Wilson Reading System® Level I Certification

Wilson Level 1 Certification male teacher and two female students

Course Description

Wilson Reading System® Intensive Instruction for the Non-Responsive Reader 

Steps 1-6 Online Course with Steps 1-6 Practicum 

Blue open book and Wilson Accredited Partner words to right of it

This online course presents, in detail, the multisensory structured language (MSL) instruction that is required for teaching students in grade two and beyond with significant world-level deficits who are unresponsive to previous instruction (due to dyslexia and/or other characteristics that indicate the need for intensive, multisensory instruction. 

“Wilson Language Training and Wilson® Accredited Training Partners have received the Accreditation Plus designation by the International Dyslexia Association®(IDA). This designation recognizes that Wilson Reading System® certifications align with the IDA’s Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading.”

Wilson IDA Dyslexia Accreditation Plus Logo

Prerequisites

  • Wilson Reading System® Introductory Course (completed within the last five years).
  • Bachelor’s degree in Education or a related field.

Section I

Dates: August 14, 2024-September 27, 2025

Audience: Special educators, reading specialists, literacy coaches, tutors, and reading interventionists
Mode: Online via Zoom.  All sessions are synchronous.

Duration: 90 hours; this course generally spans one academic year and must be completed within 12 months. Participants need to have a minimum of two (2) full lessons per week (90 minutes each lesson). 

Time: Online, 1/2 day mandatory orientation on 8/14/2024 via Zoom 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. and five additional implementation meetings that must be completed along with the full online course.

Course Number:  PRDV 7000P  CRN: 11531
Cost: $2,700

Section II

Dates: September 9, 2024 - September 9, 2025

Audience: Special educators, reading specialists, literacy coaches, tutors, and reading interventionists
Mode: Online via Zoom.  All sessions are synchronous.

Duration: 90 hours; this course generally spans one academic year and must be completed within 12 months. Participants need to have a minimum of two (2) full lessons per week (90 minutes each lesson). 

Time: Online, 1/2 day mandatory orientation on 9/9/2024 via Zoom 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. and five additional implementation meetings that must be completed along with the full online course.

Course Number:  PRDV 7000P  CRN: 11629
Cost: $2,700

Registration is full!

Section I Registration Deadline: August 7, 2024

Section II Registration Deadline: September 2, 2024

Please Note

  • Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to pay for your course. The registration may take 24-48 hours to process.
  • You are required to pay within 48 hours of receiving your course payment email. Not paying for a course does not constitute a withdrawal from the course. You may withdraw prior to the start of a course. Once a course starts, you are not eligible for a refund.

Additional Information

  • WRS Introductory Set (Steps 1-6), 4th edition, containing instructor and student materials.
  • WIST (Word Identification and Spelling Test) for student testing.
  • Complete a comprehensive online course: WRS Intensive Instruction for the Non-Responsive Reader (Steps 1-6).
  • Conduct 1:1 WRS instruction with a practicum student for a minimum of 65 lessons with a lesson plan written for each lesson. Students must meet selection criteria and be approved by the assigned Wilson® Credentialed Trainer. Instruction must be with WRS 4th Edition materials. 
  • Be observed five times teaching the practicum student. Each observation is scheduled with the Wilson® Credentialed Trainer and lasts approximately 60-75 minutes.
  • Submit a pretesting report on the practicum student, including educational history and current test results.
  • Develop a Teacher Binder and Student Portfolio and compile student’s written work in accordance with WLT program standards.
  • Demonstrate mastery of the WRS Lesson Plan procedures (documented and approved by Wilson® Credentialed Trainer).
  • Demonstrate an understanding of language concepts through accurate teaching with multisensory procedures.
  • Demonstrate student mastery of reading, spelling, fluency, and comprehension.
  • Conduct pre- and post testing with two norm-referenced tests, one being the Word Identification and Spelling Test (WIST), and submit posttest data with practicum student final report after a minimum of 65 lessons and achievement of WRS Substep 4.2.

The practicum student must meet the following criteria and be approved by Wilson Language Training before instruction begins.

  • In or entering grades 4-12 (grade 3 approved if student has been retained).
  • Overall cognitive ability in average range (minimum IQ = 80).
  • Overall reading must be ranked in the 5th to 30th percentile with a minimum total reading score of grade 2.0.
  • Student’s listening comprehension ability is higher than independent reading comprehension.
  • Student has poor decoding and spelling skills.
  • Student must be available to be scheduled for a minimum of three to four 45-minute lessons or two to three 60-90 minute lessons per week (1:1).
  • The practicum student must not have any previous Wilson instruction.
  • Additional details can be found here on the Wilson website.

Certification: Completion of WRS Level I Certification makes one eligible to receive the professional credential of Wilson® Dyslexia Practitioner (W.D.P.).

Graduate credit: Nine (9) graduate credits available upon successful completion of courses for an additional fee. See the Registrar’s webpage for more details.

Once participants successfully complete Level 1 training they may move on to Level 2 training the following academic year. 

Marjorie Edwards CPS Wilson Reading

Section I

Marjorie Edwards has an M.S. in Education and has worked in the field of education for over 35 years. She has been a Wilson® Credentialed Trainer since 2004. After beginning her career as a classroom teacher, Marjorie has gone on to specialize in reading and literacy, transitioning to positions as a reading specialist. Since then, she has worked as a lead teacher / coordinator for a Title 1 early intervention program, an Implementation Facilitator for Massachusetts Reading First, and a district reading coach. Currently, Marjorie is a Trainer for Wilson Language Training®.

Section II

Debra Hillemeir  Wilson Language Instructor

Debra Hillemeir has been working in the field of education for over 25 years. She received her M.S. in Elementary Education and her 6th Year Certificate as a Reading and Language Arts Consultant from Central Connecticut State University. Debra began her career in education as a second-grade teacher.
For 19 years she was a Reading Consultant and Literacy Specialist in a K-6 elementary school where she provided Tier II and Tier III intervention instruction, literacy coaching, and in-district professional development. She has served as Treasurer of the Dyslexia Society of Connecticut and The Reading League Connecticut. She maintains her credentials as a Wilson Credentialed Trainer, a Wilson Dyslexia Therapist; and a CERI/IDA Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist. Debra currently teaches as a Wilson Credentialed Trainer for Wilson Language Training’s Higher Education Academic Partners.

Questions? Contact us.