure they receive 180 minutes of reading per week. We are a team of hardworking individuals and talented thinkers.” 

The department’s work is contributing to the district’s long-term student outcome goals.  

During the 2024-2025 school year, students with dyslexia in third through eighth grades and in English I, showed increased performance across all standards on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, or STAAR.  

During the year, dyslexia interventionists guide students through structured literacy programs in both English and Spanish that are grounded in the science of reading.   

Last school year, the department piloted a one-year curriculum for secondary students called the Jet Reading Program. The program supports dyslexia interventionists in any subject they may teach and helps ensure all components of the dyslexia program are covered.  

“It’s amazing to see the student growth,” said Allen. When you look at the results from the beginning of the year to the end, it’s incredible to see students who could not identify letters and sounds now reading words. When we isolate the standardized scores from beginning- and end-of-year assessments, the progress is remarkable. When implemented with fidelity, the program works.”