#81 The One Question That Makes Your School Prove Their Teacher Is Really Trained

October 23, 2026

Two parents sit in two different IEP meetings at two different schools and hear the exact same sentence: “Don’t worry, the teacher is OG trained.” One of those teachers has years of training and is certified. The other took a short summer course. Both parents walk out with the same answer and no way to tell the difference.

Today, I’m giving you the one question that cuts through that yes or no answer and gets you real information: what certification level does this person hold and through which organization? I walk through why “is she trained?” is the wrong kind of question, what the three different kinds of answers actually mean, and why trained and certified are not the same thing at all.

The focus of this conversation is helping you ask a specific, fact-based question instead of one that can be answered with a reflexive yes, so you know exactly what kind of instruction your child is actually getting.

My free resource, You're Right About Your Struggling Reader: 3 Red Flags When Working with the School, walks you through the three signs that mean it's time to stop waiting and start pushing for more support. Check off what feels true for your family and I'll tell you exactly what it means. Grab it now at https://www.literacyuntangled.com/shifts!

Would you like to understand reports, ask the right questions, and get schools to take you seriously? Together Through Dyslexia 6-month program provides expert mentorship for parents of dyslexics and struggling readers, and you can claim your spot now at https://www.literacyuntangled.com/together-through-dyslexia!

My mini-course, From Lost to Empowered: How to Get Your Struggling Reader: The 3-Step Evaluation Request Blueprint for Parents of Struggling Readers, is available now! This 3-step evaluation request blueprint walks you through everything you need to know, from documenting concerns with the right details to writing the evaluation request letter with language that triggers legal timelines, to handling what to do when schools try to push you off, and so much more. You can break through the barriers NOW and get instant access at https://www.literacyuntangled.com/from-lost-to-empowered.

Topics Covered:

Why asking “is the teacher trained?” or “is this an OG program?” is the wrong kind of question to be asking [2:00]
Why “trained” and “certified” are not the same thing, and a real world comparison that shows the difference [2:36]
The one specific, fact based question to ask instead: what certification level does this person hold and through which organization [3:02]
The three kinds of answers you might hear back and what each one really tells you [4:01]
Why certification isn’t a one-and-done deal, and what staying “current” means for a practitioner’s ongoing training hours [5:19]
A reminder why this isn’t about catching anyone out, rather it’s about knowing what your child’s plan assumes versus what they’re actually receiving [5:39]

Key Takeaways:

A yes or no question like “is she trained?” will almost always get you a yes; the specific question to ask is what certification level someone holds and through which organization.
Trained and certified are not interchangeable: training means coursework; certification means an outside body observed and signed off on the work.
This isn’t about catching a teacher out; it’s about knowing what training your child’s plan assumes so you can see whether that’s actually what they’re getting.

Links & Resources Mentioned:

#80 OG Trained Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means

Orton-Gillingham Academy (AOGPE)

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Episode Transcript

(0:00 - 3:05)
OG trained is almost always a yes. And that's where the problem is. A yes or no question gets you a yes or no answer.

I'm Jenny Sherson, ex-special educator turned dyslexia interventionist. It wasn't so long ago that I too was overwhelmed by balanced literacy versus structured literacy, education speed, and everything in between. Fast forward after many, many hours of self-driven education, and you'll see I've built a thriving dyslexia practice helping students from age 6 to 18.

My specialties, working with a quote-unquote difficult, almost always to read, student, and breaking down the complexities of dyslexia into everyday language strategies and action steps. Two parents, two different schools, two IEP meetings, and they each hear the same sentence. Don't worry, the teacher is OG trained.

One of those teachers spent years building that training into certified. The other took a short summer course last summer. Both parents walk out of the meeting with the same exact answer.

And neither one had any way to tell if the person providing their child with instruction was certified or only trained. So today we're going to fix that with one question. Last time, we pulled back the curtain on one little phrase, OG trained, and we talked about why it's a phrase that can lack meaning.

We walked through the four levels at the Orton Gillingham Academy, classroom educator, associate, certified, and fellow. I shared that other organizations have their own paths with similar levels of trainings and certifications, but with different names. So if you listened to that episode, you might be sitting there thinking, okay, Jenny, that's great.

But how do I find out which one is sitting across from my kid? And that's what we're diving into today. And here's the thing. Most of us ask the wrong kind of questions.

Like, is the teacher qualified? Is she trained? Is this an OG program? Those are all yes or no questions. And the answer to every single one of them is yes. Because OG trained is almost always a yes.

And that's where the problem is. A yes or no question gets you a yes or no answer. And a yes doesn't tell you what you really want to know.

So think about it this way. You'd never hire a contractor or a plumber for a big job who said, oh, yes, I'm trained and leave it at that. You'd ask, are you licensed? Because license and trained are not the same.

With a license, someone checked their knowledge and their work before they signed off that this person is capable and competent in their job. Trained is a feeling. A little bit.

We know something. So here's the one question you need to ask. And are you ready for it? All right, here it is.

(3:06 - 4:21)
What certification level does this person hold and through which organization? That's it. You need to know their certification level and through which organization. And now let me tell you why this works.

First, it's specific. It can't be answered with a yes or no. The only way to answer is with an actual level and an actual name of who certified them, what group.

Second, it's a fact. It's not about opinions. It's not about whether the teacher is nice or whether she works hard or whether she cares.

I'm sure she really does care. This is a piece of information about how the plan is going to be put into action. And third, it doesn't sound like an accusation.

It sounds like a parent who is paying attention because you are. And that's exactly who you get to be in that room. Now, what will you hear back? There are really three kinds of answers.

The first one is a level and an organization. She's an associate through the Orton Gillingham Academy or a level with a different name from a different organization. Awesome.

We love that. Now you have something real to work with. You can line it up with what we talked about in our last episode.

(4:21 - 5:22)
The second kind of answer is she's trained, but she's not certified. This answer is information too. It doesn't mean she's a bad teacher.

It means she's had coursework, but she hasn't been through the full process of being observed and signed off by someone outside of the school. And that's a different thing than being certified. And you should be able to know which one it is because most likely it'll have a direct effect on the depth and the knowledge as well as the tools in the toolbox this person is providing when they instruct your child.

The third kind of answer is I'm not sure. Let me find out. And honestly, that one happens a lot.

Remember what I said last time, most people saying OG trained, believe it completely. They were handed a title and nobody ever showed them what's underneath them. So I don't know isn't a gotcha.

It's a starting point. It just means nobody has looked yet. There's one more thing worth knowing.

(5:23 - 7:56)
Certification isn't a one and done deal. A certified practitioner has to keep current and needs to complete a set number of learning hours a year to keep that certification. So certified should also mean current.

Someone who is still showing up for their own training and development. Now, I want to say this really clearly. This is not about catching anyone.

A lot of these teachers are working incredibly hard with what they are given. Some of them are doing beautiful work with a classroom level of training in a classroom. This is about your child's plan.

If the plan assumes a certain level of training, you get to know that's what your child is actually receiving. That's it. That's the whole point.

So here's what I want you to take from today. One question, what certification level does this person hold and through which organization? And once you have that information, you're no longer guessing. What you do with that answer, how to read it next to your child's progress and how to bring it back to the team.

That's the work we do together inside together through Dyslexia. That's where we go over everything and I walk you through it step by step. Next time, I want to zoom out because I think this conversation about who is teaching our kids is about to get a lot louder.

Until then, here's what you need to know. Every parent who gets their kid the right kind of help goes to the same five steps and I call this the shift method or the shift approach, right? They see the problem, they harness the evidence, they interpret the data, and they formulate the plan and then they finally they track the progress. That's the whole path start to finish and this episode falls under F&T.

What we just talked about today is part of building the plan and tracking whether it's working because a plan only works if the person delivering it has the training you are counting on. If you want to know more, reach out to me by email or DM me on Instagram or Facebook. Until next time, bye-bye.

I hope you enjoyed this episode of Literacy Untangled. If you loved this episode as much as I did, head on over and rate and subscribe so you never miss an episode. If you want to continue the conversation or share your takeaways, head on over to our Instagram at Literacy Untangled and comment on your favorite part.

I can't wait to hang out with you again soon. Bye!

#81 The One Question That Makes Your School Prove Their Teacher Is Really Trained

Before You Go...
Are You Making These Reading Mistakes?

Are You Making These Reading Mistakes?

#81 The One Question That Makes Your School Prove Their Teacher Is Really Trained

Before You Go...Are You Making These Reading Mistakes?

Are You Making These Reading Mistakes?

Before You Go...
Are You Making These Reading Mistakes?