The Reading Gold Standard That Isn’t

I took this week off from consulting and finally had a moment to dive back into the world of education. I’ve been using the EBLI method with my own kids and recently took on a few students to tutor—and I’ve been blown away by how quickly they’re progressing.

Then, in one session, a first-grader looked at my notes, saw /ch/, and said, “Ms. Ashley, I know all my digraphs!”

First of all—what?! And second, why do you know what a digraph is but don’t know how to actually read?

Therein lies part of the problem.

Too many early-reading programs seem designed to produce rule-abiding linguists instead of confident readers. Learning to read is hard enough—and then we pile on layers of rules that only sometimes hold true, plus science-y terms like morpheme, grapheme, digraph, diphthong, and schwa that most adults have never even heard of.

No wonder so many kids are confused and behind. According to the latest NAEP—the nation’s report card—only 33% of fourth graders in the United States read at or above a proficient level.

That means two out of three students are still struggling with basic literacy. And it’s not because they’re incapable.

The “Gold Standard” Problem

Whenever literacy comes up, I’m asked about the difference between Orton–Gillingham (OG)—the approach used in most of the schools near me—and EBLI (Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction).

OG is often referred to as the gold standard for struggling readers. When my son needed support, it was the only program anyone recommended. Even after further evaluation, every expert pointed to the same place. I now realize that it wasn’t necessarily because OG is the best—it’s because it’s the only one most educators know.

How Educators See the Difference

This week I watched a replay of a fascinating discussion hosted by Nora Chahbazi, the founder of EBLI. She spoke with three practitioners who had each spent years tutoring with OG before retraining in EBLI. These women had invested enormous time and money in OG because it was considered the best—but when their students weren’t making real progress, they looked elsewhere and discovered EBLI.

The conversation was fair and thoughtful, comparing the two side by side with actual student activities. I was stunned by how complex OG’s syllable and vowel rules have become. Even as an adult, I couldn’t follow some of the logic—and it’s no wonder kids struggle to.

For the Deep Divers

If you want to go deeper, I’ve included my notes below outlining the main differences between the two approaches.

Foundational Approach
• OG: Print-to-speech — starts with letters and rules, moving to sounds.
• EBLI: Speech-to-print — starts with spoken sounds (phonemes) and maps them to letters.

Focus of Instruction
• OG: Explicit rules, syllable types, and phonics patterns.
• EBLI: Sound–symbol mapping through oral language and meaning.

Pacing
• OG: One new letter-sound at a time.
• EBLI: Multiple sounds and spellings introduced early and simultaneously.

Lesson Design
• OG: Linear, drill-based, highly structured.
• EBLI: Integrated — reading, spelling, and handwriting practiced together in meaningful context (kids learn by doing).

Phonemic Awareness
• OG: Often taught separately.
• EBLI: Embedded in every activity (saying sounds while writing and reading).

Syllables
• OG: Based on six rule-bound types (closed, open, magic-e, etc.).
• EBLI: Divides syllables “as they fall out of the mouth” — guided by speech, not memorized rules.

Vowel Teams
• OG: One or two vowel teams taught at a time with rule memorization.
• EBLI: Multiple spellings for the same sound taught together (Once you see the patterns, you can’t unsee them!)

Spelling
• OG: Relies on rules, exceptions, and memorized “red words.”
• EBLI: Based on sound-to-print logic — no rule breakers, just different spellings for the same sound.

Text Practice
• OG: Controlled decodable text, limited multisyllabic words.
• EBLI: Authentic text with real vocabulary and multisyllabic practice from the start.

Cognitive Load
• OG: High — many rules and exceptions to memorize -problematic for kids with executive function/attentional issues.
• EBLI: Lower — leverages speech, meaning, and discovery.

Learner Impact
• OG: Works for early readers who thrive on structure.
• EBLI: Accelerates progress for all readers including struggling readers, dyslexic students, and older learners.