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Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words

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SIPPS is a research-based foundational skills program proven to help both new and struggling readers in grades build skills and confidence for fluent, independent reading.

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SIPPS: A Systematic, Accelerative Approach to Reading Success

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The SIPPS program, developed by Center for the Collaborative Classroom.

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What is SIPPS & How Does it Accelerate Foundational Skills? (30 Min)

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What is SIPPS & How Does it Accelerate Foundational Skills? (30 Min)

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What Is SIPPS and How Does It Accelerate Foundational Skills? - Webinar

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Professional learning embedded in high-quality curriculum is essential to the success of teachers and students—and this understanding is at the core of our work.

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SIPPS, K–12: Developing and Supporting Foundational Skills

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A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF READING AND EARLY READING INSTRUCTION WITH DR. LOUISA MOATS

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A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF READING AND EARLY READING INSTRUCTION WITH DR. LOUISA MOATS

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A Conversation About the Science of Reading and Early Reading Instruction with Dr. Louisa Moats

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Dr. Moats shares her insights about the science of reading, her reflections on the standards for early reading, the types of training that teachers of reading need, and her assessment of how the SIPPS (Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words) program aligns with the research about successful reading instruction.

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SIPPS: Scope and Sequences, Placement Assessments, and Sample Lessons

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SIPPS: Scope and Sequences, Placement Assessments, and Sample Lesson

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Extension Lesson 36 (Same routines as Plus)

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Extension Lesson 36 (Same routines as Plus)

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Collaborative Coach: Asynchronous, Personalized Coaching For Teachers and Coaches

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Collaborative Coach is a personalized, interactive, video-based, asynchronous coaching experience that provides one-on-one coaching for individual teachers in a safe and supportive environment.

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SYSTEMATIC, EXPLICIT LITERACY INSTRUCTION ALIGNED WITH LETRS: THE CASE FOR SIPPS

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SYSTEMATIC, EXPLICIT LITERACY INSTRUCTION ALIGNED WITH LETRS: THE CASE FOR SIPPS

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Are you a LETRS-trained educator seeking tools to help you put your powerful learning into practice in your classroom? If so, this blog post by veteran literacy educator Kristy Nelson is for you.

Kristy Nelson has worked in the Hopkins School District for 24 years, teaching kindergarten and fourth grade before transitioning into the role of a personalized learning coach, working with teachers to identify individualized supports to meet the needs of all students. Below she sheds light on how LETRS aligns with the SIPPS program.

Despite decades of well-established research on the science of reading, teacher expertise in applying that science to practice varies widely from state to state and school to school. Teacher-prep programs are often inconsistent, with many offering little to no instruction about scientifically based reading instruction. To quote Dr. Louisa Moats, "We consolidated the research on what it takes to teach children to read way back in the early 1990s, and yet today a majority of teachers still haven't been given the knowledge or instruction to effectively teach children to read." (Stuart & Fugnitto, n.d.)

There are bright spots. An increasing number of teachers are getting the opportunity to build a deep understanding of the word recognition strands of phonological awareness, decoding, and sight word instruction through reading licensure courses or Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS)training. However, many others have had scant training in how to effectively teach students the foundational skills needed to become accurate, automatic readers. With this variation in practitioner knowledge, how can we provide every student with the key foundational instruction necessary for success?

As a former literacy coach and current personalized learning coach in Hopkins, Minnesota, a suburb just outside of Minneapolis, I hold this question near and dear to my heart. In my work, I have the privilege of supporting teachers in finding the tools and professional learning necessary to implement research-based practices that will meet the needs of all students.

Doing my job well requires a robust understanding of how students learn to read and the progression of this learning. Fortunately, the Hopkins Public Schools district, in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Education, gave teachers and coaches, including myself, the opportunity to participate in two years of intensive training in LETRS.

Following the completion of my LETRS training in the spring of 2021 and additional independent study about the science of reading, I pondered how best to help the teachers I support put this new learning into practice. As a first step, Hopkins adopted SIPPS (Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words) as our intervention program in 2018, and we have been consistently using it ever since. But since many of our interventionists are non-licensed, they had little to no training in the science of reading. I began to wonder if implementation of the SIPPS program, even with intensive training and coaching, would provide the support necessary for student success.

If you're unfamiliar with SIPPS, it is described as "a multilevel program that develops the word-recognition strategies and skills that enable students to become independent and confident readers and writers" (Center for the Collaborative Classroom & Shefelbine, 2020). Through its design, SIPPS is intended to provide systematic foundational skill instruction to K-12 students using explicit instructional routines.

Calling upon my LETRS training, knowledge of the science of reading, and expertise as a literacy coach, I hoped to answer two questions about SIPPS:

1. If we implement SIPPS with fidelity, will we be providing students intensive, systematic, and explicit instruction aligned to LETRS and the Science of Reading?

2. Does the SIPPS curriculum provide support to develop teacher understanding of scientifically based reading instruction and ensure fidelity of implementation?

In the following segment, I answer these questions by comparing SIPPS program offerings with quotes from a recent Collaborative Classroom interview with Dr. Moats about key elements of LETRS and what she specifically looks for in research-aligned reading instruction.

Question #1: If we implement SIPPS with fidelity, will we be providing students intensive, systematic, and explicit instruction aligned to LETRS and the science of reading?

What Dr. Moats says:

"[I]deally, there should be explicit instruction in foundational skills for approximately 45 minutes daily that follows a lesson routine: review, explain the concept, provide guided practice, provide more (independent practice), spell and write to dictation, read decodable text."

What SIPPS delivers:

SIPPS Lesson Outline and Daily Lesson Components

Review (SIPPS Component-Rereading a Story):

Students begin each 30-50 minute SIPPS lesson by rereading a story to ensure application of previously learned skills and to build accuracy
Explain the Concept (SIPPS Components-Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Decodable Words, and Sight Words):

Students engage in phonological awareness activities beginning with simple skills such as blending syllables, then moving towards more complex skills, including manipulation of individual phonemes.

During the phonics/decodable word segment of the lesson, student learning is focused on the alphabetic principle, beginning with spelling-sound relationships, and then applying this learning as they read phonetically-spelled words. Through teacher modeling and choral response, we ensure that all students are actively engaged and are attaining the lesson goals.

Students learn sight words through a "Read, Spell, Read, Spell, Read" routine. This routine focuses students' attention on all the letters within the word in a left to right sequence, thus helping students see the link between the speech-sound system and the orthographic (spelling) system.

Provide Guided Practice & Independent Practice (SIPPS Components-Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Decodable Words, and Sight Words):

Each new instructional routine is taught by the teacher modeling the skill, students practicing with the teacher, and students working independently of the teacher response.
Read Decodable Text (SIPPS Component--Reading a Story):

New phonics skills and sight words are immediately applied as students engage in reading connected text. Reading connected text supports students' accuracy, fluency, and comprehension.

An example of the SIPPS Guided Spelling and Segmentation

Spell and Write to Dictation (SIPPS Component-Guided Spelling and Segmentation):

During guided spelling, students are supported as they write decodable words that follow taught patterns, common sight words, and complete sentences.
Additional SIPPS Component-Fluency Practice:

At the end of each lesson, students are given the opportunity to build accuracy and automaticity as they reread texts from previous days of instruction. This rereading routine builds fluency, confidence and a sense of self-efficacy within students.

What Dr. Moats says:
"We focus on teaching priority skills such as phonology, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension that need to be taught during reading and spelling lessons to obtain the best results for all students."
What SIPPS delivers:

SIPPS lessons are aligned to students' needs based on their level of mastery of standards along the phonological awareness and phonics continuum. Students are placed at their instructional level to support skills that they have already mastered and to link new learning to previous learning.

SIPPS Beginning, Extension, and Plus levels support students in learning the alphabetic principle while SIPPS Challenge level supports students' mastery of polysyllabic word decoding and vocabulary as they learn prefixes, suffixes, and word roots.

What Dr. Moats says:

"[R]esearchers have known for a very long time how many times a struggling reader needs to look at a word in order to form a mental map between the print and speech. It can take children as many as 40 times before they recognize it as a whole word."

What SIPPS delivers:

Sight word review through the Read, Spell, Read routine gives students an opportunity to closely examine a word and see it in context in connected text to reinforce the pathway to working memory. Students have the opportunity to practice previously learned sight words and learn new words during each and every SIPPS lesson. In addition, the fluency practice that is built into each lesson provides students opportunities to re-engage with previously read texts to support automaticity with word recognition.

What Dr. Moats says:
"Intervention materials should be aligned with [Tier 1] classroom instructional materials but provide more intensive practice."
What SIPPS delivers:

We are fortunate in the Hopkins School District to use Being a Reader as our Tier 1 reading curriculum. The scope and sequence and instructional routines in Being a Reader and SIPPS, respectively, are intentionally aligned, providing a seamless transition to instruction within the SIPPS program as our Tier 2 intervention. The addition of multi-sensory components in SIPPS allows for further intensification for students in need of Tier 3 support.

Question 2: Does the SIPPS curriculum provide support to develop teacher understanding of scientifically based reading instruction and ensure fidelity of implementation?

What Dr. Moats says:

"LETRS empowers teachers to understand the what, why, and how of scientifically based reading instruction."

What SIPPS delivers:

To ensure that teachers have a strong understanding of the what, why, and how of scientifically based reading instruction, the SIPPS program provides background information for each instructional routine. This background information is key in building teacher knowledge around the principles of scientifically based reading instruction.

An example of background information for an instructional routine in SIPPS

What Dr. Moats says:
"The way we help teachers apply this knowledge (of scientific research) is by demonstrating instructional routines, activities, and approaches that will allow them to address the needs of all of their students."
What SIPPS delivers:

Clear, explicit routines are the cornerstone of SIPPS lessons at all levels. Each of these routines is described in detail within the lesson to provide in-the-moment instructional support. Each routine is also described in Appendix A of the Teacher's Manual, and video animations for each routine are included to support teacher implementation and ensure fidelity.

An example of a SIPPS explicit instructional routine and video animation

What Dr. Moats says:
"Educators who have the necessary knowledge are able to anticipate where students will struggle and can give effective corrective feedback."
What SIPPS delivers:

Throughout the SIPPS program, teachers are asked to reflect on student learning and to provide clear, consistent corrective feedback. Starting with the placement assessment, teachers make instructional decisions based on the data they collect and their knowledge of students. Multiple entry points into the program allow teachers to consider what students have already mastered and what skills they still need to learn.

As they learn each new routine, teachers are also given clear correction procedures to support students in moments of need. These correction routines help students build independence and put the responsibility for learning back on students.

An example of a SIPPS correction procedure

Reflecting on My Analysis
While this analysis is not an exhaustive representation of the ways in which the SIPPS program supports the science of reading and the essentials of LETRS training, it has shown that implementing the program serves a dual role. First, SIPPS provides students the intensive, explicit, systematic instruction they need to become accurate, automatic readers. Second, teachers using SIPPS will gain knowledge of the science of reading essentials, while also being supported with instructional guidance that is built into the program.

In reflection, it is clear that SIPPS is aligned to evidence-based practices, provides extensive support for implementation, and is engaging for all learners. If we implement SIPPS with fidelity, I believe both educators and students will gain confidence and feel competent, learning key foundational literacy skills.

You can learn more about how the SIPPS program supports the elements of LETRS training in the supporting document entitled LETRS and the SIPPS Program.
References
Stuart, K. & Fugnitto, G. (n.d.), " A Conversation about the Science of Reading and Early Reading Instruction with Dr. Louisa Moats." Center for the Collaborative Classroom. https://www.collaborativeclassroom.org/blog/the-science-of-reading-with-dr-louisa-moats/.

Center for the Collaborative Classroom & Shefelbine, J. (2020). SIPPS (Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words) Beginning Level Teacher's Manual (4th ed.), p. vii.

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Systematic, Explicit Literacy Instruction Aligned with LETRS: The Case for SIPPS - Center for the Collaborative Classroom

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Are you a LETRS-trained educator seeking tools to help you put your powerful learning into practice in your classroom? If so, this blog post by veteran literacy educator Kristy Nelson is for you. Kristy Nelson has worked in the Hopkins School District for 24 years, teaching kindergarten and fourth grade before transitioning into the role [...]

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CAN A CURRICULUM SUPPORT THE SCIENCE OF READING AND SCIENCE OF LEARNING?

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CAN A CURRICULUM SUPPORT THE SCIENCE OF READING AND SCIENCE OF LEARNING?

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Can a Curriculum Support the Science of Reading and Science of Learning? - Center for the Collaborative Classroom

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Linda Diamond has dedicated her career to teaching children to read, particularly those with word reading difficulties like dyslexia. A long-time partner of Collaborative Classroom, Linda co-founded the Consortium on Reaching Excellence in Education (CORE) alongside former California Superintendent…

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DISTRICT SPOTLIGHT: DR. JOSEPH VILLARREAL OF HARLINGEN CISD, ON USING SIPPS IN GRADES 6–12

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DISTRICT SPOTLIGHT: DR. JOSEPH VILLARREAL OF HARLINGEN CISD, ON USING SIPPS IN GRADES 6–12

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How does SIPPS (Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words) address the needs of students in grades 6-12 who are striving readers?

In this spotlight, we hear from a Texas district that is using SIPPS on all of their secondary-school campuses. We're honored to feature Dr. Joseph Villarreal, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education for Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District (HCISD) in Harlingen, Texas, alongside two of his colleagues, Harlingen High School Assistant Principal Patricia Muniz, and Harlingen High School teacher Lorena Azua-Amaro.

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Dr. Villarreal, thank you for speaking with us. Could you tell us a little about Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District (HCISD) and the students that you serve?

JV: The Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District is located in deep South Texas near the US/Mexico border. The school district serves 18,000 students, of which 80 percent are economically disadvantaged and 14 percent are English language learners.

How did the district become interested in SIPPS?

JV: HCISD learned about the SIPPS program through a meeting with Dawn Castilleja from the Center for Collaborative Classroom. HCISD wanted a program that addresses the needs of our secondary-school students who struggle to read.

How long has HCISD been implementing SIPPS? Tell us a little about the implementation. What data can you share with us?

JV: HCISD has just completed its second year with the SIPPS program. During the first year, the program was implemented at its two comprehensive high schools. Because of its success, the program was expanded to all secondary campuses.

In Texas, English language learners take the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) exam, which measures a student's level of English language acquisition. Of the HCISD English language learners that participated in the SIPPS program, every first-year student scored above the "Beginner" level, and 80 percent of other English language learners increased in at least one proficiency level from the prior year.

"Of the HCISD English language learners that participated in the SIPPS program, every first-year student scored above the "Beginner" level, and 80 percent of other English language learners increased in at least one proficiency level from the prior year."

Dr. Villarreal, at this time SIPPS has been expanded to all HCISD secondary schools. As you build on the district's SIPPS implementation, what comes next?

JV: For the upcoming 2021-22 school year, HCISD will be implementing a district-wide Professional Learning Community to ensure implementation fidelity and implement a district-wide monitoring system.
In the next section of this interview, we hear from Harlingen High School's Assistant Principal Patricia Muniz and SIPPS teacher Lorena Azua-Amaro, also of Harlingen High School.
What do you appreciate about the SIPPS program?

PM: SIPPS provides individualized instruction based on the student's reading level. This allows the teacher to deliver the reading lessons to the students, who are grouped by their reading levels.

LAA: As a teacher, I appreciate that the SIPPS program addresses the basic phonological sounds in words and polysyllabic sounds in challenging words for students in high school. The curriculum provides everything, along with continued professional development offered throughout the year.

"As a teacher, I appreciate that the SIPPS program addresses the basic phonological sounds in words and polysyllabic sounds in challenging words for students in high school. The curriculum provides everything, along with continued professional development offered throughout the year."

What have you noticed about students' learning and engagement since they started SIPPS [small-group] instruction?

LAA: The students are more engaged than in a regular classroom setting because they are with others who are at their same reading level. They are not as reluctant to take risks as they read and are open to feedback from the teacher.

I have noticed that students in the small-group setting tend to be more confident when re-learning the rules for reading words and practicing their fluency. Students participate in activities and are more engaged in class discussions.

How has SIPPS promoted student reading achievement? Do you have data you can share?

PM: SIPPS allows the student to be more confident when reading out loud and recognizing familiar words learned through the program. Several ESL students who participated in the SIPPS program last year, prior to the pandemic, showed progress in their TELPAS scores.

What thoughts or insights would you share with a district that is considering SIPPS?

LAA: I encourage school districts to try the program with students who are struggling readers. SIPPS is designed to address basic rules for reading and writing that students might have missed throughout their academic career. The curriculum provides everything you need, including a teacher's manual, practice worksheets, flashcards and stories to read. All of this is now available online for students learning remotely.

SIPPS has been a great program to implement with high-school students in a small group setting where students grow confident in reading, speaking and learning words. SIPPS provides great strategies that will give students the confidence to enjoy reading in a safe environment.

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District Spotlight: Dr. Joseph Villarreal of Harlingen CISD, on Using SIPPS in Grades 6-12 - Center for the Collaborative Classroom

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How does SIPPS (Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words) address the needs of students in grades 6-12 who are striving readers?In this spotlight, we hear from leaders and teachers at a Harlingen, Texas district that is using SIPPS on all of its secondary-school campuses.

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SIPPS TEACHER SPOTLIGHT: GENEVIEVE THOMAS ON HOW SIPPS ACCELERATION WORKS IN THE SUMMER

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SIPPS TEACHER SPOTLIGHT: GENEVIEVE THOMAS ON HOW SIPPS ACCELERATION WORKS IN THE SUMMER

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Tell us a little about yourself, your school/district, and the students that you serve.

I wear a lot of hats these days! I'm a practicing school psychologist, and in that role, I support a special needs preschool and Cayuse Prairie School, a K-8 school here in rural Montana. I also work as a consultant and support teachers and schools across the country on a range of topics, including supporting SIPPS implementations.

I run a summer reading-intensive at one of the schools I support here in Montana. We are a small, rural school that serves just under 300 students in grades K-8.

What is the most rewarding part of being an educator for you?

I began my teaching career as a special education teacher in Los Angeles, and my work has primarily focused on supporting students with diverse learning needs. Throughout my experiences in education, I've become increasingly convinced that this population most certainly can experience success with rigorous academic content.

The most rewarding part of my work is getting to see these students realize their full potential, and getting to see teachers tap into their effectiveness in reaching all learners.

How long has your school/district been implementing SIPPS? Tell us a little about the implementation.

Personally, I've been involved with SIPPS in one capacity or another for about a decade now. In fact, I brought it to my districts here in Montana when I moved back home from California a few years ago.

My K-8 building is in our third year of SIPPS implementation. We utilize SIPPS primarily as a Tier 2 intervention for foundational reading skills. We use DIBELS as a universal screener, and students who perform below benchmark in grades K-4 receive targeted small-group instruction using SIPPS each day.

We have a school-wide Title 1 program, so we utilize both our title teachers and our classroom teachers to teach SIPPS. Each grade has a designated "reading group" time when SIPPS groups happen, and students on grade level engage in extension activities. We use all four levels of SIPPS in our school.

What do you appreciate about SIPPS? What do teachers appreciate about it?

I appreciate that SIPPS takes the guesswork out of foundational skills intervention. It's rooted in a systematic, research-based scope and sequence and based on a structured literacy approach-all things that we know from the science of reading are essential for reading success. The consistency of the explicit instructional routines really allows for teachers to focus on the important work of being expert "kid watchers" during instruction so that they can truly engage in that dynamic interaction with students that we know is so important in cumulative learning for mastery.

I also really appreciate the "curriculum as professional development" approach taken by Collaborative Classroom. There are so many resources to support teachers as they reflect on and continuously improve their practices. It's truly respectful of the educator as a professional.

I appreciate that SIPPS takes the guesswork out of foundational skills intervention. It's rooted in a systematic, research-based scope and sequence and based on a structured literacy approach-all things that we know from the science of reading are essential for reading success.

How have you used SIPPS during the summer?

We run a summer reading-intensive in which we target students in grades K-2 who haven't made sufficient progress in their foundational skills during the school year. We invite these students to join us for a half-day of instruction each day for three weeks during the summer.

As a part of that program, students participate in SIPPS instruction-some in small groups, and some one-on-one. I generally teach students one-on-one during the summer. Some of these students have been identified with reading disabilities and some have not.

Last summer, we served 7 students on a 1:1 basis, and another 12 students in small groups. We found that it worked best for our families to offer summer school for a full half-day, even though we don't provide reading intervention for that length of time. The students needing foundational reading support had a 30 (1:1) or 45 (small group) minute SIPPS intervention block and then engaged in enrichment activities for the rest of the summer school day.

I make great use of the Intensive Multisensory Instruction in SIPPS supplement when planning for these students. I also really double down on my instructional decision-making practices, utilizing comprehensive tracking tools to record and analyze student errors and using that information to plan my daily instruction.

What was the data you collected over the summer?

I administer the Mastery Tests that are part of the SIPPS program, as I normally would. As I mentioned, I also create a spreadsheet for each student where I make note of any sound or sight word errors and track general observational notes for each session. When I'm planning for the next day's session, I reference those notes so I can ensure that I'm including practice opportunities with the targeted content the students still need to master.

We also utilize DIBELS as more of a global outcome measure to determine the extent to which the foundational support students are getting in SIPPS is translating to improved accuracy and fluency on a norm-referenced curriculum-based measurement.

Last summer, we were fortunate enough to be able to bring students back into the building for summer school, and for all but two students who participated in the summer program, we were able to remediate the loss experienced during school closure in the spring (i.e., we were able to catch students up to where they were when the school closed in March).

Our data from both the spring and fall are a bit incomplete due to school closures, but this graph shows the growth in oral reading fluency for most of the students who participated in summer school. The blue bar shows where they were when school closed in the spring and the red bar shows where they were at the winter administration of our DIBELS benchmark.

What thoughts or insights would you share with a school or district that is considering SIPPS?

In my work supporting special education and reading intervention in multiple districts across the country, I've become familiar with many programs, and I continue to recommend SIPPS as the best tool for supporting foundational skills instruction.

That's not only because of the impact I've seen it have on student's emerging reading skills, but it's also because of the impact I've seen it have on teachers-I can't tell you how many teachers have told me that they've become better teachers of reading through their experiences with SIPPS.

I'm certainly not alone in these sentiments, so I would strongly encourage any district considering SIPPS to connect with colleagues who are already using it. Go see some SIPPS instruction in action in the classroom (or, these days, hop on to Zoom and see it!)

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Read another SIPPS Teacher Spotlight featuring special education teacher Mariko Wesley-Fagundes. Learn more about the K-12 SIPPS curriculum and connect with fellow educators implementing the program.

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SIPPS Teacher Spotlight: Genevieve Thomas on How SIPPS Acceleration Works in the Summer - Center for the Collaborative Classroom

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Tell us a little about yourself, your school/district, and the students that you serve. I wear a lot of hats these days! I'm a practicing school psychologist, and in that role, I support a special needs preschool and Cayuse Prairie School, a K-8 school here in rural Montana.

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To ensure literacy success, it is essential that all students engage with curricula that have a strong evidence base. For our striving readers, an evidence-based intervention program is even more important. Providing a strong intervention allows these students to accelerate their progress to achieve reading success, and the earlier we are able to intervene and shift the trajectory of reading development, the more likely it is that our students will become thoughtful, independent readers.

New, Quasi-Experimental Study Provides Further Evidence

Multiple studies have shown that SIPPS (Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sights Words) improves foundational reading skills. Center for the Collaborative Classroom is excited to announce that a new, quasi-experimental study provides further evidence that using SIPPS for intervention has a significant impact on students' reading achievement.

Conducted in partnership with SEG Measurement, the study involved 600 first- and second-grade students in Pasco County School District, Florida who had been identified to receive reading intervention. Pasco is one of the 50 largest school districts in the nation.

This study took place over the course of the Fall 2021 semester and measured the impact of three full months of intervention on students' reading growth as measured by .

While continuing to receive classroom reading instruction, students in the study also received either SIPPS or an alternative intervention selected from the district menu of choices. Students assigned to the SIPPS treatment group were statistically matched with students receiving the alternative intervention (the control group).

Study Results: The Impact of SIPPS

At the conclusion of the study, students who received SIPPS for intervention achieved significantly greater reading growth than their peers who received a different intervention. The observed effect size was .25 (Cohen's d), a clear indication that in just three months, SIPPS made a significant difference for students with reading difficulties.

This study supports what other studies have found: SIPPS accelerates the acquisition of foundational skills for students who are in need of additional support.

"SIPPS provides teachers and students with strong and concise routines that help students focus on the learning and acquire new skills," says Danielle Varcardipone, Senior Instructional Specialist at Pasco County Schools. "The program accelerates learners through a systematic scope and sequence that utilizes research-based best practices for literacy instruction."

Learn More

Read the study.
Explore the evidence base for SIPPS.
Hear from literacy leaders who are using SIPPS to accelerate their striving readers.

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New Study Shows SIPPS Meets ESSA Level 2 Requirements: Program Accelerates Acquisition of Foundational Skills for Striving Readers - Center for the Collaborative Classroom

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To ensure literacy success, it is essential that all students engage with curricula that have a strong evidence base. For our striving readers, an evidence-based intervention program is even more important.

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Research Studies: The Evidence Base for SIPPS

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Research Studies: The Evidence Base for SIPPS

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The Evidence Base for SIPPS - Center for the Collaborative Classroom

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Level 2 - Moderate Evidence The Impact of SIPPS Instruction on the Development of Students' Reading Skills - Pajaro Valley Unified School District Evaluating the Effectiveness of the SIPPS Program: Comparing Reading Skills Growth of Intervention Students Receiving SIPPS Instruction with the Growth of Those Receiving Existing Instruction - Pasco County Schools, Florida Level 3 - Promising Evidence Field [...]

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SIPPS Intervention & Tier I Foundational Skills: The Power of Alignment

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SIPPS Intervention & Tier I Foundational Skills: The Power of Alignment

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SIPPS Intervention and Tier 1 Foundational Skills - Webinar

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SIPPS Routines - Understanding & Refining Your Routines (30 Min)

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SIPPS Routines - Understanding & Refining Your Routines (30 Min)

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

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SIPPS Instructional Decision Making (30 Min)

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SIPPS Instructional Decision Making (30 Min)

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

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SIPPS Fluency Practice Libraries Webpage

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SIPPS Fluency Practice Libraries Webpage

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Independent reading of engaging books at appropriate levels builds fluency and confidence. SIPPS Fluency Practice libraries provide age-appropriate collections of books specially chosen for characteristics of decodability to support struggling readers.  These libraries help students make the transition from decodable texts to trade books.

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SIPPS Fluency Practice Libraries - Center for the Collaborative Classroom

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What Are Fluency Practice Libraries? Independent reading of engaging books at appropriate levels builds fluency and confidence. SIPPS Fluency Practice libraries provide age-appropriate collections of books specially chosen for characteristics of decodability to support struggling readers. These libraries help students make the transition from decodable texts to trade books.

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SIPPS Fluency Practice Library Archives - Center for the Collaborative Classroom

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SIPPS SPED Teacher Spotlight: Mariko Wesley-Fagundes

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SIPPS SPED Teacher Spotlight: Mariko Wesley-Fagundes

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Collaborative Classroom is honored to feature special education teacher Mariko Wesley-Fagundes, from Union High School District in West Sonoma County, California. In this Teacher Spotlight, Mariko explains why it is essential to provide materials uniquely designed to support older readers, such as the SIPPS (Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words)

What experiences have you had as an educator and a teacher of SIPPS?

I am a special education teacher in Union High School District in West Sonoma County, California. For 23 years, I have been teaching in a special day class with kids who are between grades 6 and 8 on a general education campus. My students have a variety of diagnoses including Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, intellectual disability, and autism. My students' reading abilities range from pre-K to grade 6 level.

This is my third year teaching SIPPS Plus and my second teaching SIPPS Challenge. I teach three to four SIPPS groups per day, five days a week. It has fit seamlessly into my classroom routine and was incredibly easy to implement.

From your perspective as an education specialist, why is it important to provide materials uniquely designed to support older readers?

It is incredibly important to have materials that are age-appropriate, respectful to older students, and matching the age and interest level of the students we are teaching.

Some books are great for kindergarten and grade 1 but once a child is older, it is demeaning and crushing to students who are struggling readers to see that they are still trying to sound out "red" in a "baby book."

The SIPPS hi-lo fluency libraries are ideal, high-interest, low-reading-level books to supplement the reading students do during lessons and help foster and cement their love of recreational reading. For the first time in my teaching career, I have students reading meaningfully during silent reading time, not just pretending to read or choosing picture books.

What has been the academic, social, and emotional impact on your middle-school students?

The academic impact of this program has been astounding.

My students have been in special day classes for most of their lives and many of them have low self-concept when it comes to academics. They feel less-than and there is a sense of learned helplessness. Previously, before SIPPS, some students would not even look at the page while reading and instead, waited for an adult to mouth the words they didn't know. They did not have any way of approaching an unknown word that they did not already know as a sight word.

Since my students have significant working memory issues, it was very hard for them to remember all words as sight words-making them hesitant to read aloud in front of their friends and peers, hesitant to read at home in front of their siblings, and hesitant to read in general.

Due to a lack of automaticity (fluent reading), the students had a very hard time comprehending the material they were reading. For example, students were reading a sentence like "The black and white cow was running on the field" at a rate of 10 words a minute. And the struggle to decode just prevented them from understanding what they read.

Now, after the SIPPS implementation, students who swore that they can't read or that they dislike reading now say that they enjoy reading or enjoy coming to SIPPS group. My readers are confident, feel good about reading, volunteer to read aloud, and have the skills to approach unfamiliar words with learned strategies.

The academic impact of this program has been astounding . . . Now, after the SIPPS implementation, students who swore that they can't read or that they dislike reading now say that they enjoy reading or enjoy coming to SIPPS group. My readers are confident, feel good about reading, volunteer to read aloud, and have the skills to approach unfamiliar words with learned strategies.

The data is also showing measurable growth; every single student has made some measure of progress. For example, a student who tested at a 1.5 reading level coming into grade 6 is now (three years later) reading at a 6.3 reading level. This is a serious success story!

It may sound challenging to make time to plan for and teach four SIPPS groups, but when students can start to be motivated in reading, it unlocks a world of learning for them, and it has been well worth it. I am very proud of my students' progress.

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Teacher Spotlight: Mariko Wesley-Fagundes - Center for the Collaborative Classroom

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Collaborative Classroom is honored to feature special education teacher Mariko Wesley-Fagundes, from Union High School District in West Sonoma County, California. In this Teacher Spotlight, Mariko explains why it is essential to provide materials uniquely designed to support older readers, such as the SIPPS (Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words) program.

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2022 Virtual Summer Conference: June 21-23

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2022 Virtual Summer Conference: June 21-23

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Collaborative Classroom 2022 Virtual Summer Conference - Center for the Collaborative Classroom

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Teaching Reimagined: Fostering Learning, Engagement, and Joy June 21-23, 2022 The 2022 Collaborative Classroom Summer Conference offers two incredible opportunities for virtual professional learning. If you're new to Collaborative Classroom programs, we recommend registering for both the Getting Started Professional Learning Institute and the Main Conference.

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Getting Started Professional Learning Institute: June 21, 2022

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Getting Started Professional Learning Institute: June 21, 2022

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These sessions are designed for those who are new to a Collaborative Classroom program and want to gain a better understanding of the pedagogy, structure, and intentional design of the program.  During these sessions, you’ll have the opportunity to learn how to leverage your program materials to plan for instruction.

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Event Time9:00 am-12:30 pm PT | 10:00 am-1:30 pm MT | 11:00 am-2:30 pm CT | 12:00 pm-3:30 pm ET
Schedule (listed in Eastern Time):
Welcome: 12:00 pm-12:10 pm
Transition to Sessions: 12:10 pm-12:15 pm
Sessions Part 1 (90 minutes): 12:15 pm-1:45 pm
Break: 1:45 pm-2:00 pm
Sessions Part 2 (90 minutes): 2:00 pm-3:30 pm
Return to the main conference registration site.
Registrants select one session from the Getting Started sessions or the Administrator and Coach track (two 90-minute sessions).

These sessions are designed for those who are new to a Collaborative Classroom program and want to gain a better understanding of the pedagogy, structure, and intentional design of the program. During these sessions you'll have the opportunity to learn how to leverage your program materials to plan for instruction. Prior to the Institute, participants need to create a Learning Portal account and accurately select program licenses. See the Steps for Creating a Learning Portal Account for guidance. Participants will need access to their Learning Portal Username and Password during the sessions.

Choose this option to attend one or both of the sessions designed specifically for Administrators and Coaches.

Using the Learning Portal to Foster Teacher Professional Learning

Learn how to leverage the Learning Portal, including the Professional Learning System for Collaborative Literacy and Teacher Learning System, to foster teacher professional learning.

How to Use the Organizational Administrator Tool in the Learning Portal

Designed for leaders within a district who are responsible for the administration of the Learning Portal, participants will learn the different methods for onboarding staff, assigning licenses, sending notifications, and enabling or disabling features.
Return to the main conference registration site.

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Getting Started Professional Learning Institute - Collaborative Classroom Events

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Virtual and In-Person Events, Conferences, and Coaching Cohorts

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Maximize the Impact of Your COVID Relief Funds - Center for the Collaborative Classroom

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Collaborative Classroom curricula are ESSER-eligible and grounded in our dual commitments to equitable, evidence-based literacy instruction and the development of social skills. Learn how our work accelerates literacy learning, develops students' social and emotional competencies, and builds caring, inclusive school communities.