Montgomery ISD Dyslexia Newsletter
FALL 2026
Welcome to Fall 2026, MISD Families!
Welcome back, MISD families! We are so excited to welcome our students back for another wonderful school year. We hope everyone had a fantastic summer filled with time to relax, rejuvenate, and enjoy some great books—whether that meant turning physical pages or listening to audiobooks together. It is always a joy to see our students return refreshed, recharged, and ready for new learning adventures.
Our team is fully prepared and eager to dive into the fall semester. We look forward to partnering with your children each day as they build confidence, strengthen their skills, and discover new strengths. Working alongside our students and watching their growth is the most rewarding part of what we do, and we can’t wait to see all that they achieve in the months ahead.
Here’s to a fantastic semester of learning, continuous progress, and a shared love for reading! We are honored to support your family and are looking forward to an incredible fall together.
What is Rapid Naming and How Does it Affect Your Child's Reading?
This article by Dr. Erin Pzinski explains that Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN)—the ability to quickly name familiar items like letters, numbers, colors, or objects—serves as a crucial early indicator for reading development and dyslexia risk. Slower naming speeds act like a "check engine light," signaling that a child may face future challenges with reading fluency, decoding, and word recognition. However, Dr. Pzinski emphasizes a major misconception: practicing rapid naming tasks directly or focusing solely on fluency drills will not improve a child's reading abilities.
Instead, the article highlights that a rapid naming deficit simply underscores the need for early identification and high-intensity, evidence-based instruction focused on foundational phonics skills. Through structured interventions—such as focused skill practice combined with interleaved, cumulative review—children with low RAN scores can successfully build automaticity and become confident, fluent readers over time.
As you dive into the new school year, we’re here to help you start strong and get your students engaged with reading from day one using your TEA-funded Learning Ally Audiobook Solution.
Whether you're setting up your roster for the first time or looking for fresh fall strategies, join us for an Educator Rapid Coaching Session.
These 30-minute, workshop-style sessions are led by a Texas Account Manager and tailored to help your eligible students build consistent reading habits this fall.
What educators need to know about Rapid Automatized Naming
In this article by Dr. Elizabeth Norton, she clarifies the purpose, mechanics, and diagnostic value of RAN in literacy development. She explains that RAN tasks—which require individuals to rapidly name sequences of familiar items like letters, numbers, colors, or objects—act as a "microcosm of reading". Because RAN relies on the same rapid integration of visual processing, attentional control, memory retrieval, and language systems required for reading connected text, a student’s naming speed strongly correlates with their reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension across grade levels and languages. Importantly, Dr. Norton notes that RAN measures a unique set of processing skills distinct from phonological awareness, making it a critical, independent predictor of future literacy challenges.
Dr. Norton also provides guidance on how educators should interpret RAN results and apply them to instruction. Slower RAN scores act as an early "check engine light," signaling that a student is at higher risk for reading difficulties and will likely require more time and instruction to build reading automaticity. However, she warns against directly practicing RAN tasks—such as timed drills on naming colors or letters—because attempting to train naming speed itself does not translate into improved reading ability. Instead, educators should use RAN data to identify students who need early, structured, and high-intensity literacy interventions that systematically build decoding skills and word-level automaticity.
Iowa Reading Research Center - Apps and Tools
The Iowa Reading Research Center has created the following apps and tools to help bring evidence-based practices to students’ literacy learning. These tools align with ongoing research projects at the center as part of the IRRC’s mission to bridge the gap between theory and practice in Iowa classrooms.
- Educator Letter Builder
- FastBridge Recommendations Tool
- Handwriting Hub
- Measure First
- Morpheme Lab
- Spark Early Literacy Hub
- Studying Science of Reading: Practice Assessment
- Tier 1.5 Calculator
SPOTLIGHT on Iowa Reading Research Center's Morpheme Lab
A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning in a word. Unlike phonemes (which represent units of sound), morphemes convey meaning directly and include roots (the main base of a word, like port in transportation), prefixes (attached before the root, like trans-), and suffixes (attached after the root, like -ation).
Why Morphology is Imperative for Students
Morphological ability—the capacity to recognize, understand, and combine word parts—serves as an essential bridge between word recognition and reading comprehension. Learning morphemes is invaluable because:
Unlocks Unfamiliar Vocabulary: While English spelling can appear complex or irregular, morphemes act as reliable "islands of regularity" that allow students to break down and decipher the meaning of lengthy, multisyllabic academic words.
Supports Comprehension and Communication: Understanding word parts directly enhances students' ability to produce and comprehend both oral and written language across all subject areas.
Tools Available in the Morpheme Lab
The Iowa Reading Research Center’s Morpheme Lab provides a comprehensive set of free, evidence-based tools designed to support explicit morphology instruction:
Word Dissector App: An interactive tool where educators can input key lesson words to reveal component morphemes, view their meanings, and find related words. Students can also use the app for flashcard practice and educational games.
High-Utility Morpheme Lists: Curated lists of high-frequency roots, prefixes, and suffixes categorized by content area (English Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, and Math) with definitions and sample words.
Morpheme Cards: Printable cards detailing high-utility morphemes, their definitions, variants, and types (root, prefix, suffix) to use during word-building activities.
Graphic Organizers: Printable worksheets for students to practice morphemic analysis, word building, and general morpheme practice.
eLearning & Professional Development Toolkit: An online training module (Effective Morphology Instruction for Secondary Students Across Content Areas) complete with instructional videos, implementation guides, and a PD toolkit for training staff.
Fidelity Checklists: Instructional checklists (available in print or via the Measure FIRST app) designed for coaches and administrators to provide targeted feedback on explicit morphology lessons.
In the article "Why Writing by Hand Beats Typing (in 6 Charts)" by Youki Terada, research highlights that writing by hand engages complex visual, motor, and memory networks in the brain far more effectively than typing. This deeper neural activation significantly boosts early reading acquisition, improves long-term memory retention, and helps students better process conceptual ideas, leading to stronger academic performance and higher overall grades. While typing remains a vital tool for accessibility and speed, hand-writing serves as a uniquely powerful tool for deep thinking and learning, emphasizing that modern classrooms should intentionally maintain a thoughtful balance between tactile writing and digital fluency.
E-Learning Modules – UC/CSU California Collaborative for Neurodiversity and Learning - University of California, Los Angeles
Looking to deepen your understanding of literacy and dyslexia through flexible, high-quality professional development? UCLA’s California Dyslexia Initiative offers free, self-paced e-learning modules designed specifically for educators. These modules cover essential topics like structured literacy, screening, and evidence-based instruction—perfect for enhancing your classroom practice and supporting all learners. Whether you're new to dyslexia or refining your expertise, this opportunity is both accessible and impactful. Don’t miss the chance to grow your skills and make a lasting difference! (Click here for the link.)
TEALearn Canvas Courses
TEALearn offers a variety of Canvas Courses that are designed to help the Texas Educator learn and grow their knowledge of Dyslexia. Check out the Canvas Courses below at each link.
* Texas Dyslexia Academy 1: Dyslexia Foundations 26-27
* Texas Dyslexia Academy 2: The Dyslexia Handbook 26-27
* Texas Dyslexia Academy 3: Considerations for Emergent Bilingual Students 26-27
Learning Ally's Race to Read Marathon
Kick off the school year strong with Learning Ally’s Race to Read—running from August 31 to October 30, 2026! No registration needed, and a light lift for teachers, this program helps students build strong reading habits and set the tone for a great school year.
With grade-level book lists, fun activities, and the chance to win a class set of earbuds, it’s easy, exciting, and impactful for classrooms and at-home learners alike.
You can access the program page here.
The Winner’s Circle
Exciting opportunities for all readers to win big during Race to Read! Every day you read brings you closer to the finish line!
Learning Ally
Talking Books
