Orton-Gillingham Training

• Reading specialists
• Special Education & Classroom teachers
• Instructional assistants
• Professional & Volunteer tutors

The Academy requires trainees and all potential members to have a Bachelor’s degree, unless you are currently working for a school district as an aide.

• Orton-Gillingham tutoring meets and exceeds all criteria for effective literacy instruction.
• It targets all 5 “Big Ideas” for teaching reading identified by the National Reading Panel and the National Academy of Sciences: phonemic awareness, the alphabetic principle, fluency with text, vocabulary and comprehension.
• O-G exceeds these standards by including spelling and handwriting.
• The Orton-Gillingham Approach fits well with the Patterns of Strengths and Weaknesses model for identification of students with dyslexia and dysgraphia.
• It has proved its effectiveness for severely impaired readers/spellers in many peer reviewed, scientific studies.
• Students tutored by Blosser Center personnel acquire reading skills at an average of 2.5 times their previous rate as shown by standardized testing. Some read for the first time.

• We provide a user-friendly manual that translates the concepts and procedures of Orton-Gillingham into plain English.
• A versatile lesson plan form helps beginners learn to write complete, multisensory lessons.
• A clear chart of the scope and sequence facilitates record keeping.
• Handy word lists are provided for each concept.
• Trainees also receive The Gillingham “Green” Manual.
• Additional readings range from works by the founding generation of the Orton-Gillingham Approach to the latest scientific research on reading and dyslexia.

• Professional support is the key to success of our program.
• Blosser Center staff members personally advise each trainee as they work with students.
• 10 observation/consultations ensure that every trainee masters the procedures basic to the Orton-Gillingham Approach and learns to modify the sequence to match the needs of each student.

Dyslexia can vary widely in terms of severity, manifestation, and compensatory techniques.  For some adults, their difficulty with tasks such as separating and manipulating the individual phonemes (speech sounds) in words may impact their ability to remediate students.  For others, getting through the required readings may be challenging.  Dyslexic participants often have to work harder than others to learn sounds and apply rules to a level that will allow them to pass the class and be able to pass on what they learn to students; though for most, working harder is something they have been doing for their entire lives!  Occasionally, people choose to have some private Orton-Gillingham tutoring themselves before taking the class.  On the other hand, dyslexic teachers usually have a great deal of empathy for their students and often find that they are effective tutors because, through taking the course, they learn that the Orton-Gillingham Approach and the study of the rules of English benefit them greatly as well. If you have any questions, please call to talk with one of our trainers.

*Please note: The policy also applies if you discover that you are dyslexic while taking the course.

• Professional support
• Accessible materials
• Preparation for all Orton-Gillingham based commercial programs
• Instructors have earned national certification through the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators
• Course prepares students for national certification through the AOGPE
• Students are admitted regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin