Overview
Orton-Gillingham for Intervention: Associate Level Course & Practicum
Orton-Gillingham for Intervention: Associate Level Course & Practicum
Application process is now closed. If interested in 2025-26 OGAL course, sign up here to be on the interest list for the following academic year, and we will contact you when the application process opens. The application process will open in January of 2025. We are also offering a spring course, Introduction to Orton-Gillingham for Upper Grades .
Help students with reading difficulties by harnessing the power of the Orton-Gillingham (OG) Approach—the underlying foundation of all multisensory, structured literacy instruction.
In this course and yearlong practicum, you’ll dive into the structure of the English language and learn how to teach it sequentially and systemically to struggling readers, including students with dyslexia. This cumulative 72-hour course and 100-lesson practicum meet the Orton-Gillingham Academy’s Associate Level training requirements. This training is designed for educators seeking OG certification to work with struggling readers.
This cumulative 72-hour course and 100-lesson practicum meet the Orton-Gillingham Academy’s Associate Level training requirements. Participants can earn Orton-Gillingham (OG) certification at the Associate Level to successfully teach the OG Approach, either in-person or online, to struggling readers. Anyone interested in this comprehensive training must first complete a brief application and interview to be accepted into the Associate Level summer 2024 training program. In addition to coursework, participants will be able to access an online library of video clips about the OG lesson plan, digital teaching resources, and office hours with the course instructors. Please read more details about this course and the accompanying practicum below.
Course description
Participants will learn how to:
- Design and teach an OG lesson.
- Administer a diagnostic assessment to inform instruction.
- Understand the reading brain and dyslexia.
- Assess and systematically teach phonemic awareness, phonics, and morphology.
- Teach syllable types and syllable division patterns.
- Write a decodable text.
- Use a comprehensive Scope and Sequence to teach the Orton-Gillingham Approach to struggling students in grades K–12.
Course Expectations:
All participants (including those taking the class for graduate credit) will be asked to:
- Attend the full duration of all class meetings live online.
- Download and print the required course binder.
- Purchase the required materials for this course (see list of required materials below)
- Complete six hours of assignments before the course begins to gain an overview of:
- The Orton-Gillingham Approach
- The science of reading
- Dyslexia and the reading brain
- The history and structure of the English language;
- Complete asynchronous and homework assignments between classes
- Take a brief final exam.
Practicum:
Teachers accepted into the OG Associate Level training will complete a 100-lesson practicum during the 2024–25 school year, which is required for OG Associate Level certification. The practicum includes being assigned an OG Fellow or mentor for the school year, ten observations, and three additional days of classes throughout the school year. If you wish to pursue this practicum, you are required to take the summer course and practicum within the same year.
- The Associate Level practicum is also available for three graduate credits from Vermont State University for an additional $660.
- Please find more information about OGAL practicum requirements here. (This four-page document is required reading for the course and practicum application.)
Practicum Class Dates:
Three days of additional coursework (18 hours) will be held from 8:30 AM–3:30 PM EST.
- Friday 11/8/24
- Friday 1/10/25
- Thursday 4/17/25
You can contact the Director of the Orton-Gillingham Institute Peggy Price with questions.
Required Materials:
- Course binder: All participants will be sent a link to the course binder, which they are required to print before the start of class. The binder will be sent in June.
- Materials to purchase on your own: All participants will also need to purchase the following materials:
- Basic and Advanced sound deck | $25 | Order from wvced.com*
- Equipped for Reading Success | $50 | Order from equippedforreadingsuccess.com
- The Gillingham Manual, 8th edition | Approximately $75 | Order from EPS* or Order from Cheapest Textbooks
*Bulk discounts are available for participants attending this training with a group of educators from the same school
Please review this document, which is required for the course and practicum application.
Application Information:
-
- All educators interested in taking this course and practicum must first apply with the Stern Center’s Orton-Gillingham Institute. The application involves a writing sample and a brief interview.
You will need a Word document or PDF ready to upload:
- Brief written application. Please write approximately one page that includes the following information:
-
- Please tell us a little about yourself to explain why you are interested in enrolling in the OGAL course & practicum.
- Please use professional writing and proofread your writing sample.
- Include your name, role, school, and district.
You are required to read the following information about the Orton-Gillingham Associate Level (OGAL) course and practicum. We recommend the following order:
- Information about course details, including costs (the webpage you’re reading right now)
- Information about OGAL practicum requirements (4-page document)
- Frequently asked questions about the course & practicum (4-page document)
Dates
Place me on the 2025-26 interest list
July 8 | July 10 | July 12 | July 15 | July 17 | July 19 | July 22
Time
M | W | F 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM EST
Course Number(s)
Course: 1454
Practicum: 1455
Location and Format
Cost
- Seven-day summer course including asynchronous assignments (total of 54 coursework hours): $1,600.
- School-year practicum including 18 additional hours of coursework and approximately 40 hours of consulting time: $3,660.
- Total Paid to the Stern Center (excludes the cost of graduate credit): $5,260.
When you register for the course or practicum, you may apply for grant funding—which can reduce tuition by 20%.
Grade Level
Audience
This course is for educators who provide targeted literacy intervention in grades K–12, including special educators, reading specialists, private tutors, literacy coaches, speech-language pathologists, school psychologists, and adult educators. Parents and school administrators can take this summer course without completing a practicum.Graduate Credit
Peggy Price, M.Ed., Fellow/OGA
Director of the Orton-Gillingham Institute at the Stern Center
Amy Ducey, M.Ed., Fellow/OGA
Assistant Director of the Orton-Gillingham Institute
What Teachers Have to Say
Meet the Instructor(s)
Peggy Price, M.Ed., Fellow/OGA
Director of the Orton-Gillingham Institute at the Stern Center
Peggy Price, M.Ed., a Fellow of the prestigious Orton-Gillingham Academy, is a literacy and special education expert who leads the Stern Center’s teacher training in the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching reading. She provides training at the Orton-Gillingham (OG) Classroom Educator, Associate, and Certified levels. Price oversees a talented team of OG Fellows who assist her with […]
Amy Ducey, M.Ed., Fellow/OGA
Assistant Director of the Orton-Gillingham Institute
Amy Ducey, M.Ed., a Fellow of the prestigious Orton-Gillingham Academy, is the Assistant Director of the Orton-Gillingham Institute. She provides training at the Orton-Gillingham Classroom Educator, Associate, and Certified levels, in addition to various literacy workshops and webinars. She teaches graduate-level courses and has created curriculum and assessment materials for universal screening and progress monitoring. […]
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Frequently Asked Questions
What terms and conditions are there for professional learning registrations?
Please read the terms and conditions for our courses and workshops and contact us if you have any questions.
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- If the course or workshop you’re interested in is on our website, please visit the course or workshop’s page and follow the link to access our online registration form. Complete the form by doing the following:
- Indicate whether you will pay with a credit card or a Purchase Order (PO).
- Fill out the participant information and workshop information sections.
- Read the Terms and Conditions and check the box to confirm your agreement.
- Click “Next”
- If you are paying with a PO:
- Please verify that your PO is complete.
- Upload the signed PO when prompted through the registration process. If you have questions please email: proflearning@sterncenter.org.
- Click “Next.”
- Your information will be sent to us to review. In 1–2 business days, we will confirm your registration by sending you an email with “Registration Confirmation” in the subject line.
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- Click “Continue.”
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- Enter your credit card information and click “Pay now” to complete your credit card transaction.
- Your information will be sent to us to review. In 1–2 business days, we will confirm your registration by sending you an email with “Registration Confirmation” in the subject line.
- If the course or workshop you’re interested in is not listed on our website, please contact us to learn more.
Can OG be used in the classroom for general education purposes?
The Orton-Gillingham Classroom Educator is qualified to apply the principles of the Orton-Gillingham Approach to modify and provide literacy instruction in a classroom or small groups. To become an Orton-Gillingham Classroom Educator, you must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, do 30 hours of coursework by a Fellow or a Fellow-in-Training, and 50 hours of supervised practicum over eight consecutive months.
How can I become certified in Orton-Gillingham?
The prerequisites to become certified in OG include earning a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and satisfactory completion of Associate-level requirements; 100 hours minimum of coursework by a Fellow, or by a Fellow in Training as designated by the Fellow; and 200 hours supervised practicum over two academic years minimum, which includes ten entire 4–60 minute lesson observations of the trainee by a Fellow on-site, unedited video or web-based applications.
Is Orton-Gillingham a program?
A program is a plan, schedule or procedure to be followed to a specified end. A program provides structure but doesn’t teach and educator how to respond to different student errors and tailor each lesson based on student performance and individual learning needs.
An approach is the means adapted to tackling an issue. Orton-Gillingham is an instructional approach. It is most properly understood and practiced as an approach, not a method, program, system, or technique. In the hands of a well-trained and experienced instructor, it is a powerful tool of exceptional breadth, depth, and flexibility.
What is the Orton-Gillingham Approach?
The Orton-Gillingham Approach is the underlying foundation of all multisensory, structured language instruction. Orton-Gillingham (OG) systematically teaches the structure of the English language by incorporating multisensory modalities in a structured yet flexible approach, ensuring student success. The Stern Center’s Orton-Gillingham Institute is the only organization in Vermont that provides OG training accredited by the Orton-Gillingham Academy. We offer coursework and practicum opportunities toward three certifications: OG Classroom Educator, OG Associate Level, and OG Certified Level.
Orton-Gillingham Resources
Orton-Gillingham Approach
Ensure every child becomes a reader with this powerful, multisensory approach to literacy instruction.
Orton-Gilligham Training
View upcoming Orton-Gillingham courses, workshops, and webinars. All of our OG trainings are available online.
OG Certification
We are accredited by the Orton-Gillingham Academy and offer courses/practicums leading to three OGA certifications.
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