Orton-Gillingham and Structured Literacy
The Heart of Everything We Do
At Edwards Orton-Gillingham, the Orton-Gillingham approach isn’t something we offer, it defines who we are. Our name reflects our unwavering commitment to one of the most trusted, research-backed approaches to teaching reading, writing, and spelling.
Rooted in the findings of the National Reading Panel, supported by Scarborough’s Reading Rope, and aligned with the International Dyslexia Association’s Knowledge and Practice Standards, the Orton-Gillingham approach remains the gold standard in structured literacy instruction.
We help schools, districts, and educators implement this approach with fidelity, combining deep expertise, comprehensive training, and practical tools that translate into student success.
What Is the Orton-Gillingham Approach?
The Orton-Gillingham approach is a direct, explicit, systematic, and multisensory way to teach students how language works. Developed in the early 20th century and refined over decades of research, it was one of the first instructional models designed specifically for students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences.
Instruction is:
- Diagnostic and prescriptive — informed by ongoing assessment
- Sequential and cumulative — building from the simplest to the most complex language concepts
- Multisensory — engaging visual, auditory, and kinesthetic pathways for learning
- Emotionally sound — fostering student confidence and success
How Structured Literacy Reinforces Orton-Gillingham
Structured literacy is the umbrella term used by the Science of Reading community to describe approaches that are explicit, systematic, and grounded in language structure.
The Orton-Gillingham approach exemplifies structured literacy in practice. Our training connects the two by teaching educators how to:
- Follow a research-based scope and sequence
- Deliver explicit phonics and decoding instruction
- Teach syllable types, spelling rules, and morphology
- Use decodable text aligned to instructional targets
- Strengthen oral language, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension
Who We Train
Our training is designed for
- General and special education teachers
- Reading interventionists and specialists
- Speech-language pathologists
- Literacy coaches and school leaders
- Parents and dyslexia advocates
The Research Behind Our Approach
Everything we do is grounded in research and guided by best practices. Our work is aligned with:
- Scarborough’s Reading Rope, which shows how word recognition and language comprehension strands work together
- The National Reading Panel’s Five Components of Literacy (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension)
- The International Dyslexia Association’s Knowledge and Practice Standards
- The Science of Reading, which draws from decades of research across cognitive psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience
We bring this research to life through actionable, teacher-friendly instruction that can be used in classrooms and intervention settings alike.
Why Edwards Orton-Gillingham?
We are NYC’s premier professional development and practicum company that trains educators to make smart, diagnostic decisions. Our team includes certified practitioners and accredited fellows who have worked in thousands of classrooms and across multiple school systems.
Whether you are just beginning or seeking certification through the Orton-Gillingham Academy or the Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI), we offer the structure, support, and expertise to help you grow.