The short answer: Step Up recognizes several specific reading intervention certifications as qualifying tutor credentials, including the Orton-Gillingham Approach, the Barton Reading & Spelling System, and the Wilson Reading System. This falls under the standard part-time tutoring category, available to PEP, FES-UA, FES-EO, and FTC students, with no diagnosis required for PEP families.
Table of Contents
- Which Reading Certifications Step Up Recognizes
- Do You Need a Diagnosis to Use These Funds?
- How Dyslexia Fits Into FES-UA's Diagnosis List
- This Is Still Part-Time Tutoring
- What to Ask a Prospective Tutor
- FAQ
Which Reading Certifications Step Up Recognizes
Reading intervention is one of the more specific, well-defined tutoring credentials Step Up recognizes. Rather than requiring a general teaching certificate, Step Up explicitly names several research-based reading and literacy training programs as qualifying credentials on their own:
- The Orton-Gillingham Approach
- The Barton Reading & Spelling System
- The Wilson Reading System
- Professionally Certified Education Therapist (PCET), from the National Institute for Learning Development
- Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA) Certified Academic Language Therapist
Any of these, held by an individual tutor, satisfies the credential requirement for part-time tutoring, the same category that covers general subject tutoring. A tutor doesn't need a Florida educator's certificate in addition to one of these, the reading-specific certification stands on its own.
Do You Need a Diagnosis to Use These Funds?
This depends entirely on which scholarship your child holds, and it's a common point of confusion.
If your child is on PEP, no diagnosis is required at all. PEP has no diagnosis or disability requirement built into the program itself. Reading intervention tutoring simply falls under the standard part-time tutoring category, available to any PEP student, whether or not reading is a specific area of struggle for them.
If your child is on FES-UA, the diagnosis requirement applies to qualifying for FES-UA in the first place, not specifically to using tutoring funds once you're already on the program. Once your child qualifies for FES-UA through an IEP or an approved diagnosis, part-time tutoring, including reading intervention, is simply one of the many categories those funds can go toward.
How Dyslexia Fits Into FES-UA's Diagnosis List
If you're looking at FES-UA specifically because of a dyslexia diagnosis, it's worth knowing that dyslexia doesn't appear on Step Up's qualifying diagnosis list by that exact name. Instead, it falls under the broader category of Specific Learning Disability, which Florida law defines as a disorder in one or more of the basic learning processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, that significantly affects a student's ability to listen, speak, read, write, spell, or do math. That definition explicitly includes dyslexia, along with dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and developmental aphasia.
A Specific Learning Disability diagnosis, like any FES-UA qualifying diagnosis, must be documented by one of the licensed professionals Step Up recognizes: a Florida-licensed physician, a Florida-licensed physician assistant authorized to sign on a physician's behalf, a Florida-licensed Autonomous Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, or a Florida-licensed psychologist.
This Is Still Part-Time Tutoring
It's easy to think of reading intervention as its own special category, but administratively, it's simply part-time tutoring with a specific type of credentialed provider. That means the same rules apply:
- No minimum hour requirement, and no cap on how many students a tutor can serve
- Annual hour limits still apply: 720 hours for grades K-3, 900 hours for grades 4-12
- You can pay a reading tutor directly through EMA once their provider account is approved, or pay out of pocket and submit for reimbursement
- Invoices need the student's name, tutor's name, company name if applicable, service type, time period, rate, total, and payment method
What to Ask a Prospective Tutor
When you're evaluating a reading specialist, it's worth asking directly which of the recognized certifications they hold, and whether they can provide documentation of it. A tutor who describes themselves as "trained in Orton-Gillingham methods" informally isn't necessarily the same as a tutor holding a documented Orton-Gillingham certification Step Up will actually accept. Getting this confirmed up front avoids a denied reimbursement or a stalled direct-pay approval later.
Find a reading tutor now: Browse approved tutoring providers on Florida Education Vendors →
FAQ
Does Step Up recognize Orton-Gillingham certified tutors? Yes. The Orton-Gillingham Approach is one of the research-based training programs Step Up specifically recognizes as a qualifying credential for part-time tutoring.
What other reading certifications qualify besides Orton-Gillingham? The Barton Reading & Spelling System, the Wilson Reading System, Professionally Certified Education Therapist (PCET) from the National Institute for Learning Development, and Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA) Certified Academic Language Therapist credentials all qualify.
Does my child need a dyslexia diagnosis to use PEP funds for reading tutoring? No. PEP does not require any diagnosis at all. Reading intervention tutoring falls under the standard part-time tutoring category, available to any PEP student regardless of diagnosis.
Is dyslexia its own qualifying diagnosis category for FES-UA? Not by that name specifically. Dyslexia falls under the broader Specific Learning Disability category in Step Up's approved diagnosis list, which also includes dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and developmental aphasia.
Can a tutor with just a general teaching certificate provide reading intervention? A general Florida educator's certificate does qualify a tutor for part-time tutoring broadly. However, for a tutor specifically trained in structured literacy methods like Orton-Gillingham, families often prefer someone holding one of the specific reading-focused certifications listed above.
Does reading intervention tutoring count toward the annual tutoring hour limit? Yes. Reading intervention falls under part-time tutoring, which is capped at 720 hours per year for grades K-3 and 900 hours per year for grades 4-12.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Step Up recognize Orton-Gillingham certified tutors?
Yes. The Orton-Gillingham Approach is one of the research-based training programs Step Up specifically recognizes as a qualifying credential for part-time tutoring.
What other reading certifications qualify besides Orton-Gillingham?
The Barton Reading & Spelling System, the Wilson Reading System, Professionally Certified Education Therapist (PCET) from the National Institute for Learning Development, and Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA) Certified Academic Language Therapist credentials all qualify.
Does my child need a dyslexia diagnosis to use PEP funds for reading tutoring?
No. PEP does not require any diagnosis at all. Reading intervention tutoring falls under the standard part-time tutoring category, available to any PEP student regardless of diagnosis.
Is dyslexia its own qualifying diagnosis category for FES-UA?
Not by that name specifically. Dyslexia falls under the broader Specific Learning Disability category in Step Up's approved diagnosis list, which also includes dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and developmental aphasia.
Can a tutor with just a general teaching certificate provide reading intervention?
A general Florida educator's certificate does qualify a tutor for part-time tutoring broadly. However, for a tutor specifically trained in structured literacy methods like Orton-Gillingham, families often prefer someone holding one of the specific reading-focused certifications listed above.
Does reading intervention tutoring count toward the annual tutoring hour limit?
Yes. Reading intervention falls under part-time tutoring, which is capped at 720 hours per year for grades K-3 and 900 hours per year for grades 4-12.