Special Education and Literacy: Jessica Lauder’s Mission at Visions in Education

Literacy Mindset

In this episode, Literacy Mindset with Jessica Lauder, we dive deep into effective literacy initiatives, tools, and strategies that can transform the way we educate our young minds.

Joining us is Jessica Lauder, the Director of Special Education at Visions in Education, a leading non-classroom-based charter school in Northern California serving 7,500 students across nine counties. Jessica shares insights into the innovative programs at Visions, including their tiered intervention model, synchronous instruction, and hybrid approach to education that leverages cutting-edge technology.

We'll explore the new structured literacy and counseling programs aimed at addressing the mental health needs of middle and high school students, the implementation of multi-tiered systems of support, and the pivotal role of summative assessments like I-Ready in guiding student progress.

From universal dyslexia screening to the importance of decoding and comprehension, we'll unpack how Visions in Education supports its diverse learners.

Key moments:

04:44 Multi-tiered support with virtual and in-person interventions.

07:37 Students receive Chromebooks, MiFis, and tech support.

09:45 Evaluating students through assessments and data analysis.

13:59 Aligning curricula to support diverse student needs.

17:32 Parenting, behavioral supports, advocacy class, time management.

22:16 Adopt universal dyslexia screening, and embrace science-based reading.

24:30 Use a multimodal approach; provide age-appropriate materials.

30:29 Future education evolving with AI and support.

31:25 Education changes slowly, and gradual program improvements are underway.

Connect with Jessica Lauder

Website: https://www.viedu.org/