Certified Level

Certified Level is intended for practitioners who have completed the Associate level training and practicum. The Certified Level expands and deepens the Associate Level concepts and equips the practitioner with the skills to address the needs of struggling readers of all ages, including those with dyslexia and more complex learning profiles, in any setting.

  • The Certified practitioner is certified by OGA to provide Orton-Gillingham instruction in accordance with the Certified Level standards described in the Curriculum Handbook.
  • The Certified Level practitioner is not qualified to provide independent OGA training or practicum supervision.

The following are minimum requirements. It is up to the discretion of the Fellow if more coursework and/or practicum hours are required.

Prerequisites
  1. Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in any area of study
  2. Satisfactory completion of Associate level requirements
  3. In some circumstances, a letter of recommendation from the primary Fellow stating that the candidate is appropriate for participation in a Certified training program may be requested
Coursework 100 hours minimum (in addition to 60 hours at Associate for a total of 160 hours), by a Fellow, or by a FIT as designated by the Fellow
Practicum 200 lessons supervised practicum over 2 academic years, minimum (in addition to the 100 lessons at Associate for a total of 300 hours), which includes 10 entire 40-60 minute lesson observations of the trainee by a Fellow on-site, unedited video or web-based application. The practicum is with 2 different students: 1 at the lower level of language instruction and 1 at a higher level of language instruction.
Readings January 2022: Updated Certified Reading List is available.

CLICK HERE FOR THE UPDATED 2022 CERTIFIED READING LIST
Curriculum Certified curriculum guidelines
Application Application to the Academy through the SurveyMonkey Apply website, including 2 letters of support
Warranty Certified Warranty
Code of Ethics
 OGA Code of Ethics

Application Fee: $200 (includes first-year dues, and if deferred an $85 nonrefundable fee)

Yearly Dues: $175 (beginning in January 2024)

  • $300 Application Fee (beginning in January 2024)
  • Submission Deadlines: March 10th, July 10th, or November 10th
  • Yearly Dues: $175 (first year dues included in application fee)

Decision letters are mailed as follows: 

  • March 10th Deadline: Decisions in June 
  • July 10th Deadline: Decisions in October
  • November 10th Deadline: Decisions in February

The Certified curriculum is in addition and in more depth to the topics covered in the Associate level. Trainees are eligible to apply at the Certified level upon completion of the coursework and practicum requirements.

The training curriculum for the Certified level includes the following goals of the Orton-Gillingham (OG) Approach.

Goal 1 The Certified member is able to explain the underlying principles and describe the specific concepts and procedures that set the Orton-Gillingham Approach apart from others.
Goal 2 The Certified member of the Academy demonstrates the knowledge and skill to provide instruction as an independent Orton-Gillingham practitioner.
Goal 3 The Certified member adheres to the Academy’s Code of Ethics and understands the privileges and responsibilities of the Certified member.

Instructional topics

  1. Dyslexia
  2. The Orton-Gillingham Approach
  3. Assessment
  4. The Lesson Plan

Click here for member benefits

What is my first step?

Locate an Academy Fellow or an Academy Accredited Training Program