Orton-Gillingham
Reading Tutoring
Akron, Ohio

Structured literacy support empowers children to become confident readers and spellers. 


At Summit Reads Ohio, we understand that every learner is unique. Our students receive custom weekly lessons which follow the Orton-Gillingham method to achieve their reading and writing goals fast. Our intervention specialist works with students of ALL AGES, from the earliest readers to adults. 

Structured English Tutoring in Akron Ohio

 

Christine Cartwright, A/OGA

My name is Chrissy Cartwright, and I am the owner of Summit Reads Ohio. I am a licensed intervention specialist, literacy expert, and parent of a child with academic challenges. I've encountered firsthand the unique educational hurdles children face. 


Drawing on over 10 years of experience in special education and a history of serving people of all ages with reading intervention, I've developed a tutoring program that works: Summit Reads Ohio.  I am especially effective with older students and or students with more complex reading histories. 


This method draws on proven Orton-Gillingham principles and is tailored to offer the personalized support your child needs to excel in literacy. Summit Reads Ohio reflects my passion for changing lives through education.


I am an Akron area educator who wants to help your child to read proficiently. I have dedicated my life to teaching children... let's work together to reach yours or your child's literacy goals!

About Summit Reads Ohio
Reading Tutoring & Spelling Tutoring

Personalized Literacy Tutoring

We provide customized tutoring sessions focused on your child's specific reading needs, guided by experienced educators and the science of reading.

Comprehensive Reading Assessments

Understanding your child's unique learning profile is crucial. We conduct thorough assessments to inform our personalized tutoring.

Orton-Gillingham (OG) Approach

Our evidence-based approach is designed to meet the needs of struggling readers, ensuring a strong foundation in literacy. OG is the gold standard in intervention.

Ohio Jon Peterson Scholarship Provider

We accept the Jon Peterson Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to students in private or homeschool. Must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) on file to be eligible.


Convenient Session Options

We offer flexible scheduling to meet your needs, including after-school and weekend times, as well as virtual options. We accept payments on a per session, weekly, or monthly basis. View invoices at our student portal.


Regular Updates and Feedback

We regularly communicate with parents about progress, ensuring that your child stays on track to reach their literacy goals. We are a vital partner and resource for your whole family.


Common Questions About Literacy Tutoring

Does your child struggle knowing left and right?  Can they only "read" when they've heard a book over and over again?  Do they have trouble rhyming?  These are all signs of possible reading problems that can be addressed with the Orton-Gillingham approach. People who struggle with reading can have all the correct sounds, but mix up the order of the sounds in the word they are trying to read.  This makes reading even more challenging!

A child struggling to read or spell may not have a strong sound-to-symbol correspondence. This means that when they see a letter, they may not automatically connect it with its corresponding sound. To them, it can feel like navigating through a jumbled maze! Some children who struggle with learning to read have Dyslexia, a neurological learning difference that effects how the brain processes language. These students need step-by-step instruction and extra repetitions to become a competent reader.

Each lesson goes through these essential skills:

  •    typing or handwriting practice
  •    phonological awareness
  •    sound/symbol knowledge
  •    reading practice tied to the previous concept taught
  •    spelling practice tied to the previous concept taught
  •    syllabication practice
  •    new concept reading practice
  •    new concept sentence reading
  •    new concept spelling practice
  •    auditory skills
  •    decodable reader tied to the new concept
  •    challenge read


Sound like a lot?  It is.  But each lesson moves quickly through each section, constantly being tied back to the review and new concepts.  Lessons are 60 minutes long or less.  I tailor the length of each session to my client's attention span and work up to a full lesson if necessary.

 I tutor using a personalized approach that is supported by the Academy of Orton-Gillingham. I conduct my own testing with your child using a norm referenced assessment and develop an individualized tutoring program. Your child's plan is aligned to their specific needs and strengths - wasting no time and maximizing their growth. I do not follow a specific curriculum because a curriculum can never be truly individualized. Instead, I pull from a variety of tutoring resources to provide a meaningful scope and sequence of learning. 

Sessions take place in my Cuyahoga Falls office, at a local area library location, or virtually with video conference.

Students are typically seen twice a week for 60 minutes each. The overall program length will depend on the student's starting skills and educational needs. Progress will be monitored regularly and outcomes will be shared with parents. 

I am an Associate with the Academy of Orton-Gillingham. Being certified at the Associate Level of Orton-Gillingham (OGA) means an educator has completed 70+ hours of training (in my case, I have receive 120 hours of training) and a supervised 100-lesson practicum to provide 1:1, multi-sensory literacy instruction for struggling readers and dyslexia. It signifies proficiency in teaching phonology, spelling, and syllable structure while working under an OG Fellow's guidance. In addition to this qualification, I have my Bachelor's Degree in Human and Consumer Sciences from Ohio University and my Master's Degree in Education from Ashland University. I am a certified Intervention Specialist and am qualified to provide intervention to students K-12.

The Jon Peterson scholarship is available for all Ohio students who attend private or homeschool and have a documented Individualized Education Program (IEP) with their home school district. To apply, your child must first be identified with a learning difference or disability which affects their academic experience. 

Current families can schedule appointments, view progress reports, and pay invoices from our online TutorBird portal. You must be a current student to gain access.


Ready to Help Your Child Read with Confidence?

Unlock your child's potential with Summit Reads Ohio!


Dyslexia Intervention in Akron Ohio

My Child Was Just Diagnosed With Dyslexia—Now What?

Hearing the word dyslexia attached to your child can feel overwhelming. Many parents describe a mix of emotions all at once: relief that there’s finally an explanation, fear about what this means long-term, and confusion about what to do next...

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Parent / Guardian Testimonials

Exceptional Tutoring!

My seven year old daughter has been struggling to learn to read.  We have tried other programs, but we haven’t had any success until we started working with Miss Chrissy.  My daughter loves going to her tutoring sessions.  I love that Chrissy figured out my daughter’s weakness, and she plans each lesson to meet her specific needs.  My daughter no longer says she can’t read.  Working with Chrissy is the best decision we have made to help our daughter learn to read!


Parent of a 2nd grade student


Transformative Experience

My son and I cannot express enough gratitude for Chrissy; she took a student who could not read and completely changed his life. I will never forget the day she chased me down in the school parking lot to share information with me about a program that could potentially help my son get on track with reading. School was becoming a nightmare for him, he was falling behind and year after year he was getting pushed through with no improvement. I was very skeptical about the program; however, my son was entering seventh grade and could not read so something had to be done. With Chrissy's help, we were able to convince my son to try out the program and commit to after school tutoring. It was a long road but he did it! His life is forever changed all because one teacher saw the need and acted. Currently my son has achieved Merit Roll honors for first and second quarter this school year and passed his written driving exam on the first try with no accommodations. None of these things would have happened without Chrissy's guidance.

I have witnessed Chrissy's passion for teaching and her dedication to students first hand. She has the unique ability to make students feel welcomed and at ease around her.

-Parent of an 11th grade student

Meaningful Connections

Chrissy has been my son’s reading tutor for over 6 months now. I have had the pleasure of seeing her passion for enhancing my son’s reading skills and building a strong relationship with him.  Chrissy is driven to develop her personal understanding of how students learn to read. She has been continuing her education in science of reading. She has earned her Associate with the Academy of Orton Gillingham.  She thoroughly assessed my son and his current reading abilities in her first few sessions.  She then made personalized lessons to meet my son’s individual needs.


Since starting sessions with my son, his phonemic awareness has been enhanced and his reading confidence has increased.  She makes meaningful connections to our family as well. She provides communication on what she has been working on after each session. She provides many opportunities for parents to be involved too. She welcomes parents to sit in on any session.  Therefore, it’s with pleasure I recommend Chrissy to be your child’s future reading tutor. I hope this recommendation shows that Chrissy can play a critical role in advancing your child’s reading skills.


- Parent of a 4th grade student

Dyslexia Intervention

We have had a great experience with Ms. Chrissy for dyslexia intervention. She uses a structured, systematic approach that is explicit and tailored to my child’s specific learning needs. Her knowledge of evidence-based reading instruction is clear, and she takes the time to ensure concepts are truly mastered before moving on.


We’ve seen measurable growth in decoding, and overall reading confidence.  My daughter has never had a strategy to sound out unknown words before and now she will “tap out” words she comes across to successfully read them.


I highly recommend her to any family looking for high-quality, specialized support for a child with dyslexia.


- Parent of a 4th grade student

Individualized Lessons

Miss Chrissy is truly the best! My 9-year-old daughter has severe dyslexia, and thanks to Chrissy, we also discovered that she has an auditory processing disorder. Chrissy tailors each lesson to meet her unique needs, ensuring that she feels supported and confident every step of the way. With her certification from the Academy of Orton-Gillingham and her Wilson training, Chrissy is exceptionally qualified to work with children who have moderate to severe reading disabilities. We’re so grateful for her dedication, expertise, and kindness!


- Parent of a 3rd Grade Student

Increased Confidence

Chrissy has been amazing for my daughter! We have been using her since we found out my daughter is dyslexic a few years ago, and there has been a significant change in not only my daughter’s performance in reading/ELA but also in her confidence. Chrissy never talks down to her, and has a great way of relating to her.  She is easy to work with and a huge asset to us!!  Best investment I’ve made in getting help for my daughter.

Structured Lessons

Ms. Cartwright changed my son’s life! I cannot sing her praises loud enough. Chrissy introduced my son to the Orton Gillingham approach. With her structured tutor sessions and persistence he made it through the program gaining confidence in reading he never had before. Chrissy genuinely cares and connects to her students. I will forever be grateful for her.