LETRS Manual: A Comprehensive Overview (Updated 02/04/2026)

LETRS is a comprehensive professional learning program, equipping educators with vital skills for effective reading instruction. Developed by experts, it focuses on the science of reading,
and blends literacy professional development for teachers, showing how language, reading, and writing are interconnected.

What is LETRS?

LETRS, which stands for Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, is a professional learning program designed to deepen educators’ knowledge of the science of reading. It’s not a curriculum, but rather intensive training for teachers, equipping them with the foundational understanding necessary to effectively teach reading, spelling, and related language skills to all students.

This program is particularly crucial for instructors working with beginning readers, providing them with insights into the complex processes involved in literacy development. LETRS focuses on the interconnectedness of language, reading, and writing, emphasizing how these elements work together. The virtual Lexia LETRS Professional Learning sessions offer expert-led instruction, modeling videos, and research-based tools.

Ultimately, LETRS aims to empower educators with the skills to master the fundamentals of reading and writing instruction – including phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension – ensuring equitable access to high-quality literacy education for every student. It’s a blended approach, combining various learning modalities for maximum impact.

The Developers: Louisa Moats and Carol Tolman

LETRS was meticulously developed by two highly respected literacy experts: Louisa Moats and Carol Tolman. Both are renowned consultants in the field of reading and language, bringing decades of experience and research to the program’s creation. Their combined expertise forms the bedrock of LETRS’s science-based approach to literacy instruction.

Louisa Moats, a leading authority on reading difficulties, has dedicated her career to understanding and addressing the challenges faced by struggling readers. Carol Tolman complements this expertise with a deep understanding of language structure and its impact on reading and spelling. Together, they recognized a critical need for comprehensive professional development that bridged the gap between research and classroom practice.

Their vision for LETRS was to provide teachers with a robust understanding of the foundational skills essential for literacy success. They aimed to equip educators with the knowledge to effectively diagnose reading difficulties and implement evidence-based interventions, ultimately improving student outcomes across the board. Their commitment to the science of reading is evident throughout the program.

Core Components of the LETRS Program

LETRS’s structure revolves around several core components, designed to provide a holistic understanding of reading and spelling instruction. A primary focus is on the foundational skills – phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension – and how these elements intricately connect.

The program delves deeply into the science of reading, presenting research-based principles and practical strategies. It emphasizes the importance of systematic and explicit instruction, ensuring all students receive the support they need to become proficient readers. A key component is understanding the relationship between spoken and written language, and how this impacts decoding and encoding skills.

LETRS also addresses the crucial role of language structure, morphology, and syntax in reading comprehension. Furthermore, it provides guidance on assessing students’ literacy skills and using data to inform instruction. The blended professional development approach, combining online modules with facilitated sessions, ensures a dynamic and engaging learning experience for educators.

The Science of Reading Foundation

LETRS is firmly grounded in the science of reading, a vast body of research spanning decades that illuminates how proficient reading and spelling skills develop. This foundation isn’t based on trends, but on established cognitive science, linguistics, and educational psychology.

The program emphasizes that reading is not a natural process, but rather a complex skill that requires explicit instruction. It highlights the brain’s neural pathways involved in reading and the importance of developing phonological awareness – the ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds of language.

LETRS stresses the critical role of phonics, teaching systematic relationships between letters and sounds, enabling decoding; It also underscores the interconnectedness of reading, spelling, and writing, demonstrating how strengthening one area benefits the others. The program equips educators with the knowledge to understand and address reading difficulties, utilizing evidence-based interventions and assessments. Ultimately, LETRS aims to transform reading instruction by aligning it with scientific evidence.

Phonological Awareness in LETRS

LETRS dedicates significant attention to phonological awareness, recognizing it as a foundational skill for reading success. It goes beyond simply recognizing rhymes, delving into the ability to manipulate the sounds within words – a crucial precursor to decoding.

The program details a continuum of phonological awareness skills, starting with identifying rhymes and progressing to more complex tasks like segmenting and blending phonemes (individual sounds). Educators learn to assess students’ phonological awareness skills accurately and provide targeted instruction to address deficits.

LETRS emphasizes that phonological awareness is not the same as phonics; it’s about the sounds before connecting them to letters. Activities within the program focus on oral language manipulation, building a strong auditory foundation. Teachers are trained to understand how weaknesses in phonological awareness can hinder reading development and how to implement effective interventions. This deep dive ensures educators can systematically build students’ ability to hear and work with the sounds of language, setting them up for decoding success.

Phonics and Decoding Skills

LETRS provides a robust exploration of phonics and decoding, firmly rooted in the science of reading. It moves beyond simply teaching letter-sound correspondences, focusing on systematic and explicit instruction in phonics patterns. Educators learn to analyze the structure of English syllables and understand how this impacts decoding.

The program details a logical sequence for introducing phonics skills, ensuring students build a solid foundation. It emphasizes the importance of blending – combining sounds to read words – and segmenting – breaking words into sounds for spelling. LETRS equips teachers with strategies to address common decoding errors and provide targeted support.

A key component is understanding the alphabetic principle – the understanding that letters represent sounds. Teachers learn to teach students how to apply phonics knowledge to decode unfamiliar words, fostering independence. The program also addresses the complexities of irregular words, providing strategies for memorization and contextual reading. Ultimately, LETRS aims to develop proficient decoders who can accurately and fluently read a wide range of texts.

Fluency Development Strategies

LETRS dedicates significant attention to fluency development, recognizing it as a crucial bridge between decoding and comprehension. The program emphasizes that fluency isn’t simply reading quickly, but reading accurately, with appropriate rate and prosody – expression.

Educators learn a variety of research-based strategies to enhance students’ reading fluency. These include repeated reading, where students practice the same passage multiple times to improve accuracy and speed. LETRS also highlights the importance of modeling fluent reading for students, demonstrating appropriate pacing and phrasing.

The program stresses the connection between automaticity and fluency; as decoding becomes more automatic, students can devote more cognitive resources to understanding the text. Teachers are guided on how to monitor students’ fluency progress and provide individualized support. Furthermore, LETRS explores the role of phrasing and chunking text to improve comprehension and reading with expression, ultimately fostering a love for reading.

Vocabulary Instruction within LETRS

LETRS emphasizes a robust and systematic approach to vocabulary instruction, moving beyond simply teaching definitions. The program underscores the importance of developing both expressive and receptive vocabulary, recognizing that a strong lexicon is fundamental to reading comprehension.

Educators learn strategies for explicitly teaching vocabulary, including morphology – the study of word parts (prefixes, suffixes, roots). LETRS highlights how understanding morphology can unlock the meaning of unfamiliar words and expand students’ overall vocabulary knowledge. Contextualization is also key; teachers are guided on how to help students infer word meanings from surrounding text.

The program advocates for tiered vocabulary instruction, focusing on high-frequency words, academic vocabulary, and domain-specific terms. LETRS stresses the need for repeated exposure to new vocabulary in various contexts, and encourages engaging activities like word sorts and semantic mapping. Ultimately, the goal is to equip students with the vocabulary necessary to access and understand complex texts.

Comprehension Strategies Taught in LETRS

LETRS doesn’t view comprehension as a single skill, but rather as a complex process built upon foundational reading skills. The program emphasizes that effective comprehension strategies are not taught in isolation, but are interwoven with phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, and vocabulary.

Teachers learn to explicitly model comprehension strategies such as predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing. LETRS stresses the importance of reciprocal teaching, where students take turns leading discussions and applying these strategies. The program also delves into text structure, helping educators teach students to recognize patterns like cause and effect, compare and contrast, and problem-solution.

A key component is fostering students’ ability to make inferences and draw conclusions based on textual evidence. LETRS provides guidance on how to teach students to monitor their comprehension, identify areas of confusion, and employ fix-up strategies. The ultimate aim is to cultivate active, engaged readers who can construct meaning from text independently.

Spelling Instruction and its Connection to Reading

LETRS highlights the crucial, reciprocal relationship between reading and spelling; It moves beyond rote memorization, emphasizing that effective spelling instruction is deeply rooted in phonological awareness and understanding the structure of language. The program demonstrates how knowledge of phoneme-grapheme correspondences – the sounds and letters that represent them – benefits both reading and spelling skills.

Educators learn to teach spelling patterns systematically, starting with basic consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words and progressing to more complex patterns. LETRS emphasizes morphological awareness – understanding how words are built from meaningful parts (prefixes, suffixes, root words) – as a key component of spelling proficiency.

The program stresses that spelling isn’t simply about recalling correct letter sequences; it’s about applying knowledge of sound-symbol relationships and word structure. By understanding why words are spelled a certain way, students become more accurate and confident spellers, and their reading skills are simultaneously reinforced.

Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (Detailed)

LETRS, which stands for Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, is a comprehensive professional development program designed to deepen educators’ understanding of the foundational skills necessary for literacy. It’s a rigorous course of study, grounded in the science of reading, that equips teachers with the knowledge to effectively teach reading, spelling, and related language skills.

The program delves into the complexities of phonological processing, orthographic mapping, and the crucial role of morphology. LETRS doesn’t just present what to teach, but why it works, providing a deep dive into the research base supporting effective literacy instruction. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of language skills, demonstrating how oral language, reading, and writing are all interwoven.

Through blended learning – combining online modules, face-to-face sessions, and practical application – teachers gain a thorough understanding of how to diagnose reading difficulties and implement targeted interventions. Ultimately, LETRS aims to empower educators to ensure all students achieve literacy success.

LETRS and North Carolina Teacher Training

LETRS is experiencing significant implementation within North Carolina’s teacher training initiatives, representing a substantial investment in improving literacy instruction across the state. Recognizing the need for evidence-based practices, North Carolina has adopted LETRS as a key component of professional development for elementary educators.

This initiative aims to address literacy gaps and ensure all students have access to high-quality reading instruction. The program provides teachers with a deep understanding of the science of reading, equipping them with the skills to effectively teach foundational reading skills like phonological awareness, phonics, and fluency.

Two years ago, the state began rolling out LETRS training, signaling a commitment to systemic change. The focus is on building teacher capacity to diagnose reading difficulties and implement targeted interventions. By providing educators with this specialized knowledge, North Carolina hopes to elevate student outcomes and foster a lifelong love of reading.

Digital Platform Enhancements & Lexia LETRS

Lexia LETRS has significantly enhanced its digital platform to provide a more robust and accessible professional learning experience for educators. These improvements extend beyond the core LETRS courses, offering a comprehensive suite of resources designed to deepen understanding and application of the science of reading.

The updated platform features expert-led virtual sessions, allowing teachers to engage with leading literacy experts remotely. Modeling videos demonstrate effective instructional practices, providing concrete examples for implementation in the classroom. Research-based tools and resources further support educators’ learning journey, extending the impact of LETRS training.

This digital evolution ensures that LETRS graduates have ongoing access to cutting-edge information and support. The platform fosters a collaborative learning community, enabling teachers to connect with peers and share best practices. By leveraging technology, Lexia LETRS is committed to empowering educators to transform literacy instruction for all students.

Blended Professional Development Approach

LETRS employs a blended professional development approach, strategically combining online learning with face-to-face instruction to maximize educator impact. This model recognizes the diverse needs of teachers and provides flexibility in accessing high-quality literacy training.

The online component delivers foundational knowledge through engaging modules, research articles, and interactive exercises. This self-paced learning allows educators to build a strong understanding of the science of reading at their own speed. Complementing the online experience, face-to-face sessions offer opportunities for collaborative discussion, practical application, and personalized coaching.

This blended format fosters a dynamic learning environment where educators can connect theory to practice. It allows for deeper exploration of key concepts and provides ongoing support for implementation. LETRS’ blended approach ensures that teachers are not only knowledgeable about the science of reading, but also equipped with the skills to effectively translate that knowledge into improved student outcomes.

Impact on Elementary Educators & Student Outcomes

LETRS demonstrates a significant positive impact on both elementary educators and, crucially, their students. By deepening teachers’ understanding of the science of reading – encompassing phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension – LETRS empowers them to deliver more effective, research-based instruction.

Educators report increased confidence in their ability to identify and address students’ literacy challenges. They are better equipped to differentiate instruction and provide targeted interventions, leading to improved outcomes for all learners. The program’s focus on the interconnectedness of language skills allows teachers to create a more cohesive and impactful literacy program.

Student outcomes consistently show gains in reading achievement following LETRS implementation. This includes improvements in foundational skills, reading fluency, and overall comprehension. Ultimately, LETRS aims to equip educators with the knowledge and tools necessary to ensure every student has the opportunity to become a proficient reader and lifelong learner;