Virginia & Structured Literacy
Supporting Literacy Success for All Virginia Students
With EPS Learning’s science of reading–aligned solutions, approved by VLP and VDOE, every student in Virginia—including those with dyslexia—can become a successful reader, with support at every stage of literacy development.
"We have used SPIRE 4th Edition in grades 1-6 this year and love it! The ease of materials, predictability of routines, and ample opportunity for practice has greatly contributed to the progress we are seeing with our students. The assessments embedded within the program and the multiple reinforcing lessons allow and equip us to be responsive to our students."
—Jameka Jones, Instructional Coach, Fairfax County School District
The SPIRE Literacy Suite
The SPIRE Literacy Suite is built on our commitment to partnership—empowering educators with the tools they need to accelerate reading achievement, close learning gaps, and support students at every stage. From the decoding threshold to foundational skills and beyond, SPIRE strengthens fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
On-Demand Webinars
ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: Practice That Transfers: Helping Striving Readers Build Durable Skills
Learn research-based strategies to help striving readers retain and transfer literacy skills through intentional practice.
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ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: Two Jobs, One Classroom: Strengthening Decoding While Teaching Grade-Level Text
Support older striving readers—accelerate decoding while maintaining access to grade-level text with practical, research-based strategies from Dr. Shanahan.
Solutions That Work
Virginia’s literacy priorities are grounded in Structured Literacy, the science of reading, and evidence-based instruction and intervention. EPS Learning helps districts meet the expectations of the Virginia Literacy Act and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) through proven Orton Gillingham literacy solutions that support students with dyslexia, students receiving Special Education services, and learners in Tier II and Tier III intervention.
SPIRE® 4th Edition is included in the VDOE Approved Instructional Programs and Intervention Programs List, along with Reading Assistant, Megawords, Wordly Wise 3000, and SPIRE Next.
View all our Virginia‑aligned literacy solutions from the SPIRE Literacy Suite.
Approved Programs
SPIRE
Tiers 2 & 3 | Grades PreK–8+
Intervention | ESSA Level 1
Leverages science of reading principles to deliver intensive, structured, multisensory instruction for PreK–8+ nonreaders, striving readers, and students with dyslexia. With SPIRE Foundations: Sounds Sensible® as a foundational level, the program supports every stage of reading development.
Reading Assistant
Tiers 1, 2, & 3 | Grades K–8
Intervention | ESSA Level 2
Provides K–8 students with adaptive reading practice that accelerates literacy gains. This AI-driven tutor uses voice-recognition technology, and delivers real-time personalized feedback and micro-interventions as students read independently, letting educators spend more time on focused teaching.
Reading Accelerator
Tier 2 | Grades 3–5 and 6–8
Intervention | ESSA Level 3
Advance striving middle school students quickly toward grade level reading with a science of reading-aligned program that covers all five pillars and includes an AI-driven digital Reading Assistant.
SPIRE Next
Tiers 2 & 3 | Grades 3–12
Supplemental | ESSA Level 4
Strengthens the reading comprehension skills of grade 3–12 students and moves them toward grade-level using direct reading instruction and scaffolded practice. Three close-read opportunities within each lesson build student comprehension; literary or genre skills; and critical thinking.
Megawords
Tier 2 | Grades 4–12
Supplemental
Teaches grade 4–12 students the reading, spelling, and contextual uses of multisyllabic words through multisensory instruction and a systematic progression of skills. Includes a placement assessment, checklists, and progress-monitoring tools.
Wordly Wise 3000
Tiers 1 & 2 | Grades K–12
Supplemental | ESSA Level 4
Builds essential vocabulary skills for students in grades K–12 through research-based, direct academic instruction. Robust activities and differentiated instruction empower students to have successful encounters with grade-level vocabulary.
Resources
Program Overviews
Customer Resources
- SPIRE Scope and Sequence
- Virginia Elementary Literacy Plan Solutions
- Virginia Middle School Literacy Plan Solutions
- VLA SPIRE Video
- Virginia Comprehensive Literacy Solutions Flyer
- SPIRE Vocabulary and Comprehension Instruction
- Younger Reader using Reading Assistant (video)
- Older Reader using Reading Assistant (video)
- Younger Reader using Reading Assistant in Spanish (video)
Virginia SOL Correlations
SPIRE 4th Edition
ESSA Level 1 | Grades PreK-12 | Tiers 2 & 3
Empower beginning, striving, and dyslexic readers with SPIRE’s intensive, structured, and spiraling curriculum. With systematic 10-step teacher-led lessons and practice, SPIRE addresses all 5 pillars of reading, ensuring measurable gains.
SPIRE Up
New Solution Coming Back-to-School 2026 | Grades 2-8
Empower beginning, striving, and dyslexic readers with SPIRE’s intensive, structured, and spiraling curriculum. With systematic 10-step teacher-led lessons and practice, SPIRE addresses all 5 pillars of reading, ensuring measurable gains.
EPS Reading Accelerator
Grades 3–5 & 6–8
Accelerate progress toward the decoding threshold with targeted phonics and decoding instruction for elementary and middle school readers.
SPIRE Next
Grades 3–12
Strengthen reading comprehension skills with explicit instruction, close reading strategies, and scaffolded practice to build confidence and skill.
Megawords
Grades 4–12
Unlock comprehension, expand vocabulary, and increase fluency through focused intervention in decoding, encoding, and morphology.
Frequently Asked Questions
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SPIRE 4th Edition, Reading Assistant, SPIRE Next, Wordly Wise 3000, and Megawords are all approved for Tier 2 and/or Tier 3 intervention in Virginia, with various resources designed for students in grade PreK-12.
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SPIRE provides intensive, teacher-led instruction that meets differing learning styles with multisensory activities and continual practice. A foundation in the Orton-Gillingham approach helps all readers, including those with dyslexia, master phonics, fluency, and comprehension.
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EPS Learning programs are being utilized as part of Structured Literacy and Science of Reading initiatives to support Tiers 1–3 and Special Education instruction.
SPIRE, SPIRE Foundations: Sounds Sensible, Megawords, SPIRE Next, and Reading Accelerator help strengthen foundational literacy, decoding, fluency, morphology, vocabulary, and comprehension skills across grades K–12, and many districts integrate these EPS solutions into intervention blocks, high-impact tutoring initiatives, summer school programs, multilingual learner supports, and after-school tutoring programs.
Virginia divisions also pair EPS programs with professional learning and coaching to support strong implementation fidelity and long-term success.
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EPS provides easy-to-implement, customized professional learning programs. Based on thousands of use cases with evidence-based practices and decades of teaching experience, our Professional Learning team and full-time curriculum specialists team help you meet the needs of diverse student populations and accelerate student achievement.
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EPS Learning programs include placement assessments, mastery checks, concept assessments, fluency measures, and progress-monitoring tools that support data-driven instruction.
SPIRE provides placement and ongoing assessment tools to help group students appropriately and monitor growth over time. Digital solutions such as SPIRE STAR and Reading Assistant have reporting dashboards and progress-monitoring that supports intervention planning, instructional decision-making, and Special Education documentation.
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EPS Learning programs are available through cooperative purchasing contracts including AEPA, Equalis Group, and TIPS, helping simplify procurement for Virginia school divisions.
Virginia districts can leverage funding sources such as Title I, Title II, Title III, IDEA, Special Education funding, School Improvement Grants (SIG), High-Impact Tutoring funding, and remaining ESSER funds to support literacy initiatives and interventions.
Other funding sources include the Virginia Literacy Act, Science of Reading initiatives, and All In tutoring initiatives focused on accelerating student achievement.
