Dyslexic Edge Partners with IMSE to Train its Tutors in Orton-Gillingham

IMSE’s professional development training will help the non-profit train more teachers in the Science of Reading, and increase access to reading intervention for dyslexic students

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. and WASHINGTON, April 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — IMSE, an education pioneer and the leading provider of Structured Literacy Professional Development and Classroom Programs, today announced a strategic partnership with Dyslexic Edge to train its tutors in Orton-Gillingham, which follows the Science of Reading. The non-profit, located in Northern Virginia, provides Orton-Gillingham-based reading tutoring and STEM enrichment to elementary-aged students in Title I schools in the Washington, DC area. The organization, which currently has 20 trained tutors, will send its first cohort of elementary school teachers to be trained by IMSE in late spring and early summer 2023.

To date, Dyslexic Edge has served over 100 students between the first and fifth grades in the DC area; currently, it serves 38 students between its after-school and tutoring programs. Krista Gauthier, founder and executive director, will be the first to go through IMSE training. She wants to exponentially increase the number of tutors who are trained in the OG approach, and intends to launch after-school programs that use IMSE’s curriculum in fall 2023.

“IMSE has so much to offer our organization. Our missions truly dovetail as we both are on a mission to increase access to systematic reading instruction for students,” said Gauthier. “The teacher training aspect is so important; it’s a lightbulb moment for them. IMSE will help us to make our efforts more scalable as teachers become hungry for training that will help all children learn how to read.”

Tutoring at Dyslexic Edge consists of two 90-minute after-school sessions a week – divided between lessons on reading intervention and STEM sessions that may focus on coding, building rockets, units on space, and even flight simulation. Since it can often take years and even private testing to get an official diagnosis, Gauthier, whose own daughter was not diagnosed with dyslexia until fifth grade, has ensured that students do not need to have an official diagnosis of dyslexia in order to qualify for the program.

“Those who don’t gain access to resources to overcome disabilities like dyslexia may falter in school,” added Gauthier. “So many of these kids have a superpower in STEM subjects but struggle with learning how to read. We want to help students reach their full potential, not only to help them read fluently but also to play on their existing strengths to get there.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Krista and her team at Dyslexic Edge to give more teachers the tools and training to boost reading proficiency with the students who need it the most, and remove one more obstacle to getting there,” said Jeanne Jeup, co-founder and CEO, IMSE.

About IMSE

IMSE is an education pioneer and the leading provider of Structured Literacy solutions that leverage the best of Orton-Gillingham and the Science of Learning to empower teachers from day one. Since 1996, IMSE has pioneered the use of Orton-Gillingham and Structured Literacy in general education, and remains at the forefront of research-based reading programs that are personalized, yet applicable to classroom teaching. IMSE’s unmatched training and classroom programs deliver measurable growth for all students, enabling equity in literacy learning. And, as educators, the IMSE team understands the needs of teachers, schools, and districts, delivering a practical approach to teaching reading and empowering teachers that has helped millions of students across the country. For more information on IMSE, visit https://imse.com/.

About Dyslexic Edge

Dyslexic Edge is a non-profit leading a movement to develop future STEM leaders by building confidence in students with dyslexia and equipping educators to help them learn. By combining evidence-based language instruction with STEM enrichment, we set the standard for how students with dyslexia should be educated and inspired. Learn more at https://www.sdsquared.org/who-we-are.

SOURCE The Institute for Multi-Sensory Education