LETRS-Trained Reading Specialist in the Portland Area
Debbie Sexton is a fully LETRS-trained reading specialist with a Master’s in Reading Education and 25+ years of literacy instruction experience. Based in Gresham, serving Portland metro and online statewide.
What is LETRS?
LETRS — Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling — is a comprehensive, research-based professional development program that trains educators in the science of reading. LETRS-trained instructors understand how reading develops in the brain, why some students struggle, and which instructional methods actually move the needle.
The training is rigorous: completing all LETRS units requires roughly 160 hours of professional learning across multiple years. It’s the standard many U.S. states are now requiring of their classroom teachers, and is one of the few credentials that proves a tutor truly understands the science of reading.
Why this matters for your student
Reading instruction has gone through a generational shift. The old “balanced literacy” approach has been replaced by structured literacy as the evidence-supported best practice. A LETRS-trained tutor brings this current, evidence-based instruction to your student from day one. No outdated methods. No guessing at what works.
Combined with UFLI Foundations
Debbie is also UFLI-qualified. UFLI Foundations is a structured-literacy curriculum from the University of Florida Literacy Institute that pairs perfectly with LETRS-informed instruction. Together they form one of the strongest evidence-based reading-instruction frameworks available today.
What an engagement looks like
- Free 20-minute consultation to understand your student’s reading profile
- Diagnostic-first approach: identifying specific skill gaps before assuming the fix
- Weekly or twice-weekly 60-minute sessions, online or in person
- Progress notes after every session
- Coordination with your student’s school or evaluation team if you want it