Changing the landscape of reading in Puerto Rico

We're moving forward

“Participating in the OG Spanish certification pilot has been an enriching experience. Seeing my students’ confidence grow as they make tangible progress has been incredibly rewarding. The training equipped me with the necessary skills, but the ongoing mentorship and collaborative support have been invaluable. Weekly feedback and one-on-one meetings have helped refine my instruction, ensuring that I can best serve my students. I am excited for the broader impact this certification will have on the Spanish-speaking dyslexia community.”

A., a teacher in our program, underscores the life-changing potential of specialized training and targeted interventions the pilot program is making available to nine (9) students with reading difficulties in Puerto Rico.

Over the past months, our initiative to enhance dyslexia intervention in Spanish has made significant strides. In September 2024, nine (9) Orton-Gillingham (OG) certified teachers participated in an intensive 13-hour retraining program to take theirs skills up to a new level of practice. The training focused on key areas such as diagnostic evaluation, phonological awareness, phonetics, controlled reading, and progress monitoring tools like "running records". By equipping educators with the necessary tools, we have strengthened their ability to deliver targeted, individualized instruction to at-risk students. In parallel, our evaluation team has been actively monitoring the pilot program’s implementation to ensure its success.

So far, 90% of pilot teachers have successfully conducted 23 intervention sessions, which have provided Lectores with both quantitative and qualitative data on student progress; one of the significant outputs of the project. On that same line, one of our most significant accomplishments has been the development and distribution of nine (9) instructional manuals specifically designed for OG intervention in Spanish. These materials are a crucial resource, filling a long-standing gap in dyslexia education for Spanish-speaking students.

As with any pilot program, we have encountered challenges that required strategic adjustments. One significant hurdle has been time constraints—while intervention sessions were designed to last 50 minutes, teachers found that sessions often exceeded this limit, posing logistical issues with school schedules. Additionally, teachers needed more support in analyzing student performance data and implementing new components, such as structured reading comprehension strategies, which were not part of their initial training in OG English.

To address these challenges, we introduced weekly mentoring sessions, allowing teachers to receive personalized guidance and share best practices. We also modified reading materials to better align with students’ actual reading levels, ensuring that interventions remain effective. Finally, we have optimized reporting requirements, allowing teachers to focus more on student learning while ensuring the integrity of our progress monitoring. This will certainly have positive effects as we develop a second iteration for the materials and content.

As we look ahead, our focus remains on refining instructional materials, enhancing mentorship support, and further evaluating student progress. The insights gained from this pilot will shape the next phase of implementation, ensuring that students with dyslexia receive the high-quality, individualized instruction they deserve.

We are grateful for the continued support of our community and partners in this mission. Together, we are paving the way for a more inclusive and effective approach to literacy education in Spanish.

Links:

• Lectores, collaborated with Santillana on the new Somos series
• Visit our website and learn more about our mission