Wilson Reading System
The Montgomery County Intermediate Unit (MCIU) is part of the national network of Wilson® Accredited Training Partners.
Wilson Language Training® and Wilson Accredited Training Partners have received Accreditation Plus 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.
As a Wilson® Accredited Training Partner, MCIU is able to provide professional learning and support of all Wilson® research-based multisensory, structured reading and spelling programs for all ages. These hands-on professional learning programs are delivered by a Wilson® Credentialed Trainer.
Teachers who participate in Wilson® professional learning:
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- Become proficient at teaching structured literacy.
- Gain the confidence, skills, and experience necessary to successfully teach reading and spelling. Have the opportunity to become teacher-leaders.
- May become qualified to teach students with dyslexia.
- Learn to teach reading and spelling using a straightforward, experiential learning approach that supports the goals, principles, and recommended practices of implementation science.
- Acquire multisensory teaching strategies and a comprehensive understanding of the structure of the English language.
- Improve the ability to plan and implement a coherent lesson based on the diverse needs of students.
- Learn to teach Wilson® programs with fidelity through the guidance of our experts.
- Gain ongoing support for continuous improvement through the online Wilson Academy® Learning Communities, which deliver reference and instructional materials and networking opportunities.
- May register for graduate credit for qualifying coursework.
Fundations®
Wilson Fundations® Virtual Level K Launch Workshop
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 | 9:00 AM-3:00 PM
This workshop will be held using a remote learning format. You will receive the course Zoom link and additional details prior to the start of the course.
The Fundations® Level K Launch introduces participants to a structured literacy approach to teaching foundational reading skills. This full day workshop is highly interactive and designed to allow for teacher input and active engagement via activities and discussions throughout as they develop competence with a research-based approach grounded in the science of reading. The Launch provides teachers with an overview of the Fundations Kindergarten curriculum and instructional activities, allowing them to delve into the materials and resources needed to teach the program and learn how to use the Teacher’s Manual to plan and deliver effective lessons. Upon completion, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to implement
Fundations Level K in their classrooms with confidence, while making learning to read fun and laying the groundwork for lifelong literacy for their students.
Fundations Level K Launch Workshop- Introduces instructional techniques within phonological awareness and alphabetic principle. Kindergarten teachers will learn to use Fundations with a wide variety of text experiences, as well as expose students to poetry, narrative and informational text.
Wilson Fundations® Virtual Level 1 Launch Workshop
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 | 9:00 AM-3:00 PM
This workshop will be held using a remote learning format. You will receive the course Zoom link and additional details prior to the start of the course.
The Fundations® Level 1 Launch introduces participants to a structured literacy approach to teaching foundational reading skills. This full day workshop is highly interactive and designed to allow for teacher input and active engagement via activities and discussions throughout as they develop competence with a research-based approach grounded in the science of reading. The Launch provides teachers with an overview of the first-grade curriculum and instructional activities, allowing them to delve into the materials and resources needed to teach the program and learn how to use the Teacher’s Manual to plan and deliver effective lessons. Upon completion, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to implement Fundations Level 1 in their classrooms with confidence, while making learning to read fun and laying the groundwork for lifelong literacy for their students.
Fundations Level 1- Reinforces the basic skills that were learned in Kindergarten and progresses further into the study of word structure while combining Fundations with a wide variety of text experiences.
Wilson Fundations® Virtual Level 2 Launch Workshop
Thursday, September 17, 2026 | 9:00 AM-3:00 PM
This workshop will be held using a remote learning format. You will receive the course Zoom link and additional details prior to the start of the course.
The Fundations® Level 2 Launch introduces participants to a structured literacy approach to teaching foundational reading skills. This full day workshop is highly interactive and designed to allow for teacher input and active engagement via activities and discussions throughout as they develop competence with a research-based approach grounded in the science of reading. The Launch provides teachers with an overview of the second-grade curriculum and instructional activities, allowing them to delve into the materials and resources needed to teach the program and learn how to use the Teacher’s Manual to plan and deliver effective lessons. Upon completion, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to implement Fundations
Level 2 in their classrooms with confidence, while making learning to read fun and laying the groundwork for lifelong literacy for their students.
Fundations Level 2 – Reinforces the skills taught in Level 1. In addition to learning more complex words structure for decoding and encoding, Level 2 students also work on fluency, vocabulary and comprehension skills.
Wilson Fundations® Virtual Level 3 Launch Workshop
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 | 9:00 AM-3:00 PM
This workshop will be held using a remote learning format. You will receive the course Zoom link and additional details prior to the start of the course.
The Fundations® Level 3 Launch introduces participants to a structured literacy approach to teaching foundational reading skills. This full day workshop is highly interactive and designed to allow for teacher input and active engagement via activities and discussions throughout as they develop competence with a research-based approach grounded in the science of reading. The Launch provides teachers with an overview of the third-grade curriculum and instructional activities, allowing them to delve into the materials and resources needed to teach the program and learn how to use the Teacher’s Manual to plan and deliver effective lessons. Upon completion, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to implement Fundations Level 3 in their classrooms with confidence, while making learning to read fun and laying the groundwork for lifelong literacy for their students.
Wilson Fundations® Review and Refresh
Wilson Fundations® Review and Refresh is a brand new workshop designed for returning Fundations educators that strengthens implementation over time. This session helps educators revisit key routines, refine instructional precision, and sustain consistency as educators deepen their understanding of the systematic, explicit approach to foundational literacy instruction that drives strong student outcomes.
Virtual Wilson Fundations® Multi-Level Review & Refresh Workshop
Thursday, October 1, 2026 | 8:30 AM-11:30 AM
A continuation workshop designed for returning Fundations educators that strengthens implementation over time. This session helps educators revisit key routines, refine instructional precision, and sustain consistency as educators deepen their understanding of the systematic, explicit approach to foundational literacy instruction that drives strong student outcomes. This multi-level workshop focuses on concepts in Grades K, 1, 2, and 3 and is perfect for specialists teaching multiple grade levels.
Virtual Wilson Fundations® Level K Review & Refresh Workshop
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | 8:30 AM-11:30 AM
A continuation workshop designed for returning Fundations educators that strengthens implementation over time. This session helps educators revisit key routines, refine instructional precision, and sustain consistency as educators deepen their understanding of the systematic, explicit approach to foundational literacy instruction that drives strong student outcomes.
Virtual Wilson Fundations® Level 1 Review & Refresh Workshop
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | 12:30 PM-3:30 PM
A continuation workshop designed for returning Fundations educators that strengthens implementation over time. This session helps educators revisit key routines, refine instructional precision, and sustain consistency as educators deepen their understanding of the systematic, explicit approach to foundational literacy instruction that drives strong student outcomes.
Virtual Wilson Fundations® Level 2 Review & Refresh Workshop
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | 8:30 AM-11:30 AM
A continuation workshop designed for returning Fundations educators that strengthens implementation over time. This session helps educators revisit key routines, refine instructional precision, and sustain consistency as educators deepen their understanding of the systematic, explicit approach to foundational literacy instruction that drives strong student outcomes.
Virtual Wilson Fundations® Level 3 Review & Refresh Workshop
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | 12:30 PM-3:30 PM
A continuation workshop designed for returning Fundations educators that strengthens implementation over time. This session helps educators revisit key routines, refine instructional precision, and sustain consistency as educators deepen their understanding of the systematic, explicit approach to foundational literacy instruction that drives strong student outcomes.
Wilson Reading System® (WRS)
WRS courses are offered individually or as part of certification pathways.
Wilson Reading System® (WRS) Introductory Course Virtual
August 4-6, 2026
This 16.5 hour course provides participants with an overview of the Wilson Reading System (WRS) and serves as the prerequisite for the WRS Level I Certification Training. This course examines the intensive intervention reading instruction necessary for students in grade two and above with persistent and significant phonological-coding deficits. Participants learn about dyslexia (indicators, misconceptions, neurobiological aspects, and prevalence), typical versus atypical reading acquisition, appropriate student identification and placement, and key components and principles of instruction, including the factors necessary for high-quality program implementation. How to teach phonology (including phonemic awareness), morphology, and orthography in an integrated, explicit, systematic, and multisensory way is demonstrated and practiced during the course. Participants explore the standard ten-part WRS Lesson Plan and practice planning, delivering, and individualizing a WRS Lesson while receiving modeling and feedback from a Wilson® Credentialed Trainer.
Wilson Reading System® (WRS) Level I Certification with Web-Based Practicum
A virtual start up session will be held on 9/10/26 from 8:30am-11:30am. Additional meetings held after school throughout practicum.
The Wilson Reading System (WRS) Level I Steps 1-6 Practicum is intended to prepare the participant to effectively implement a multisensory structured language (MSL) reading program with a student reading and spelling below grade level, including those individuals diagnosed with a language-based learning disability, such as dyslexia.
This course will provide the participant with deeper content knowledge and skill enhancement while engaged in a supervised practicum implementing a research-based instructional strategy. Each participant will acquire a sophisticated working knowledge of the sound-symbol system of English (phonology), the rules that govern spelling in the English language (orthography), and its structure (morphology), as well as the use of specific diagnostic instructional methods and differentiation. Satisfying the requirements of this course includes the identification, assessment, and approval of a practicum student in grades 4-12 with significant word-level deficits. This practicum student must be available for a minimum of 2-3 tutoring sessions per week until the practicum requirement of a minimum of 65 lessons are met (typically one school year). Each session requires 60-90 minutes in length.
Advanced Wilson Reading System® Courses
Advanced coursework provides in-depth strategies to implement multisensory structured language (MSL) instruction successfully in small-group settings and with advanced levels of decoding and encoding. WRS courses are offered individually or as part of certification pathways.
Wilson Reading System® Advanced Strategies for Multisensory Structured Language Group Instruction Course
August 18-20, 2026
This three-day (15-hour) course provides strategies, modeling, and practice as participants learn about the critical aspects of WRS small-group instruction, including how to optimally deliver WRS Lesson Blocks 1, 2 and 3. Participants learn about advanced and differentiated instruction for students to further develop vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency skills. This course prepares participants to implement WRS in a small-group setting, teaches how to properly monitor student progress, and provides the pre-requisite for the WRS Group Mastery Practicum.
Prerequisite: Wilson Reading System Level I Certification
Level II Certification
Successful completion of the following four advanced courses results in Wilson Reading System (WRS) Level II Certification:
WRS® Advanced Strategies for MSL Group Instruction Course
August 18-20, 2026
This three-day (15-hour) course provides strategies, modeling, and practice as participants learn about the critical aspects of WRS small-group instruction, including how to optimally deliver WRS Lesson Blocks 1, 2, and 3. Participants learn about advanced and differentiated instruction for students to further develop vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency skills. This course prepares participants to implement WRS in a small-group setting, teaches how to properly monitor student progress, and provides the pre-requisite for the WRS Group Mastery Practicum.
WRS® Group Mastery Practicum
Dates TBD
This practicum requires successful delivery of a minimum of 50 lessons with an approved group of three to four students reaching WRS Substep 3.1 or higher, and submission of at least three videorecorded lessons for observation and feedback.
WRS® Advanced Word Study Online Course (Steps 7-12)
Dates TBD
Advanced coursework provides in-depth strategies to implement multisensory structured language (MSL) instruction. This 60-hour online course provides instruction in advanced concepts of decoding and encoding to effectively use multisensory techniques to teach more complicated structures of the English language. The Advanced Word Study course is aligned with the systematic sequence of Wilson Reading System® (WRS) Steps 7-12, including spelling option procedures, contractions, and additional affixes, Latin bases, and Greek combining forms as well as the following syllable types: R-controlled Syllable and Double Vowel “D” Syllable (vowel digraphs and diphthongs). Detailed instruction is provided for each of the substeps through video demonstrations, animations, text, printable materials, and assessments.
WRS® Steps 7-12 Practicum
Dates TBD
In the Wilson Reading System® (WRS) Steps 7-12 Practicum, participants focus on advanced word study and application of reading and writing skills with progressively more challenging levels of text. The practicum requires successful delivery of a minimum of 50 lessons with an approved student, and submission of at least three video-recorded lessons for observation and feedback.
WRS Level II Certified individuals are eligible for the Wilson® Dyslexia Therapist (W.D.T.) credential.
Registration – Contact Julie Ortlieb (jortlieb@mciu.org) to learn more about enrolling in the Level II Certification pathway.
Just Words® Launch Workshop
Just Words® Launch Workshop
Thursday, August 13, 2026
The Just Words® Virtual Launch Workshop provides the practice and guidance needed to effectively begin teaching the Just Words curriculum, a highly explicit, multisensory decoding and spelling program for students in grades 4-12 and adults who have mild to moderate gaps in their decoding and spelling proficiency. This full day workshop is highly interactive and designed to allow for teacher input and active engagement via activities and discussions throughout as they develop competence with a research-based approach to support students in an intervention setting. This course provides an overview of Just Words, a dive into the materials and resources needed to teach Just Words, and a look at how to use the Instructor Manual. Participants will practice planning a lesson and have a chance to see Just Words in action.
