McAllen ISD reports expansion of RTI, Section 504 and dyslexia services; more certified dyslexia instructors trained

At the Sept. 23 meeting the McAllen ISD Board of Trustees received an informational report on the district’s Response-to-Intervention (RTI), Section 504 and dyslexia efforts. Director Christine Quintanilla summarized identification, screening and service numbers and highlighted staff training.

Quintanilla told trustees the district serves 969 students under RTI and approximately 474 students under Section 504. For specialized dyslexia instruction (moved into special education as required by a recent House bill), she said 1,304 students are receiving services in the district’s dyslexia program and the district now has a cohort of dyslexia teachers trained as Certified Academic Language Therapists (CALTs/CELTs), with 13 certified and a second cohort of 12 in training.

Quintanilla explained the district screens kindergarten by the end of the school year and first graders by Jan. 31 as required. She said elementary programs use Lexia Core5 and secondary students use Lexia PowerUp; teachers are trained in LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) and the district is tracking movement to a specialized reading-instruction model aligned with House guidance.

Why it matters: The district presented details on legal obligations (Section 504, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) and state screening requirements, staffing and programmatic steps taken to expand dyslexia identification and evidence-based interventions.

Board members thanked Quintanilla for the update and noted the district’s progress in teacher certification and program rollout.