This project implements the use of a time-saving, efficient, and effective app to use in conjunction with the district dyslexia intervention Region 4 program, Reading by Design. By providing hands-on and easily accessible data collection features, this application assists in documenting, referencing, analyzing, and sharing data, as well as planning RbD lessons. With the numerous mastery checks throughout the RbD program units, it can become challenging to keep up the pace and precisely make adjustments in teaching/reteaching based on mastery checks results, but this app will assist in planning the specific lessons that need to be taught or reviewed, and the use of time management will be greatly improved using the app.
Dyslexia Intervention is required by law for students who qualify. Our district implements the Region 4 Reading by Design program for dyslexia intervention. It is my goal, as the dyslexia interventionist, to teach efficiently in order to help students gain the knowledge, understanding, and skills they need in the quickest and most effective way. The Reading by Design program is only as good as the data collected and analyzed by the teacher in order to plan properly for each student, teach, reteach, review, place out, test, or whatever it is that each students needs so that not one single minute is wasted. Using this app, which is sold separately, as it is not part of the program presented by Region 4, and which entails the purchase of individual licenses per student, along with the training needed to implement it, is the key to this efficiency. Since the time that I attended a session explaining and demonstrating it at the Region 4 dyslexia conference last school year, I have felt that I simply MUST have it! I want to be the best for all of my students, but no matter how well I may teach the lessons in the RbD curriculum, no matter how well-prepared the lessons and materials are, or how well they are presented, or how well the students may participate and show understanding, the way to efficiency is through data collection and analysis, which can be achieved with this all-inclusive, time-saving, and effective tool. Last year, I spoke with Caroline Duda, who is the district dyslexia program administrator, about the app and shared the contact information of the developer and trainer, and she did meet with him in person to give an overview . I really want it for all the dyslexia interventionists in the district for the same reason that I want it for myself: efficiency and effectiveness for the best and quickest results for students in the dyslexia program in all Crosby ISD schools. However, it was determined that the budget wasn’t available at the time . This, I feel is the other hand: the RbD program is one hand, and the other hand is the app for efficient data collection and analysis. I believe that it should be made available for the entire district through special education funding, but for now, Caroline and I can learn how to use it for this year with the funding from this grant. In this way, she can promote its use in all schools in the district. Another benefit is that teachers who are newly trained in the RbD program, such as I was last year, can be overwhelmed with all that is required to teach and collect data and organize all the student information and materials. This could be one less stress and one way to have that quick hands on data which can not only benefit the dyslexia interventionist, but also be shared with parents, other teachers, used in ARD meetings, passed on to the next school’s dyslexia interventionist, etc. At a glance, the information needed is right there. There is a familiar saying that time is money. In this case, time is learning. The more efficient we are in teaching, which can be best done with data collection and analysis, the better the learning that takes place. Ultimately, it comes down to the best use of time that we have with our students. I have always told my students over the years that even if I have them all day everyday, it is never enough time. There is always more to learn. I believe in the efficient use of every single minute in class being used to promote learning. Time is learning. I hope this grant will be an opening for all other dyslexia interventionists, in order to use every single minute well with the use of this tool, the Reading by Design app. Last year, Ms. Duda recommended that I apply for the grant, which I am very hopeful of receiving so that my own students’ data will be collected, and also so that Caroline and I together can implement and become proficient in the use of the app this year through this grant, and promote its use in more, and eventually all, schools in coming years as an essential, must have tool for using with Reading by Design in our district in the same way that is it in Humble ISD.
The UNCLearn app, which I refer to as the Reading by Design app, is capable of providing assistance to the teacher in planning and teaching. Reading by Design is a very systematic program whereby each lesson builds upon the previous lessons. It requires scaffolding, like all good reading lessons. A teacher might be able to use any of the five teaching manuals to teach any lesson well, but teaching the lessons well is only a part of the effectiveness of the program. If a teacher teaches a lesson that is not specific to the scaffolding needed, for example if the teacher teaches a lesson that is too low level and not challenging, or too high level and too challenging, what difference does it make if a teacher presents the lessons well and has excellent student participation? To teach Reading by Design, the teacher must first administer pretest mastery checks to determine a baseline starting point. And then once it is determined where to begin, ongoing analysis should be taking place with lesson mastery determination as well as the many, many mastery checks throughout the five volume system. In order to properly plan, the mastery checks need to be administered and analyzed in a timely manner. If a teacher doesn’t get around to analyzing the scores, or if she just skips on ahead to try to save time, or if she determines that mastery checks shouldn’t be given so frequently, or if she determines that some of the many steps in each lesson can be skipped in order to speed things up, or any other such examples that would prevent the proper implementation of it, then it has lost its full effectiveness. This program is a proven system for dyslexia intervention, but considering that busy teachers lacking the time are struggling to not only teach the lessons but plan the lessons, it is even one more hinderance to have to stop to analyze the results and document data, then go back and analyze the date. This is not just a program where teachers have their students go from volume 1-5, completing the lessons and then they’re finished. No, Reading by Design is what the name implies: a designer program. Not every student needs every lesson, and some students need them reviewed or retaught. Each lesson is so complex, due to the many components , steps, activities, and supplies, and the planning of each lesson is so time-consuming for each and every group. With the many components, no two lessons are the same, although they do have the same steps to master. Every Reading by Design teacher that I have spoken with struggles to teach it well due to lack of time. Lack of time to plan and prepare each group’s lesson, lack of time to teach the lesson in one or even two sessions, and lack of time to analyze the data. As mentioned, if a teacher does plan, execute the lesson, and have 100% student participation, it all comes to a halt or takes some sidetracked alternate route to success if the teacher does not properly analyze the data and help in adjusting the lessons based on the data. This is why the app is so essential. It ought to be required in order to teach the program, in my opinion. This app developer created the app to be the greatest time management band organizational tool specific to the Reading by Design curriculum. Once we get this app in use at the pilot campus, we can do demonstrations , using licenses in other schools until everyone becomes familiar with it. New teachers would be able to start it right away, and experienced RbD teachers will be thrilled to have some time-saving tools! But besides the time management aspect, the data is very precise and accurate, and it will assist in pinpointing exactly what each student needs which will allow the teacher to design the lessons particularly to each student. To conclude, compare the uniquely designed reading lessons to a fashion designer. Imagine a most highly qualified fashion designer, highly respected with years of experience who designs a new runway fashion sure to impress, using the highest quality fabric, and with attention to every detail to make it perfect. The design is seemingly flawless except for one thing: it doesn’t fit the model. The fine fashion piece is useless. In the same way, teachers who may be experienced and attuned to the details of the RbD program may implant it seemingly flawlessly, but it doesn’t fit the student’s needs, so it is ineffective. The missing component is the time management and organizational app specific to the Reading by Design program, which will help the teacher to indeed design the lessons which do actually fit the students’ individual needs!
Dyslexia Intervention is required by law for students who qualify. Our district implements the Region 4 Reading by Design program for dyslexia intervention. It is my goal, as the dyslexia interventionist, to teach efficiently in order to help students gain the knowledge, understanding, and skills they need in the quickest and most effective way. The Reading by Design program is only as good as the data collected and analyzed by the teacher in order to plan properly for each student, teach, reteach, review, place out, test, or whatever it is that each students needs so that not one single minute is wasted. Using this app, which is sold separately, as it is not part of the program presented by Region 4, and which entails the purchase of individual licenses per student, along with the training needed to implement it, is the key to this efficiency. Since the time that I attended a session explaining and demonstrating it at the Region 4 dyslexia conference last school year, I have felt that I simply MUST have it! I want to be the best for all of my students, but no matter how well I may teach the lessons in the RbD curriculum, no matter how well-prepared the lessons and materials are, or how well they are presented, or how well the students may participate and show understanding, the way to efficiency is through data collection and analysis, which can be achieved with this all-inclusive, time-saving, and effective tool. Last year, I spoke with Caroline Duda, who is the district dyslexia program administrator, about the app and shared the contact information of the developer and trainer, and she did meet with him in person to give an overview . I really want it for all the dyslexia interventionists in the district for the same reason that I want it for myself: efficiency and effectiveness for the best and quickest results for students in the dyslexia program in all Crosby ISD schools. However, it was determined that the budget wasn’t available at the time . This, I feel is the other hand: the RbD program is one hand, and the other hand is the app for efficient data collection and analysis. I believe that it should be made available for the entire district through special education funding, but for now, Caroline and I can learn how to use it for this year with the funding from this grant. In this way, she can promote its use in all schools in the district. Another benefit is that teachers who are newly trained in the RbD program, such as I was last year, can be overwhelmed with all that is required to teach and collect data and organize all the student information and materials. This could be one less stress and one way to have that quick hands on data which can not only benefit the dyslexia interventionist, but also be shared with parents, other teachers, used in ARD meetings, passed on to the next school’s dyslexia interventionist, etc. At a glance, the information needed is right there. There is a familiar saying that time is money. In this case, time is learning. The more efficient we are in teaching, which can be best done with data collection and analysis, the better the learning that takes place. Ultimately, it comes down to the best use of time that we have with our students. I have always told my students over the years that even if I have them all day everyday, it is never enough time. There is always more to learn. I believe in the efficient use of every single minute in class being used to promote learning. Time is learning. I hope this grant will be an opening for all other dyslexia interventionists, in order to use every single minute well with the use of this tool, the Reading by Design app. Last year, Ms. Duda recommended that I apply for the grant, which I am very hopeful of receiving so that my own students’ data will be collected, and also so that Caroline and I together can implement and become proficient in the use of the app this year through this grant, and promote its use in more, and eventually all, schools in coming years as an essential, must have tool for using with Reading by Design in our district in the same way that is it in Humble ISD.
The UNCLearn app, which I refer to as the Reading by Design app, is capable of providing assistance to the teacher in planning and teaching. Reading by Design is a very systematic program whereby each lesson builds upon the previous lessons. It requires scaffolding, like all good reading lessons. A teacher might be able to use any of the five teaching manuals to teach any lesson well, but teaching the lessons well is only a part of the effectiveness of the program. If a teacher teaches a lesson that is not specific to the scaffolding needed, for example if the teacher teaches a lesson that is too low level and not challenging, or too high level and too challenging, what difference does it make if a teacher presents the lessons well and has excellent student participation? To teach Reading by Design, the teacher must first administer pretest mastery checks to determine a baseline starting point. And then once it is determined where to begin, ongoing analysis should be taking place with lesson mastery determination as well as the many, many mastery checks throughout the five volume system. In order to properly plan, the mastery checks need to be administered and analyzed in a timely manner. If a teacher doesn’t get around to analyzing the scores, or if she just skips on ahead to try to save time, or if she determines that mastery checks shouldn’t be given so frequently, or if she determines that some of the many steps in each lesson can be skipped in order to speed things up, or any other such examples that would prevent the proper implementation of it, then it has lost its full effectiveness. This program is a proven system for dyslexia intervention, but considering that busy teachers lacking the time are struggling to not only teach the lessons but plan the lessons, it is even one more hinderance to have to stop to analyze the results and document data, then go back and analyze the date. This is not just a program where teachers have their students go from volume 1-5, completing the lessons and then they’re finished. No, Reading by Design is what the name implies: a designer program. Not every student needs every lesson, and some students need them reviewed or retaught. Each lesson is so complex, due to the many components , steps, activities, and supplies, and the planning of each lesson is so time-consuming for each and every group. With the many components, no two lessons are the same, although they do have the same steps to master. Every Reading by Design teacher that I have spoken with struggles to teach it well due to lack of time. Lack of time to plan and prepare each group’s lesson, lack of time to teach the lesson in one or even two sessions, and lack of time to analyze the data. As mentioned, if a teacher does plan, execute the lesson, and have 100% student participation, it all comes to a halt or takes some sidetracked alternate route to success if the teacher does not properly analyze the data and help in adjusting the lessons based on the data. This is why the app is so essential. It ought to be required in order to teach the program, in my opinion. This app developer created the app to be the greatest time management band organizational tool specific to the Reading by Design curriculum. Once we get this app in use at the pilot campus, we can do demonstrations , using licenses in other schools until everyone becomes familiar with it. New teachers would be able to start it right away, and experienced RbD teachers will be thrilled to have some time-saving tools! But besides the time management aspect, the data is very precise and accurate, and it will assist in pinpointing exactly what each student needs which will allow the teacher to design the lessons particularly to each student. To conclude, compare the uniquely designed reading lessons to a fashion designer. Imagine a most highly qualified fashion designer, highly respected with years of experience who designs a new runway fashion sure to impress, using the highest quality fabric, and with attention to every detail to make it perfect. The design is seemingly flawless except for one thing: it doesn’t fit the model. The fine fashion piece is useless. In the same way, teachers who may be experienced and attuned to the details of the RbD program may implant it seemingly flawlessly, but it doesn’t fit the student’s needs, so it is ineffective. The missing component is the time management and organizational app specific to the Reading by Design program, which will help the teacher to indeed design the lessons which do actually fit the students’ individual needs!
Time left to bid
10
days
6
hours
19
minutes
22
seconds
$2,000
Value:
priceless