I'm a reading specialist going for the IDA certification and I thought my classroom experience would carry me through, but the structured literacy theory is deeper than I expected.
Specifically the phonological awareness taxonomy and the Orton-Gillingham principles are areas where I know the practice but struggle to articulate the theory. The exam seems to test both applied and conceptual knowledge.
I'm scoring around 72% on practice sets right now. Passing is 75% so I'm close but not comfortable. Anyone who's passed it have a sense of the hardest content area?
Also how strictly does it test knowledge of specific programs like Wilson or Barton versus the broader research base?
The phonemic awareness versus phonological awareness distinction trips up a lot of candidates. Make sure you can clearly explain the hierarchy and give examples at each level.
Orthographic mapping and how it connects to fluency development was a topic I was glad I'd reviewed — it showed up in 3 or 4 questions for me.
I was at 71% two weeks out and ended up scoring 79 on test day. The practice questions tend to be harder than the actual exam in my experience.
Focus on dyslexia identification criteria and the research basis for explicit instruction — those two areas covered a lot of ground on the version I took.
Passed it in November. The structured literacy principles are definitely tested at a theory level — you need to know the science of reading research, not just what you do in class.
Specific programs came up but only to identify what evidence-based components they include. You don't need to know proprietary lesson structures.