Frequently Asked Questions
Find the answers to your questions about our Orton-Gillingham training and tutoring services here.
While there are many wonderful Orton-Gillingham based programs addressing the literacy crisis, training directly with RIE gives you access to the source of the approach that inspired those programs. Rather than teaching you to follow a script, this Orton-Gillingham training empowers you to become the expert. You’ll develop the knowledge and confidence to design, implement, and adapt any resource to meet the unique needs of your students, making you more versatile and effective than any single program could ever be.Thank you for being here, for joining me, and for supporting my business as we work together to combat the literacy crisis. Because every child deserves to learn to read, and every teacher deserves to feel equipped to teach them.
The Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach is a highly structured, evidence-based method for teaching reading, writing, and spelling. It was originally developed to support individuals with dyslexia but has proven effective for ALL learners.
At its core, OG is personalized, diagnostic, and prescriptive, meaning instruction is tailored to each student’s unique needs and continually adjusted based on their progress.It is also multisensory, engaging the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic pathways simultaneously to help students make meaningful connections between sounds and letters.Instruction follows a systematic and sequential order, teaching skills in a logical progression from simple to complex, while always reinforcing previously taught concepts to build mastery and confidence.
Ultimately, the Orton-Gillingham approach equips educators to teach the structure of the English language explicitly, empowering students to understand why words work the way they do, not just to memorize them.
The Classroom Educator level is a 35 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 provide and adapt literacy instruction for the whole class or for small groups needing supplemental support in a general education setting. Students with greater deficits in reading will need more intensive instruction delivered by a practitioner trained at the Associate level or above. The Classroom Educator course is a stand alone course. CE coursework hours do no apply toward Associate Level training.
The Associate level is a 70 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 training is intended for practitioners working with struggling readers of all ages, including those with dyslexia, in individual or group settings. The Associate practitioner is not certified to provide OGA training or supervision.
Classroom Educator: $800
Associate Level: $1,400
*See Course Offerings for occasional discounts!
Fee includes cost of full training, printed and shipped course notebook, a digital copy of the first chapter of "The Perfect Word", and unlimited access to hundreds of digital resources.
Most of the time, yes! While each district is different, this course typically qualifies as professional development within the Science of Reading category. If you need documentation outlining what this course entails to submit for professional development credit approval, please email sr.rietraining@gmail.com
Upon completion of the Orton-Gillingham coursework, participants will receive a certificate of completion recognizing the hours of professional development focused on the Science of Reading and the Orton-Gillingham approach. However, to become a certified member of the Orton-Gillingham Academy (OGA), participants must also complete a supervised 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 x 5 observations
Associate Level: $250 per observation x10 observations
No! All coursework and the practicum can be completed 100% online via Zoom, allowing you to participate from anywhere.
All coursework is conducted in the Eastern Time Zone (ET).