Accreditation Resources

The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is pleased to release the Program Review and Accreditation Handbook and Application (2018) for reference by programs planning to engage in the IDA Program Review and Accreditation process.

Programs that intend to apply for review are encouraged to contact ETICoordinator@dyslexiaida.org

IDA Accreditation Handbook

The International Dyslexia Association’s (IDA) Program Review and Accreditation initiative are unique to other accrediting models in that it promotes the systematic evaluation and refinement of EPP’s against IDA’s research-based Knowledge and Practice Standards (KPS) for Teachers of Reading. When an EPP displays the IDA Accredited Program seal and advertises itself as an IDA Accredited Program, the public is assured that program completers have engaged a rigorous, standards-based preparation program designed to promote candidate mastery of the principles and practices of Structured Literacy.

IDA Accreditation Handbook and Application-EXAMPLE

Programs that are interested in learning more about the IDA accreditation process are encouraged to contact accreditation@dyslexiaida.org and request initial information and begin the process to sign-up for accreditation.

Difference between Accreditation & Accreditation Plus

Accreditation:

Programs seeking IDA’s Accreditation status are preparing candidates to serve as general education classroom teachers or support personnel to provide or support:

• whole group reading and language arts instruction to students in general education contexts; and/or
• small group instructional practice opportunities for students who are not meeting grade level reading expectations in general education setting.

This accreditation category is awarded to programs that provide evidence that their curriculum is at least 45 clock hours, and is adequately aligned with the KPS sufficient for candidates to earn a passing score on the KPEERI exam. 

IDA’s Accreditation programs are not preparing professionals to provide specialized, remedial reading interventions to students in a small group or one-on-one setting. They may have a practicum that includes limited modeling of skills, corrective feedback and follow-up coaching.

Accreditation Plus:

Programs seeking Accreditation PLUS status are programs that are preparing candidates to provide targeted or intensive reading interventions that reflect the principles and practices of Structured Literacy™ to individual and small groups of students who have a primary need for reading and writing remediation. Students may be deemed as “at-risk”, may have an identified Specific Learning Disability, or may have an identification of Dyslexia. These programs are preparing professionals to provide specialized, intensive remedial reading interventions to students in a small group or one-on-one setting. The central elements of an Accreditation PLUS program must have courses that (a) their curriculum is adequately aligned with the KPS sufficient for candidates to earn a passing score on the KPEERI exam, (b) they require candidates to complete at least one supervised Structured Literacy™ practicum experience; and (c) their supervised Structured Literacy™ practicum experience(s) are implemented by appropriately credentialed faculty and designed to ensure that candidates meet minimum Structured Literacy™ practice and competency/components.

Notice to education preparation program’s seeking IDA Accredited ^PLUS status

The IDA Accreditation Review Team will conduct an audit of programs’ practicum experiences in order to determine if they are of adequate duration and structure to meet IDA’s minimum practicum requirements which can be found in the IDA Program Accreditation Handbook and Application – EXAMPLE. For EPP’s that want candidates to be able to apply for CERI certification, programs must align to CERI’s minimum practicum requirements for either Structured Literacy/Dyslexia Interventionist certification or Structured Literacy/Dyslexia Specialist certification. This audit will be forwarded to CERI for final review, approval, and release to applicants.

CERI will contact Program Directors in order to provide follow-up to the audit. Programs whose practicum experiences are aligned with CERI certification requirements will receive complimentary customized electronic promotional materials, such as flyers and brochures. Programs whose practicum experiences are not adequately aligned with CERI certification requirements will receive guidance on how to bring the experiences into alignment.

For questions regarding CERI certification, please contact Jessica Blum, Certification Administrator, at: info@effectivereading.org.

For questions regarding the accreditation process, please contact ETICoordinator@dyslexiaida.org

Accreditation Calendar

The IDA Program Review and Accreditation initiative accepts applications three times per year: Fall, Spring, and Summer. Successful applications are awarded IDA Program Accreditation for five years from the date the decision letter is issued. This information can be found in the IDA Handbook.

Accreditation Pipeline Option

The Accreditation Pipeline option is a new option that allows an applicant up to 12 months to complete the accreditation application process. This option is self-paced and provides group facilitative coaching throughout the process.

During the pipeline process, applicant graduates must take the KPEERI. This allows both IDA and the applicant to assess their programs for any gaps. Non-identifiable exam data will be provided to applicants upon request. Applicants will also be recognized as a pipeline program on the IDA website. The Pipeline option is a comprehensive coaching program that offers applicants one year of facilitative assistance, including:

1. Five (5) 1 ½ hour group coaching sessions. Each session is based on the five-part application and administered via live webinar presentations conducted by an experienced Facilitative Coach. All webinars are interactive and allow for dialogue and Q&A. The purpose of the sessions is to provide participants with more detailed information on what is expected within each part of the application. Samples and demonstrations will be provided during each presentation.
2. Access to facilitator presentations and webinars. Access to facilitator presentations and webinars. All webinar presentations will be available for review throughout the pipeline process. Applicants will be provided links to evaluate via YouTube or another video portal.
3. Three (3) additional group discussion chats chats conducted by an experienced three-member team that may include but is not limited to: the IDA Accreditation Chair, program facilitator, past successful applicant, and/or experienced reviewer. These chat sessions serve as another way to ask questions, seek assistance, or hear ideas that may assist in completing a successful application.
4. Access to a newly developed private Facebook Group. The Accreditation FB Group is a way to communicate with both present and past applicants to stay up to date on accreditation best practices. Applicants will be able to view both FAQs and coaching advice by accreditation staff, successful applicants, and reviewers.
5. Evaluation and feedback on uploaded material prior to full reviewer submission. During the pipeline process, applicants are encouraged to upload application parts at least 4-6 weeks after each webinar. Upon upload completion, each section will be reviewed by the accreditation team for accuracy and completeness. Feedback may be provided to improve each section.

After completion and upload of all parts, the application will be assigned to a review team for evaluation. The following calendar summarizes key submission and reporting deadlines for the Pipeline Option:

Accreditation Fastrack Option

EPP’s that are due for reaccreditation or programs that are experienced applicants with strong knowledge of the application process and comprehensively ready, may apply for FAST TRACK (see HANDBOOK for more information). These requests should be sent to accreditation@dyslexiaida.org.

The Fast Track Option is recommended for experienced applicants with strong knowledge of the application process and comprehensive ready to submit content. The following calendar summarizes key submission and reporting deadlines for the Fastrack Option:

Become a Reviewer

The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is seeking detail-oriented reading educator preparation professionals and program faculty members, with experience applying the principles and practices of Structured Literacy to prevent reading failure to at-risk readers and/or to remediate students with reading disabilities including those with profiles characteristic of dyslexia. These individuals will serve as peer reviewers within an IDA Program Review and Accreditation Team.

The Program Review and Accreditation Team are tasked with conducting a comprehensive review of programs’ curriculum, practicum, and faculty qualifications in order to determine programs’ readiness to prepare educators according to the Knowledge and Practice Standards (KPS) for Teachers of Reading, including the principles and practices of Structured Literacy.

Click here to learn more about becoming an IDA peer review team member

Apply Today

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