Region 16 Tiered Services

The Tiered Services and School Safety Team came together today to host The Texas Education Agency’s Office of School Safety and Security and Office of Special Populations and Student Supports for a new statewide training opportunity for school districts and open-enrollment charter schools.

Addressing Disabilities During the Behavioral Threat Assessment Process is designed to support campus and district staff in understanding how disabilities, particularly those served through special education, intersect with behavioral threat assessment (BTA) practices. It was a wonderful day of multi-disciplinary learning and collaboration!

Learning, collaboration, and innovation were on full display at the Texas Education Agency's Institute for Teachers of Students with Complex Access Needs!

Region 16 was proud to attend alongside educators from across the state as they learned from experts and explored strategies, resources, and tools to better support students with complex access needs.

We are especially proud of our own Region 16 team members who shared their expertise with attendees. Catherine Pratt and Danielle Compton presented a session on Adapted Books, highlighting ways to make literacy accessible and engaging for all learners. Danielle also presented a session on Assistive Technology, sharing tools and strategies that help students participate, communicate, and thrive in their educational environments.

Thank you to the teachers who invested their time in learning and growing alongside us. Your commitment to expanding opportunities and access for students makes a difference every day, and we can't wait to see these ideas put into practice across our region! 💙🧡🤍

What an incredible day of learning!! A huge thank you to all of our amazing educators, who prioritized part of their summer to attend SPED Camp! We can’t wait to see what you take back & implement in classrooms across Region 16.

Also, a big thank you to all of our vendors & community partners! Your support for our conferences is greatly appreciated.

We look forward to seeing you all at SPED Camp 2027!! 🧡💙🤍

Tomorrow is the day!!! SPED Camp is finally here & we have been hard at work getting ready for each of you!

It is sure to be an amazing day of learning & networking. We’ll see you in the morning!

✨ Staff Spotlight: Meet Cecilia Favela ✨

At Region 16, we know that supporting students starts with supporting the people who serve them — and that is exactly the heart behind the work of Cecilia Favela, our Counseling and Mental Health Specialist.

Although Cecilia has been with Region 16 for just one year, her impact across the region is already being deeply felt. She works alongside counselors, educators, and administrators to help schools build stronger systems of mental health and wellness support for students and staff alike.

For Cecilia, the most rewarding part of her role is “the profound privilege of supporting the supporters across our region.”

She shares:
“Mental health and wellness work in our schools is vital, heavy, and deeply impactful. Through our collaborative work, we have the unique opportunity to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with district counselors, educators, and administrators, ensuring they never have to navigate these complex challenges alone.”

Whether helping districts implement trauma-informed practices, strengthen wellness frameworks, or coordinate crisis responses, Cecilia believes the work goes far beyond providing resources — it’s about building a regional safety net rooted in resilience, healing, and hope.

Outside of work, Cecilia enjoys spending time with her family and loves reading. One of her favorite books is The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.

We are grateful for Cecilia’s compassion, leadership, and dedication to creating safe, supportive environments for schools and communities across Region 16. 💙

Join us for the Region 16 Autism Conference on July 8th for a day of learning, connection, and growth. We are so excited to bring you:

⭐️ High-quality, informative sessions to expand your knowledge.

⭐️ Networking with passionate educators from all over our region.

⭐️ A chance to interact with amazing local nonprofits and vendors.

Find more information at our conference website:

https://sites.google.com/esc16.net/2026autismconference/home

It’s a challenge to watch your students struggle with reversing letters that look a lot alike. This article by The Dyslexia Classroom has some fantastic information behind this struggle as well as some great scaffolds to help your students!

https://www.thedyslexiaclassroom.com/blog/5-quick-tips-for-b-d-reversals-in-print