DCP Practicum FAQs

• Participants must meet with their DTI mentor for a minimum of two online sessions before beginning with a student to demonstrate knowledge of the material, instructional strategies, and lesson presentation.
• Additional mentor meetings may be required to complete the practicum mentor meeting checklist and lesson requirements.
• Participants must complete two full lesson plans per week.
• Sessions must be 50–60 minutes in length, or two 30–35 minute sessions may be combined to equal one full session.
• A minimum of two 50–60 minute sessions per week (or four 30–35 minute sessions) must be conducted consistently.
• Participants must complete a minimum of 50 full implemented lessons with their student.
• Additional lessons may be required to meet practicum requirements.
• A minimum of three full lessons must be video recorded and submitted to the DTI mentor.
• Lesson plans and lesson notes for all sessions must be submitted weekly to DTI.
• DTI mentors will review submissions and provide coaching and feedback to support skill development.
• Additional lesson recordings, partial lesson recordings, or mentor meetings may be required throughout the practicum.

• The student must be at least 7 years old.
• The student must have completed first grade.
• The student must be a native English speaker.
• The student must either have a diagnosis of dyslexia or be considered at risk for a reading and/or writing disability demonstrated by documented reading and writing struggles that are currently impacting educational progress.
• A formal dyslexia diagnosis is not required, but the student must have a history of difficulty learning to read and write compared to peers.
• Additional documentation or notes may be required to verify reading and writing difficulties.

• The student cannot have received more than one year of instructor-led Orton-Gillingham instruction in a small group or whole-class setting.
• The student cannot have received prior one-on-one Orton-Gillingham instruction.
• The student must not have demonstrated significant academic gains from previous instruction.

You have nine months from the completion of the online coursework to complete all practicum requirements.

Your assigned mentor will be your primary contact throughout the practicum and will provide lesson plan feedback, coaching, and support.

Possibly. DTI prefers practicum tutoring to be completed in person, but online tutoring may be approved on a case-by-case basis.

We recommend contacting organizations in your community, local schools, dyslexia organizations, libraries, and tutoring centers.

You are required to begin the practicum within 30 days of completing the online coursework. During this period, you must attend at least two Zoom meetings with your assigned DTI mentor and select a student for consistent sessions.

You may request a 30-day extension due to extenuating circumstances with DTI approval.

If you do not begin the practicum within 60 days, you will be required to complete a DTI refresher course at your own expense before starting the practicum. The refresher course must be started and completed within six months of finishing your initial coursework with your cohort.

If more than six months pass before you begin the practicum or complete the required refresher course, you will need to retake the full online coursework at your own expense.

Yes. DTI provides grapheme/phoneme cards, phonemic awareness tiles, resource book materials, and access to select instructional videos.