Professional Training Institute (PTI): Orton-Gillingham Training at Its Best
Why PTI? Let’s Start Here
Not all Orton-Gillingham trainings are created equal. Just because a company uses Orton-Gillingham (OG) in its name or its domain doesn’t mean that it’s accredited. Our training meets the high standards set forth by the Orton-Gillingham Academy (OGA). Professional Training Institute’s (PTI) Orton-Gillingham training program has undergone a rigorous application and site-visitation process to ensure the highest quality teaching and mentoring that meets the Academy’s demanding standards. Only training through an OGA-affiliated facility can lead to membership in the Academy.
Highly experienced OGA Fellows who are active members of the Academy instruct and supervise trainees. Our esteemed Fellows have served on the OGA board and are members of several committees. With decades of experience teaching in public schools and mentoring public and independent school teachers, PTI’s OG Fellows are expert instructors, offering innovative and up-to-date research-based training.
To view PTI instructor bios, click here.
To view a list of school districts, special education collaboratives, and independent schools where the Professional Training Institute has provided recent staff development, click here.
PTI’s Trainees
PTI works with classroom teachers and special educators at all levels (pre-K to adult), reading specialists, speech-language pathologists, ELL teachers, and private tutors—anyone who works directly with students who have dyslexia or other reading challenges. We offer training to meet the schedules of full-time teachers and observe teachers before, during, or after school. Our virtual delivery allows us to extend our reach nation- and worldwide, bringing together dynamic educators who seek to empower students through language and literacy.
While we typically have several teams of teachers who enroll from the same district, we do have teachers and practitioners who enroll independently. The cohort provides professional camaraderie and support.
To view profiles of and testimonials from some of our OG graduates, click here.
PTI Puts Principles into Practice
PTI models training the way we want teachers to teach, which means that we use OG principles in our trainings. Accordingly, our training is designed to be direct and explicit, systematic, structured, sequential, and multisensory, thereby ensuring that our trainees experience firsthand the nature of OG instruction. Training covers phonological awareness, decoding, spelling, morphology, and handwriting. The course includes instruction in identifying the characteristics and needs of the learner with dyslexia, outlining the principles of multisensory structured teaching, unpacking the structure of the English language, and designing and implementing lessons.
Rather than front-loading all required coursework, PTI offers 18 hours (of 60 required hours) during the practicum component. We feel that certain coursework needs to be delivered once trainees are working with students. Our practicum seminars give trainees the opportunity to review concepts in light of their particular learner(s). This gradual approach to content delivery is characteristic of PTI’s comprehensive and effective instruction, distinguishing our Associate Level OG training as uniquely structured to support trainees in their application of OG teaching techniques and practices.
Our summer OG Associate Level course runs seven days over two weeks. For those seeking optional graduate credit through Fitchburg State University, a research paper on the principles of OG instruction is due two weeks after the course ends. Trainees finish the summer coursework ready to design and teach lessons under the supervision of an OG Fellow.
To view the required Associate Level coursework, please click here.
PTI Practicum & Perks
Per OGA ethics, PTI guarantees practicum supervision for all Associate Level trainees. In fact, practicum participation is mandatory for all who register. The practicum requires teaching 100 lessons over the course of at least eight consecutive months. (See link below for comprehensive practicum requirements.) Currently, we offer the practicum with students from teachers’ own caseloads. We observe lessons virtually before, during, or after the school day. The goal of our training and practicum is for trainees to become active members of the Orton-Gillingham Academy—a respected accrediting and certifying agency that upholds excellence in professional practice in OG.
Throughout the practicum, we don’t simply observe lessons; we mentor our trainees, providing thoughtful, constructive guidance. At the heart of implementing sound, individualized, and effective OG instruction is diagnostic decision-making. As OG is an approach rather than a packaged program that follows a set scope and sequence, we set our trainees up for success through one-to-one mentoring that addresses their particular needs. For example, PTI’s OG Fellows help trainees choose appropriate materials and texts for their practicum student(s) and determine a logical skill sequence for each student. PTI Fellows even offer behavior management tips as needed. Core principles of OG include instruction that is diagnostic and prescriptive. While our trainees gain practical experience, they also develop the invaluable skills needed to deliver OG instruction with confidence and integrity. PTI graduates have affirmed that our mentorship advanced their professional growth.
PTI Fellows also support graduates through the application process for OGA membership. When PTI approves candidates for certification, they are officially invited to become members of the Academy. Membership in OGA provides pipelines for networking through the newsletter, webinars, annual conference, and opportunities to serve on committees.
Our graduates feel comfortable reaching out to PTI years after they’ve completed training. PTI welcomes such communication and values such connections. Enrollment is largely via referrals, and we proudly take that to mean that our trainings live up to our reputation.
To view a comprehensive list of Associate Level practicum requirements, click here.
Join Us
PTI offers two Associate Level Orton-Gillingham trainings each summer. For an unparalleled learning experience that will transform how you teach the fundamentals of language and literacy, join us to begin your OG journey.
To learn more or to register, click here.
