Frequently Asked Questions

There are two introductory trainings to begin your journey with the Orton-Gillingham Academy. You can either participate in the Classroom Educator (30 hours) or the Associate Level (60 hours). Wondering the difference between the two? Check out additional frequently asked questions!

*Taking the Classroom Educator is NOT a prerequisite to the Associate. They are two different trainings.

The Classroom Educator level is a 30 hour training that focuses on the fundamental principles of the OG approach. Participants will engage in understanding the characteristics of the dyslexic learner as well as learn about specific strategies, procedures, and lesson planning for teaching those whom reading and spelling does not come easy. This training primarily prepares participants to work in a small group or classroom setting. 

The Associate level is a 60 hour course that also covers all fundamental principles, strategies, and procedures of the OG approach. Additionally, in this course, participants are able to take a deeper dive into systematic and explicit instruction with vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, morphology, and more. This goal of this training is to prepare the trainee to work primarily with small groups or 1:1.

Classroom Educator: $850

Associate Level: $1,500

Fee includes cost of full training, printed and shipped course notebook, a copy of "Everything You Want to Know and Exactly Where to Find it", and unlimited access to digital resources. 

Following the completion of an OG training, you will be awarded with a certificate of completion. However, in order to become a certified member of the OGA, you will need to complete the practicum.

The Classroom Educator practicum consists of a minimum of 50 hours (OG lessons) with a small group over a minimum of 8 consecutive months. Throughout your 50 lessons, you will complete 5 observations with the Fellow. Following the completion of your practicum, a formal application will be submitted to the OGA.

The Associate practicum consists of a minimum of100 hours (OG lessons) 1:1 over a minimum of 8 consecutive months. Throughout your 100 lessons, you will complete 10 observations with the Fellow. Additional tasks are required. For example, required readings, a student profile (similar to a case study), and the submission of 3 lessons to the OGA. Following the completion of your practicum, a formal application will be submitted to the OGA.

Classroom Educator: $200 per observation

Associate Level: $250 per observation

Yes! All trainings and practicum observations/feedback are completed via Zoom. 

RIE is spearheaded by Sarah Rideout, a Fellow with the OGA. When you search “OG trainings” you are often met with numerous “OG based” programs. Meaning, these specific programs have tried to incorporate much of the content from the true OG methodology, but tweaked it to turn it into a program. While these programs should be applauded because they are bringing in structured literacy, they are missing what truly makes OG, OG. The component of being diagnostic prescriptive and meeting the learners exactly where they are. When you train with RIE, you are being trained directly through the OGA. You will find that there is no teacher manual or script to follow because your brain becomes the manual. It is the goal of RIE for you to complete your training and feel empowered by your knowledge of what your specific students need, not what a replicated manual tells you to do. We want you to be smarter than the manual :)