Secondary Structured Literacy Cohort Spring 2026 (SPED/BH 10)

Course Description

• We are thrilled to offer a new, customized training experience for DCSD middle and high school teachers who work with striving readers, including students with characteristics of dyslexia.  This training will provide teachers with the knowledge and skills to feel confident and prepared to deliver foundational literacy instruction to kids who still struggle to decode words with accuracy, automaticity, and fluency.  

  The training cohort will include components of Orton Gillingham (OG) instructional techniques, as well as training on two OG-based curricula that are easy to implement in the secondary setting.  Teachers will be trained on the UFLI curriculum, which is appropriate for students who are significantly behind and still reading at an elementary level.  Teachers will also be trained in Word Connections, a curriculum that focuses on multisyllabic words and reading fluency, which is appropriate for students who have learned the “code” but are still struggling with automaticity and fluency.  

• Lead Learner (Facilitator): Lynni Nordheim
• Credit(s) and Type: 7 Hours Relicensure per Meeting Attended
  • Please Note: Transcripts will be updated up to 4 weeks after the course end date. 

Target Audience

• Certified Staff
• Open to Substitute Teachers = Yes
• Open to Student Teachers = Yes
• Open to Charter School Staff = Yes
  • Charter Certified

Meeting Information

• Dates: 1/26/26, 2/3/26, 2/18/26, 3/5/26, 3/12/26
• Time: 8:15 AM - 3:15 PM
• Location: Various

Outcomes

Here are the outcomes for the course: 

• Teachers will understand the Science of Reading, how the brain learns to read, and how this all applies to adolescent literacy.  
• Teachers will gain a deeper understanding of dyslexia, including how to support students with characteristics of dyslexia.
• Teachers will learn OG principles and instructional routines which will provide them with the knowledge and skills to confidently and effectively instruct students.
• Teachers will learn how to assess students to determine exactly where their reading skills break down, and how to determine the correct entry point into one of the provided curricula to best meet student needs.
• Teachers will learn how to implement lessons from the UFLI and Word Connections curricula.