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OG Classes

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OG Classes

Language enrichment and development are essential components of the Trident Academy approach for students with language-based learning differences, and this is what our OG classes are all about. Trident Academy’s OG classes are where the rubber meets the road; students are challenged to stretch and grow, learning how to read in a structured and safe environment. For all of our students who struggle, regardless of level, OG classes are designed to unlock the barriers to reading. All students are scheduled for OG class every day, with placement determined by the individual needs of each student. Students learn through the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading and spelling by being exposed to prescriptive, diagnostic, sequential, structured, and multi-sensory teaching.

OG classes are designed to meet each student’s individual needs and evolve as the student progresses through Trident Academy. All students are evaluated at the beginning of each academic year and are assigned a OG instructor who will address their individual needs. For many of our younger students, reading, spelling, and handwriting are the first focus of instruction. As students become more proficient, practice for reading fluency is added.

OG teachers evaluate all students in the areas of decoding, phonemic awareness, fluency, spelling, reading comprehension and vocabulary, and written expression. Test results are used to place students in OG classes, determine individualized goals, and design the approach for the individualized instruction. Tests used for these purposes include the Phonological Awareness Skills Test (PAST), Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE), Test of Written Spelling (TWS), Gates-MacGinnitie Reading Test (GMRT), and the Rapid Automatized Naming Test (RAN).

Trident Academy admits students of any gender, sexual orientation and identity (including transgender status), race, color, religion, national and/or ethnic origin, and provides students with all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. In accordance with applicable law, it does not discriminate in the administration of its education policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs. Similarly, Trident Academy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on disability. However, consistent with Trident Academy’s mission, it is the admission policy that to qualify for admission consideration, students must have diagnosed learning disabilities and/or certain communication disorders and meet certain threshold criteria as evidenced by their professional testing documents.

Fact #6

“ADHD is a disorder that includes difficulty staying focused and paying attention, controlling behavior and hyperactivity. A disorder that includes difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior and hyperactivity. Although ADHD is not considered a learning disability, research indicates that from 30-50 percent of children with ADHD also have a specific learning disability, and that the two conditions can interact to make learning extremely challenging. – Learning Disability Association of America”

Fact #5

“Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability that affects a person’s ability to understand numbers and learn math facts. Individuals with this type of Learning Disability may also have poor comprehension of math symbols, may struggle with memorizing and organizing numbers, have difficulty telling time, or have trouble with counting. – Learning Disability Association of America”

Fact #4

“Dysgraphia is a specific learning disability that affects a person’s handwriting ability and fine motor skills. A person with this specific learning disability may have problems including illegible handwriting, inconsistent spacing, poor spatial planning on paper, poor spelling, and difficulty composing writing as well as thinking and writing at the same time. – Learning Disability Association of America”

Fact #3

“Individuals with dyslexia are those who, despite traditional classroom teaching, have failed to master the basic elements of the language system of their culture. Since language is the necessary tool upon which subsequent academic learning is based, such persons often encounter difficulty in all educational endeavors. – from the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practicioners and Educators”

Fact #2

“The word dyslexia is derived from the Greek, dys, difficulty with, and lex (from legein, to speak), having to do with words. Words in their many forms are encountered in listening, speaking, reading, spelling, writing, in mathematics, and in organizing, understanding, and expressing thought. Based on information from neuroscientific and linguistic research, the definition can be summarized as difficulty in the use and processing of arbitrary linguistic/symbolic codes. This is an aspect of a language continuum which includes spoken language, written language, and language comprehension. – Definition from the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practicioners and Educators”

Fact #1

“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. – from the International Dyslexia Association”