SIPPS

Accelerative Foundational Skills Instruction

SIPPS® is a research-based foundational skills program proven to help both new and striving readers in grades K–12, including English learners and students identified with dyslexia.

Available in four different levels (Beginning, Extension, SIPPS Plus, and Challenge), SIPPS has gained national recognition for its effective approach to teaching foundational skills to K–3 students and its respectful approach to accelerating learning in grades 4–12.

Research-Based and Standards-Aligned

SIPPS is aligned with the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) recommendations for foundational skills instruction (2019) and is recognized by ESSA for meeting Level 2 “Moderate Evidence” requirements. 

View the evidence base for SIPPS and use our correlation tool to download a comprehensive alignment to your state standards.

How SIPPS Works

Systematic Scope and Sequence

The program’s systematic scope and sequence provides a structured-literacy approach to instruction through explicit routines focused on phonological awareness, spelling-sounds, and high-frequency words. Each level of SIPPS corresponds to a specific stage of reading development.

Differentiated Instruction

SIPPS is taught in groups of students with similar needs to allow for targeted instruction. An initial placement assessment determines the appropriate entry point for each student. Teachers are provided with embedded support and periodic mastery tests to help make informed decisions about advancing students or reteaching. 

Engaging Controlled Texts

Students are intrinsically motivated to read age-appropriate controlled text that includes recently taught spelling-sounds and high-frequency words. Students progress from small, decodable readers to an anthology of engaging stories that are carefully scaffolded to build skills from the phonics continuum.

Intensive Multisensory Guidance

For students identified with dyslexia or other learning challenges, the Intensive Multisensory Instruction for SIPPS Handbook provides teachers with strategies for integrating visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile learning pathways that help students connect and remember their learning.

---

Multi-Tiered System of Support

SIPPS aligns with the MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support) framework and can be used across all three tiers of instruction.

When used as a core/Tier I program, SIPPS supports the acquisition of grade-level, foundational skills standards. When used as Tier II and Tier III, SIPPS accelerates progress so that students are able to efficiently close the gap and engage in grade-level reading.

---

SIPPS for Older Readers

The ability to read and understand complex text across content areas is one of the greatest predictors of academic success in middle and high school.

For students in grades 6–12 in need of early foundational skills, SIPPS Plus and Challenge offer a respectful and age-appropriate method for accelerating learning. Students practice reading strategies with engaging yet accessible texts that emulate the styles and themes of the books their peers are reading. 

---

K–12 Fluency Practice Libraries

Available for purchase separately, optional K–12 Fluency Practice Libraries support SIPPS instruction by helping students apply their newly learned skills in decodable texts first and then as they transition to trade books.

---

Digital Resources

The Learning Portal provides teachers of SIPPS and implementation leaders with essential digital program resources and implementation support.

Support for Teachers

• The assessment app ClassView Pro allows teachers to collect and share student assessment data
  
• The Support Center is where educators can browse articles to find answers to their questions or be connected to live chat agents
  
• The Teacher Learning System (TLS) provides teachers with self-guided professional learning and program support 

Support for Leaders

• The SIPPS Implementation Guidance provides guidance for schools and districts to plan for, launch, and support the implementation of the SIPPS program.
  
• The Professional Learning System (PLS) provides resources for leaders implementing Being a Reader as Tier 1 and SIPPS as intervention.
  
• The Collaborative Leadership Community provides access to timely information related to implementation resources, onboarding tools, and data-driven professional learning support. It is also a place to network with other implementation leaders. 

---

Professional Learning

For schools looking for additional implementation support, Collaborative Classroom offers a variety of in-person and virtual learning pathways including year-long or summer-specific learning plans that can be tailored as needed, and one-on-one virtual coaching with Collaborative Coach.

---

Related Resources

• View Evidence Base
• SIPPS: Evidence Base and Impact (Quick Download)
• Scope and Sequence
• Structured Literacy and the SIPPS Program
• LETRS and the SIPPS Program
• The Orton-Gillingham Approach and the SIPPS Program
• The Effectiveness of SIPPS for Students with Dyslexia
• White Paper: What practices support effective, high-quality reading intervention?
• SIPPS Brochure

Related Blog Posts

• A Conversation About the Science of Reading and Early Reading Instruction with Dr. Louisa Moats
• An Ohio Title 1 Reading Tutor’s Journey with SIPPS
• Why Are So Many States Recommending SIPPS?
• District Spotlight: Dr. Joseph Villarreal on Using SIPPS in Grades 6–12