For Schools
Orton-Gillingham for Schools
Transform Teaching and Learning with the Orton-Gillingham Approach
The Stern Center’s Orton-Gillingham Institute is the only organization in Vermont accredited by the Orton-Gillingham Academy. We help districts and schools put evidence-based reading and writing instruction into practice.
Our Orton-Gillingham (OG) experts are passionate about passing on the strategies and techniques to successfully teach literacy to all students. We train and coach educators to use the Orton-Gillingham Approach—a powerful, multisensory approach to literacy instruction grounded in a deep understanding of how the English language works. Dating back to the 1920s and named for two innovators in reading instruction and neuroscience, this time-tested methodology will help even the most struggling readers. It begins at the simplest level, connecting sounds to letters, then progresses to more complex words and texts, building skills in a deliberate way that’s customizable to each student’s needs.
Why Orton-Gillingham?
The Orton-Gillingham Approach is the foundation of all multisensory, structured literacy instruction. Our OG Fellows and Coaches provide educators with an overview of the structure of the English language and how to teach it simply, sequentially, and systematically so all students can grow into confident readers and writers.
It’s direct and explicit.
It’s a direct, step-by-step approach to reading that begins at the simplest level with phonemes (sounds) and the alphabetic principle (the relationship of sounds to letters), and progresses through complex word and text structures.
It’s diagnostic and prescriptive.
In a dynamic, continuous, and adaptable process, Orton-Gillingham instructors monitor student work and give corrective feedback based on a learner’s profile and performance.
It’s structured but flexible.
Instruction is logically organized in the OG Approach, moving sequentially from simple material to increasingly complex learning. Lessons continuously spiral back to reinforce previously taught skills in an integrated manner.
It’s engaging and active.
Instruction engages the learner in an active understanding of what they are learning, why they are learning it, and how to apply their learning. Rather than relying on memorization, students become stronger thinkers.
It’s multisensory.
OG instruction engages learners through hearing, seeing, and movement. Multisensory instruction reinforces new learning and builds pathways to strengthen the reading brain.
It’s research-based.
The OG Approach is based on 80+ years of knowledge and practice and is aligned with decades of research showing direct instruction’s effectiveness in phonemic awareness and phonics.
It’s centered on students’ needs.
OG was initially designed for students with dyslexia, but succeeds with a wide range of learners through its engaging approach. Teachers using OG learn to spot early reading difficulties, and can help students overcome them, minimizing the need for future intensive interventions. Decisions about instruction are flexible, and teaching is effective because it’s based on student-specific data.
It builds trust and success.
Instruction builds confidence and trust by ensuring the learner achieves regular success.
Orton-Gillingham Training and Coaching
We believe every child has the right to read, and every teacher deserves the knowledge and training to realize that promise. Our Orton-Gillingham experts train educators to provide structured, explicit, multisensory teaching that allows the reading brain to develop and flourish. We offer job-embedded coaching through an OGA-accredited practicum customized for classroom teachers and those providing targeted intervention to support an MTSS model.
Orton-Gillingham Literacy Consulting
School leaders can build effective systems for teaching and learning and enact literacy change when provided with the tools, strategies, and background knowledge they need to support teachers and make informed decisions. OG can be used as a core program or with an existing literacy curriculum. Our experts help schools build sustainable systems for implementing evidence-based literacy instruction by:
- providing classroom visits to support educators while they teach;
- Implementing a collaborative feedback model as part of a year-long mentoring model or Orton-Gillingham Certification;
- building expertise of literacy coaches;
- coaching school leaders to support staff and students;
- leading customized in-service workshops;
- attending data meetings;
- making recommendations for instructional materials and curriculum, including decodable text libraries.
Customized Support for Every Educator
CLASSROOM TEACHERS
OG Training: Classroom Educator Certification
Teachers learn how to teach reading directly, explicitly, sequentially, and systematically. A comprehensive scope and sequence empowers them to teach foundational reading and spelling skills. We continue to support their success with valuable teaching resources, including an extensive training video library.
SPECIAL EDUCATORS & INTERVENTIONISTS
OG Training: Associate Level Certification
Specialists learn to administer diagnostic assessments and analyze data to ensure instruction links to assessment data. We teach educators how to customize instruction by understanding students’ learning profiles, analyzing student errors (so instruction is both diagnostic and prescriptive), and setting a high bar for mastery criteria to ensure students generalize the literacy skills they are taught.
ADMINISTRATORS
School leaders have the tools, data, and know-how to support teachers, analyze instructional effectiveness, and grow programs.
What Teachers Have to Say
Meet the Orton-Gillingham Team
What Orton-Gillingham is Not:
Orton-Gillingham is not a curriculum or an organization, but an educational approach. While it has been in practice for many decades, it has evolved in various ways. Orton-Gillingham practitioners who meet the high standards of the Orton-Gillingham Academy follow the Principles of Instruction and best practices of the approach with fidelity and conscientiousness, based on current research. The Stern Center’s Orton-Gillingham Institute is accredited by the Academy and holds to these high standards, on behalf of the students, educators, and school partners we serve.
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.
How do I register?
- 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.
- If you are paying with a credit card:
- Click “Continue.”
- On the Payment Method screen Click “Pay with Credit Card” to continue to Authorize.net.
- 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.
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Teachers Served This Year
When a teacher takes one of our courses, the positive impact ripples beyond one life, spreading through an entire classroom, school, and community.
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17,374+
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