Orton-Gillingham Progression Charts Explained!
So you’re hearing about Orton-Gillingham progression charts? Let’s take a closer look at what that is.
Most boxed curriculum programs, whether based on Orton-Gillingham or not, have a scope and sequence. The materials and lessons are arranged in a specific order and progress according to that scope and sequence. You can look at this scope and sequence and see when concepts are introduced and how the overall series of lessons will develop. It provides a blueprint for the teacher to follow.
While many programs may be informed by or built on Orton-Gillingham, at its core, Orton-Gillingham is not a program. Because Orton-Gillingham is focused on teacher training around a set of principles and methods, there is no specific scope and sequence. Instead of following a prescribed series of lessons, lessons are individually designed around the needs of each student.
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Rather than providing a specific curriculum, training organizations such as Orton Gillingham Academy, or an IMSLEC-accredited program often provide a suggested order of introduction for skills. This is a list of skills and strategies arranged in a suggested order. This is what we call an Orton-Gillingham progression.
While this may sound a lot like a scope and sequence, it is not a rigid lock-step sequence, but something that is flexible and can be adjusted for each student. Concepts can be combined, broken up further, or taught in a different order if it makes sense for a particular student.
To learn more about Orton-Gillingham progression charts, watch my YouTube video: Understanding Orton-Gillingham Progression Charts.
What are the benefits of a progression chart?
- Benefit #1: A progression chart provides us with the flexibility to adjust the sequence and design a starting point and pace appropriate to the student. It can be very helpful to have that suggested order, even if you vary from it to make sure that your teaching is thorough, and mastery is achieved.
- Benefit #2: A progression chart is also helpful to compare against resources you may wish to use. For example, I followed a particular progression chart when developing materials for The Literacy Nest store. By comparing your progression chart to mine, or your student’s progression chart to a resource, you can know how best to use materials and support your student. The roughly outlined sequence of instruction can also help you to design activities that are useful for more than one student.
Want the exact Orton-Gillingham progression chart I use? You can download it here!
Important notes about progression charts:
1. There is not a universal Orton-Gillingham progression chart.
Progression charts are usually individual to each organization or training. They are not universal. There are differences between them. In many cases, they may be quite small differences, or sometimes more significant ones. Additionally, training organizations may refine and revise this progression chart over time. So individual practitioners may be using different generations of the progression chart.
You may discover when encountering different progressions that you find yourself preferring aspects of one or the other, or even aspects of each. There are frequently benefits to each of these different progression charts. Just as there is no universal progression chart, there is no perfect progression chart. And with sound reasoning, a certain amount of flexibility in borrowing from other progressions is acceptable.
Learn more about the foundational principles of Orton-Gillingham. Listen to season 4, episode 4 of the Together in Literacy podcast!
2. An Orton-Gillingham progression chart will be both prescriptive and diagnostic.
The flexibility of progression charts lends them to being diagnostic and prescriptive. Older students may need a swift overview of lower-level skills, before being ready to move ahead. Other times, the order of introduction may be varied to give more space between easily confused concepts or to provide an opportunity to look at concepts side by side to sharpen the student’s judgment and develop their ability to make distinctions.
Learn more! Read How is Orton-Gillingham Diagnostic and Prescriptive?
3. Orton-Gillingham progression charts aid in mastery.
Progression charts can aid with mastery. A copy of the progression chart you are using should be kept with each student’s records. In this way, it serves as a record of what students have been taught. With a lot or a little detail, they are a valuable tool for tracking when certain skills were introduced or perhaps when they exhibited mastery.
Learn more! Read What Does Explicit, Systematic, and Sequential Teaching Look Like?
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