MEET OUR TRAINING TEAM
BETH STONE, M.Ed., F/OGA, CDS/IDA
Beth Stone is the Fellow (F/OGA) for Blueprint Shoreline Reading. An F/OGA has attained the highest level of certification through the Academy of Orton-Gillingham (including all prior levels of certification) and may train and prepare teachers for application at the various levels of OG certification. In the history of the Academy there have been 280 Fellows, and there are only 90 Fellows practicing in the world at this time. It takes approximately 1000 hours of coursework, practicum, training adults, and teaching students to be eligible to apply for the Fellow level, and it takes about 8-10 years for each candidate to fulfill these requirements. Once requirements are met, the Fellow candidate creates their training materials, presentations, and practicum requirements based on the Academy guidelines and submits this for approval and certification.
Beth graduated from Alfred University with a B.A. in English and received her M. Ed and K-6 Connecticut teaching certification from Fairfield University. She continued her education with coursework in Speech and Language Pathology at Southern Connecticut State University and worked as a volunteer at Haskins Lab during her studies. In 2014, Beth founded Shoreline Reading Inc. and serves as the Director and Orton-Gillingham Fellow for the practice. With a team of teachers, she provides consultation, evaluation, and teaching services to students in districts throughout Connecticut. In addition, as a Fellow of the OGA she provides accredited Orton-Gillingham training throughout the state. Prior to starting Shoreline Reading Inc., Beth taught K-6 in public and private schools, served as Clinic Director and Certified OG Reading Consultant at an Orton-Gillingham accredited clinic, and worked on a multi-year project with Sally Shaywitz and the Yale Dyslexia Center providing OG based services to students in New Haven Achievement First charter schools.
Beth is a member of the Orton-Gillingham Academy, the International Dyslexia Association, Decoding Dyslexia-CT, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and is an alumnus of AmeriCorps.
Lisa Tweed, FIT/OGA, CDS/IDA
Lisa Tweed is a Fellow-in-Training (FIT). An FIT is an individual who has attained all previous levels of OG certification and is working towards the requirements at the Fellow Level. An instructor at the FIT training level instructs teachers using the Fellow’s approved curriculum while creating their own materials and training modules for application. As an FIT with Blueprint Shoreline Reading (BSR) for many years, Lisa brings a high level of expertise and takes on an equal share of the training and practicum duties, working as a partner in all aspects of BSR training program with Ms. Stone. Lisa is one of 94 FITs currently working towards certification in the nation.
Lisa graduated from Geneva College with a B.A. in Elementary Education, certified grade K-8 in the states of Virginia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. She continued her education in Reading at George Mason University, and Writing at the Institute of Children’s Literature. Lisa was a classroom teacher in both public and private schools for kindergarten, second and fourth grade. She taught reading, grammar and writing at the middle school for grades 6-8. She was one of three founders of a private school, serving as principal and teacher. She was responsible for student admissions, choosing curriculum and running the daily operations of the private school in its early development.
Lisa is the founder of Blueprint Learning Solutions and is a co-director of Blueprint Shoreline Reading with Beth Stone. She oversees a team of teachers who teach within the clinic, serving local students with dyslexia. She works as a Certified Dyslexia Specialist and Orton-Gillingham Fellow In Training. Lisa provides consultation, reading evaluations, and teaching services to students throughout Connecticut. Lisa taught as an OG instructor under Susan Santora of The Learning House in Guilford, CT. She worked on a multi-year project under Sally Shaywitz and the Yale Dyslexia Center providing OG based services to students in New Haven Achievement First charter schools.
Lisa is a member of the Orton-Gillingham Academy, the International Dyslexia Association, and Decoding Dyslexia-CT.
Betsy Kessler, A/OGA, Training Manager
Betsy Kessler is currently certified at the Associate level but is in training for the Certified level and working toward her personal goal to become a Clinical Supervisor (CS) under Fellows: Laurie Cousseau and Beth Stone. A Clinical Supervisor assists a Fellow by helping with the supervision of trainee’s observations and participating in training courses. A CS is directly responsible to the Fellow and is expected to follow the instructional protocol set by the Fellow.
Betsy is a life-long learner. She has a B.S from Franciscan University and continued her education at Southern Connecticut State University. After educating her own children through 8th grade and tutoring many others, she joined Blueprint Shoreline Reading as a teacher and office manager. As the trainings and practicum responsibilities increased, Betsy was asked to focus and organize this area of the business. Betsy is the first contact with teachers attending the courses as well as onboards those continuing with a practicum. She holds office hours each month for all practicum trainees. Betsy loves watching her students succeed and grow as readers and is thrilled to be part of an organization that trains teachers.
Our Teachers
All of the instructors in our clinics are trained or certified at various levels of OG and working towards their next level of certification for application to the Orton Gillingham Academy. In addition, the majority of our staff has held, or currently holds, Connecticut Teacher Certification, with vast teaching experience in public and private schools throughout the state. This experience offers our teachers a unique perspective and an ability to work as part of a team to best meet the needs of the students we service.