Jordan Nguyen, Elementary Teacher

804-316-0599 | jordannguyen2325@gmail.com | Richmond, Virginia 23226

June 2, 2023

Alli Strollo, Principal

804-123-4567 | allistrollo@gmail.com | Richmond, Virginia 23226

Dear Alli Strollo,

I am writing to you in regards to our students and some concerns that I am witnessing. As educators we
know that dyslexia is a common problem that every school faces, and I have been researching a lot about
dyslexia and the type of interventions that can help our students. First, “dyslexia is a specific learning
disability that is neurological in origin” (IDA, 2018). Dyslexia can cause struggles to our students with
decoding, spelling, phonological components, reading comprehension and vocabulary. This is a growing
problem that many schools face with their students and a lot of researchers have been discussing what
the best steps of intervention are. Throughout our schooling, we learned about the response to
intervention tiers and what their purpose serves. As a reminder, the biggest tier, tier three, serves as the
whole group instruction that all students are receiving inside the classroom. The middle tier, tier two, is
where students receive small group time within the classroom with a couple of peers. The last tier, tier
one, is where an individual student receives one on one intervention. When understanding these different
tiers, it allows us to properly find which level of intervention a student may need.

We do not have many reading specialists and interventionists to help support our students. I recommend
that we hire more support for these students and teachers so they are given the support they need.
Throughout my research, I have found three different literacy approaches for intervention of our students
with dyslexia. I believe that all three are effective in their own ways and vary based on what the individual
student needs for accommodations. The first intervention approach is known as structured literacy, which
I believe will accommodate in the tier three stage at whole group time. “Structured literacy approaches are
often recommended for students with dyslexia and are well supported by research evidence”
(Spear-Swerling, 2018). Structured literacy focuses on explicit and the teaching of multiple levels of
literacy, which is best completed with some teacher to student interaction but also strives off the majority
of the teaching of the content. My recommendation is to implement this into our classrooms three times a
week, or more, especially in our younger grade levels. The next intervention approach I believe will be
better executed in tier two, small group instruction, and should be implemented four times a week in our
younger grade levels. “Typical literacy practices incorporate word works that are one of four components
of the program…. For general education, classroom time focused on partner activities is often prioritized”
(Spear-Swerling, 2018). The last intervention method fits best with tier one students. I recommend for
students to be pulled out three times a week for forty-five minutes to an hour of intervention. “The
interactive strategies approach offers a way to conceptualize early literacy development and to support
children as they learn to read and write” (Scalon et all., 2008). There are three main shifts under the ISA
which are: regularly practice with complex text, literacy grounded in evidence from texts and building
content knowledge.

I know this is a lot of information to think about, and a lot of changes in our school, but I believe that this is
what is best for our students and can help them. I completed a lot of research on dyslexia and the
different methods and how they can affect the students in a positive way in their literacy development.
Sincerely,
Jordan Nguyen
International Dyslexia Association. Definition of dyslexia. Retrieved January 3, 2019 from

https://dyslexiaida.org/definition-of-dyslexia/

Scanlon, D. M., Gelzheiser, L. M., Vellutino, F. R., Schatschneider, C., & Sweeney, J. M. (2008). Reducing

the Incidence of Early Reading Difficulties: Professional Development for Classroom Teachers vs. Direct

Interventions for Children. Learning and individual differences, 18(3), 346-359.

Spear-Swerling, L. (2018). Structured literacy and typical literacy practices: Understanding

differences to create instructional opportunities. Teaching Exceptional Children (20)10,

1-11.