Silveus provides update on Dyslexia intervention program

Jacksboro Elementary School teacher Anne Silveus was named the featured teacher of the month during the Jacksboro ISD school board meeting Monday, Nov. 11, and presented on the dyslexia intervention program in the district.

Silveus said the number of students with dyslexia has slowly been rising since she started teaching the students in 2013.

“The kindergarten/first grade screening has had a lot to do with that,” she said. “Parent awareness (too), when I first started in 2013 the alarming thing was most of my referrals were coming from parents and not from teachers, but that is turning around. Teachers are really being educated and much more are coming to me.”

She said another factor is the amount of students who are being tested for dyslexia adding the year before she took over only one student was tested as opposed to the over 40 now. She said a portion of this is because of the mandated kindergarten/first grade screenings.

“We tested a lot of kids from that and we came out with about seven, I think that actually qualified for services,” Silveus said.

She added the district uses the multi-sensory teaching approach where they teach phonology, also known as the study of sound, and phonological awareness.

She said humans are not born with the ability to read because reading is a manmade invention. She said those with a high talent for reading only need 15 to 50 repetitions to learn something, those with average talent need 50 to 500 and those with low talent, where most dyslexic students are, need 500 to 1,500 repetitions.

For the full story, see the Wednesday, Nov. 20, edition of the Jacksboro Herald-Gazette.