What Is The Approach?

OLM has its own learning support with a Tier Three Reading Intervention Program utilizing the Orton-Gillingham (O-G) Language Approach. OLM uses this proven research-based, multi-sensory approach for learning the basic language skills of reading, writing, and spelling. We are the only providers in the area offering this help, without an additional charge. The program is provided by two Certified Academic Language Practitioners who are certified by The Alliance for Accreditation and Certification of Multisensory Structured Language Education, Inc. OLM currently has 40 students in grades 2-8 that receive this instruction.

Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School has partnered with the Philadelphia Dyslexia Center. The center has provided the screening and testing for students. They also assist us in monitoring student progress.

The Orton-Gillingham (O-G) Language Approach is based on the belief that incorporating specific skills in the educational process has a positive impact on the students’ ability to learn how to read, write and spell. Teachers of the O-G method engage all learners by presenting concepts in ways that visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile learners can grasp.

In 2000, the National Reading Panel supported the Orton-Gillingham direct systematic phonics instruction and found all their presented findings through a comprehensive, formal, evidence-based analysis of the research literature. Evidence-based facts clearly showed that direct systematic phonics programs present the most effective method of providing students an accurate foundation of phonological decoding for higher level reading skills. Numerous intervention programs such as Alphabetic Phonics, Project Read, or Wilson Reading System are derived from the O-G approach.

Overall, relevant research studies suggest that the Orton-Gillingham method results in improvement in word reading, word attack/decoding, spelling, and comprehension