Orton-Gillingham Training
OG Training Overview
Swift School offers Orton-Gillingham courses that follow the guidelines established by the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators (OGA). The Academy has accredited both Swift's Associate and Certified Level Training Programs. As of December 2024, only nine other training programs across the country had received this accreditation for both courses. Past participation in the courses and practicums by educators, parents, and other professionals has garnered consistent praise and exceeded expectations.
The courses and practicums are led by Natalie Felix and Jocelyn Gasaway, Fellows of the Academy. Courses are held at the Swift School campus, conveniently located near the intersection of Georgia 400 and Holcomb Bridge Road or the Sage School campus located conveniently off of Interstate 85 in Gwinnett County. Please see the following to determine if these courses(s) or other offerings meet your particular professional goals, needs or interests.
For additional information Contact OG Fellow Natalie Felix or Jocelyn Gasaway.
The three courses offered at Swift School are as follows:
- Classroom Educator Course
- (General Education/Tier 1)
- Associate Level Course
- (Remedial/Intervention)
- Certified Level Course
For more information regarding membership levels and credentials from OGA Click Here. For additional information on Swift School's courses, please contact Natalie Felix or Jocelyn Gasaway.
Associate Level Course (70+ Hours)
The Associate Level course satisfies and exceeds the coursework hours and requirements determined by the Orton-Gillingham Academy Practitioners & Educators (OGA). During this intensive two-week class, instruction is delivered daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with assignments to be completed before the first day of class. Upon completion, participants will have the knowledge and skills needed to implement remedial instruction in both a one-on-one and small group setting. All coursework is presented by Natalie Felix or Jocelyn Gasaway and delivered through an interactive Google slideshow with embedded activities for practice and application.
Target Audience: The Associate Level course is designed to prepare educators to work in special education settings with students in need of remediation and intervention. It is for teachers who deliver instruction in small group and one-on-one settings.
Coursework: Satisfies 70+ hours of Orton-Gillingham Associate Level coursework
Location: Swift School
Next Course: June 9-13, 2025 and June 16-20, 2025 (must attend both weeks)
Hours: 8 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Cost: $2200 (includes $200 worth of materials)
For additional information Contact OG Fellows Natalie Felix or Jocelyn Gasaway.
This course is open to all interested individuals who hold a Bachelor's Degree in any area of study.
Content Areas
- The Orton-Gillingham Approach (OG) and the Orton-Gillingham Academy (OGA)
- Language Development
- The Reading Brain
- What Is Dyslexia?
- Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
- Phonics
- Brief History of the English Language
- Basic Morphology
- Handwriting
- Reading Fluency
- Vocabulary
- Listening and Reading Comprehension
- Written Expression
- Orton-Gillingham Lesson Plan
- Assessment
- The Orton-Gillingham Lesson
- Error Correction and Remediation
- Culminating Project - Student Profile and 1:1 Orton-Gillingham Lesson
- Practitioner Professionalism and Ethics
The Orton-Gillingham Approach (OG) and the Orton-Gillingham Academy (OGA)
Language Development
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Typical Language and Motor Developmental Milestones
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Contributions of Environment, Culture and Social Factors Related to Literacy Acquisition
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Chall’s Stages of Reading Development and Ehri’s Phases of Reading Development
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National Reading Panel (NRP) - Five Essential Components of Effective Reading
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English Language Systems
The Reading Brain
What Is Dyslexia?
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Dyslexia Defined
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Phonological Processing as a Core Deficit of Dyslexia
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What is meant by a Double Deficit?
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Factors Affecting Literacy Acquisition
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Warning Signs, Characteristics, and Challenges of the Dyslexic Learner
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Dyslexia on a Continuum
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Comorbid Learning Disorders: ADHD, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, Executive Functioning Difficulties
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Current Federal & State Legislation Regarding Dyslexia
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Differences between Warning Signs, Screening Results, and a Clinical Diagnosis of Dyslexia
Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
Phonics
- Terms and Definitions:
- Alphabetic Principle - Foundation of Both Reading & Spelling Instruction
- Phonics instruction includes practice and application of the following topics and/or techniques:
- sound/symbol correspondence
- basic sound deck drill cards with keyword associations
- strategies to aid memory and retrieval for phonograms and spelling rules
strategies to protect reading and spelling success - practice creating phonetically-controlled word lists and connected text
practice adapting a commercially produced connected text to align with a particular skill with the presented scope & sequence - overlearning as a strategy
- activities to support generalizations
- review and practice administering informal testing to guide instruction
Brief History of the English Language
Basic Morphology
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Define: morpheme, prefix, base (root), inflectional suffix, derivational suffix
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Morphophonemic Nature of English
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Why teach morphology?
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The role of morphology in decoding, spelling, vocabulary development, and reading comprehension
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Teaching common suffixes
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Inflectional suffixes: -s, -es, -ing, -ed, -er, -est
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Derivational suffixes: -y, -er, -ful, -less, -ment, -ness, -able
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Use of morphemes for word attack and word analysis
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The Three Great Spelling Rules: 1-1-1 Doubling Rule, Drop e Rule, Change y to i Rule
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Morphological Awareness
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Practical application across the curriculum
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Morphology in Action: Brief overview of reading and spelling instruction
Handwriting
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Importance of teaching handwriting
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Current research in the field
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Topics of Discussion: orthographic loop, print vs. cursive, typical handwriting development, important considerations (posture, paper position, pencil grip, etc.), letter formation guidance as well as tips and tricks.
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Understanding the Characteristics of Dysgraphia
Reading Fluency
- Reading fluency defined: A bridge between phonics and comprehension
- Reading Fluency Development
- Scarborough’s Reading Rope & The Simple View Of Reading
- Developing and Supporting Reading fluency, comprehension, and student motivation
- Accuracy and Automaticity
- Assessing reading rate in individuals with dyslexia
- Oral Reading Rate Needed for Comprehension
- Techniques and methods for building and monitoring fluency
- Technology to support students accessing text when oral reading fluency is a challenge
Vocabulary
- Semantics Defined
- Basic knowledge of semantic building blocks: concept words or categories, content words, function words, synonyms, antonyms, multiple-meaning words
- Vocabulary Defined - Types of Vocabulary
- Receptive vocabulary versus expressive vocabulary
- Scarborough’s Reading Rope & The Simple View Of Reading-
- The role of vocabulary in skilled reading
- Factors Contributing to Vocabulary Knowledge
- Exposure - Impact of exposure on vocabulary growth and development
- The Matthew Effect
- Language Processing Ability - Impact of dyslexia and other language disorders on vocabulary growth and development
- Cognitive Ability - Impact of intelligence on vocabulary growth and development
- Direct Vocabulary Instruction is defined as explicit and targeted vocabulary instruction
- How do teachers identify what words to teach?
- Three Tiers of vocabulary words
- Identifying and teaching Tier 2 vocabulary words
- Vocabulary Instruction Routine
- Strategies to establish a vocabulary routine before, during, and after reading
- Indirect Vocabulary Instruction
- Context Clue Strategies
- Dictionary: Build alphabet knowledge and dictionary skills
Listening and Reading Comprehension
- Important Understanding: The goal of reading is comprehension.
- Scarborough’s Reading Rope and the Simple View of Reading
- Reading comprehension is an outcome of multiple language comprehension and word recognition skills
- Understanding the reciprocal relationships between listening comprehension, oral language, reading comprehension, and written expression
- Text Structure: Narrative versus Expository/Informational
- Instruction of comprehension strategies to include 1) Direct Explanation, 2) Modeling, 3) Guided Practice, and 4) Application
- The Teacher’s Role as a model and language mediator in text comprehension instruction
Written Expression
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Reading Comprehension and Written Expression are interdependent and reciprocal in nature
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Sentence structure and sentence-level activities
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Syntax and Text Structure Instruction in an OG Lesson
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Sentence Structure - Review simple grammar, punctuation, and syntax
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Diagramming Sentences
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Writing Sentences
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Kernel sentence
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Sentence expansion
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Self-Editing Strategies for Students
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Strategies for Teaching the Four Sentence Types
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Review the elements of a basic paragraph: topic sentence, supporting sentences, and concluding sentence
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Use of technology for students experiencing ongoing limitations in written expression
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Orton-Gillingham Lesson Plan
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Orton-Gillingham Academy Lesson Components:
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Identifying information: teacher name, student name
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Lesson and student work numbered and dated in order of instruction
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Clear lesson objectives for new skill and targeted review
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Notation of Errors (previous and in real-time)
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Word Play - Phonological/phonemic/morphological awareness activity
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Handwriting
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Learned Word Instruction using Trace, Cover, Copy, Close
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PART ONE: SOUND DRILL
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PART TWO: REVIEW AND REINFORCEMENT
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PART THREE: NEW INFORMATION/FOCUS OR TARGETED REVIEW
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Syllable Division according to student needs
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Connected Text
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Application: Build an Orton-Gillingham Lesson
Assessment
Types of assessment measures and the purpose for each:
- Screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, outcome
Formal Intellectual and Academic Achievement Tests
- Components of a psychoeducational evaluation
- Commonly used intelligence tests and academic achievement tests
- What is a norm-referenced test?
- Reporting Scores:
- Bell curve
- Basic statistical terms (norm-referenced assessments)
- Considerations in interpreting standardized achievement scores
- Dyslexia: Formal and informal instruments frequently used to screen for and diagnose dyslexia
- Process of identifying, documenting, and interpreting formal assessment information for the student profile
- Woodcock-Johnson (WJ-IV)
- Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - V (WISC-V) (3.5 hours)
- Index and subtest explanations with examples
- Woodcock-Johnson (WJ-IV)
- Subtest explanations with examples
Informal Assessment - Explanation, Interpretation, and Application
- Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Skills -
- Reading and Spelling Skills
- Learned Word Assessment
- Handwriting and Writing Skills
- Oral Reading of Connected Text and Comprehension Skills
The Orton-Gillingham Lesson
Error Correction and Remediation
Culminating Project - Student Profile and 1:1 Orton-Gillingham Lesson
Trainees will work in small groups to build, practice and deliver an individual Orton-Gillingham lesson based on a mock student’s formal and informal assessments. Trainees will create the lesson based on the student profile. Trainees will individualize instructional materials and utilize OGA Principles throughout the lesson.
- Small group members will deliver their 1:1 Orton-Gillingham lesson to one another utilizing the OGA Principles. Group members will alternate being the teacher and the student in order to experience both roles.
Practitioner Professionalism and Ethics
Certified Level Course
Swift School's Certified Level course is accredited by the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners & Educators (OGA).
This 100-hour course is designed to satisfy the Certified Level coursework requirements as determined by the Orton-Gillingham Academy Practitioner & Educators (OGA). Hours are captured with synchronous virtual classes and asynchronous assignments. All coursework is presented by Academy Fellow Natalie Felix and a series of guest Academy Fellows. Participants will receive thorough instruction in the following topics:
Dyslexia
- In-depth knowledge of dyslexia
- Typical Language & Motor Development
- Nature of Reading & Reading Development
- History of Literacy Education
- Communication with students, parents, educators, and other professionals
- Case Management
The Orton-Gillingham Approach
- History & Structure of the English Language
- Phonology-Syllabication, Spelling Rules & Generalizations
- Morphology
- Affixes
- Latin Roots/Base Words
- Greek Combining Forms
- Suffixes
- Semantics, Syntax, Pragmatics
- Sentence & Paragraph Development
- Handwriting
Individualized Lesson Plan (Morphology)
- Designing an Individualized Lesson Plan Based on Assessment & Performance
- Writing Decodable Text and Analyzing Commercial Products
- Writing & Delivering 1:1 OG Lesson
Assessment
- Interpretation of formal and informal assessment measures used by
professionals in ancillary fields
- Standardized testing (I.Q., Achievement, Perceptual, Speech & Language)
- Developing & administering informal Measures
Course Dates: TBD
Coursework: 100 hours of Orton-Gillingham course work
Location: Swift School
Cost: TBD
For additional information Contact OG Fellow Natalie Felix