Key takeaways
- IDA accreditation verifies that a training program's content aligns with the Knowledge and Practice Standards, while IDA Accredited PLUS adds an intensive supervised practicum.
- The C-SLDS, the highest CERI dyslexia specialist certification, is offered only through IDA Accredited PLUS programs, so a provider's accreditation level sets how far it can take an educator.
- Standard IDA accreditation is still a strong independent signal for broad professional development in structured literacy, and far stronger than an unverified claim of alignment.
- Look for an IDA Accredited PLUS provider when building interventionists or dyslexia specialists, and check the practicum when students have significant reading difficulties.
IDA accreditation certifies that a teacher-training program's content aligns with the International Dyslexia Association's Knowledge and Practice Standards. IDA Accredited PLUS adds a further requirement: graduates complete an intensive, supervised practicum, demonstrating applied mastery with the readers who struggle most. Standard accreditation verifies standards-aligned preparation; PLUS adds an intensive supervised practicum.
Two seals, one important difference
If you are vetting a literacy training provider, you may see two versions of the same credential: "IDA Accredited" and "IDA Accredited PLUS." They are related, and both are meaningful, but they certify different things. Knowing which is which tells you not only how rigorous a program is, but how far it can take an educator toward a specialist credential. This guide explains the difference and why it matters.
What standard IDA accreditation certifies
The foundation is the same for both. The International Dyslexia Association reviews a program against its Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading, the research-based benchmark for what teachers of reading should know, covering the structure of language and how to teach it explicitly and systematically. A program that earns the IDA Accredited seal has been independently found to align its content with those standards. In short, standard accreditation verifies that the program teaches the right things.
What Accredited PLUS adds
Accredited PLUS keeps everything in standard accreditation and adds a requirement about practice. To earn it, a program must ensure that its graduates complete an intensive, supervised practicum, working with real students under observation, designed and staffed to develop applied mastery of structured literacy with the kinds of readers who struggle most, including those with profiles characteristic of dyslexia. PLUS, in other words, verifies not just that a program teaches the right content but that it supervises educators putting it into practice with the students who most need skilled instruction.
That is the whole distinction: standard accreditation certifies content; PLUS certifies content plus demonstrated, supervised practice.
| Criterion | IDA Accredited | IDA Accredited PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Content aligned to the Knowledge and Practice Standards | Yes | Yes |
| Independently reviewed by IDA | Yes | Yes |
| Requires an intensive supervised practicum | No | Yes |
| Certifies applied mastery with struggling readers | No | Yes |
| Supports the highest dyslexia-specialist certification | Not on its own | Yes |
Why PLUS matters for dyslexia specialist pathways
Here is where the difference becomes concrete rather than academic. The highest individual structured-literacy credential, the Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist (C-SLDS) certification from the Center for Effective Reading Instruction, requires an intensive supervised practicum, and it is offered only through IDA Accredited PLUS programs. So if an educator's goal is to reach the specialist level, or if a school wants to grow its own dyslexia specialists, the accreditation level of the training program is not a detail. A standard-accredited program can build strong knowledge; a PLUS program can carry an educator all the way to the specialist credential, because it includes the supervised practice that credential demands.
For educators aiming at the interventionist or specialist certifications, and for schools building serious in-house dyslexia expertise, PLUS is the level to look for.
What it means when choosing a provider
The right accreditation level depends on what you need the training to accomplish. If the goal is to strengthen educators' knowledge of evidence-aligned reading instruction, IDA accreditation provides an important independent check that the program is aligned with rigorous standards rather than relying on a provider's own claim of being "science of reading aligned."
But if the goal is to develop educators who can translate that knowledge into skilled, responsive instruction for students with significant reading difficulties, look closely at the practicum. IDA Accredited PLUS programs pair standards-aligned coursework with intensive supervised practice designed to develop applied mastery. That distinction matters when schools are investing not simply in professional development, but in building deeper intervention expertise within their own staff.
Eight Strands Literacy holds IDA Accreditation PLUS for programs that include this level of supervised practice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between IDA Accredited and IDA Accredited PLUS?
Standard IDA accreditation certifies that a training program's content aligns with the International Dyslexia Association's Knowledge and Practice Standards. Accredited PLUS adds a requirement that graduates complete an intensive, supervised practicum developing applied mastery with struggling readers. Standard accreditation verifies content; PLUS verifies content plus supervised practice.
Why does IDA Plus accreditation matter?
Because it certifies supervised, applied practice, not just content knowledge, and because the highest dyslexia-specialist certification is offered only through IDA Accredited PLUS programs. If the goal is to prepare interventionists or dyslexia specialists, or to build in-house specialist expertise, PLUS is the level that supports those pathways.
Is standard IDA accreditation still valuable?
Yes. For most professional development, standard accreditation is a strong, independent signal that a program teaches content aligned to a rigorous, research-based standard. The difference is that PLUS additionally certifies supervised practice, which matters most for specialist credentialing and applied mastery.
How does IDA Plus relate to CERI certification?
The Center for Effective Reading Instruction's highest certifications require a supervised practicum, and the top level, the Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist (C-SLDS), is offered only through IDA Accredited PLUS programs. So a program's accreditation level determines how far it can take an educator toward CERI certification.
Should schools require IDA Plus accreditation from a provider?
It depends on the goal. For building specialist-level dyslexia expertise or credentialing interventionists and specialists, look for a PLUS provider. For broad professional development in structured literacy, standard IDA accreditation is already a meaningful bar. Either is far stronger than an unverified claim of alignment.
Keep reading
- How IDA accreditation defines quality in literacy teacher training
- CERI certification explained: what it is, who needs it, and how to earn it
- How to become a reading specialist: pathways, certifications, and what schools should look for
- What is structured literacy?
- Orton-Gillingham vs. structured literacy
Descriptions of IDA accreditation, the Accredited PLUS recognition, the Knowledge and Practice Standards, and CERI certification reflect the published materials of the International Dyslexia Association and the Center for Effective Reading Instruction. Confirm current requirements directly with those organizations.
Krista L. Johnson, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Krista L. Johnson, Ph.D., is the Chief Executive Officer of Eight Strands Literacy. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Northwestern University, with research in auditory neuroscience, and graduate training in specific learning disabilities. She leads the organization's work helping schools put the science of reading into practice.
