Orton Gillingham
What is Orton Gillingham?  How does a student qualify?  How long will they be in the program?

Orton Gillingham is a replacement phonics program for students who need phonics taught differently.  Orton Gillingham is a methodology that uses a systematic, sequential, explicitly taught phonics program.  The students build phonemic awareness skills that will help them be better, stronger readers and writers as well as learn how to incorporate their senses in their learning.  When learning uses multiple senses (multi-sensory instruction) it means the information being taught is being carried to the brain through those multiple senses.  The more senses used at a time, the better more efficiently the brain will be able to retrieve it for use.  In my room the students learn the montra: see it, say it, hear it, and feel it.  We talk about how effective it is to do all of this at the same time.  

A student qualifies through testing.  Often the testing takes place at the end of first grade, when all students are screened.  It will take place later for students new to Denville Township public schools.  We use a screener, teacher input, student writing, reading levels, and informal assessments to determine eligibility.

A student will remain in the program for as short as they need, or as long as they need.  There is no pre-determined amount of time in the program.  Some students need a little time to put the pieces together.  Some students need longer.  All decisions are based on each individual students needs.