In SIPPS Beginning, Extension and Plus, Mastery Tests are given at the end of every five–ten lessons (depending on level), and help you decide whether the students are ready for the next group of lessons. Suggestions for how to proceed based on the students’ test results are provided in the Teacher’s Manual.
In SIPPS Challenge, you will monitor student progress using Progress Assessments that follow Lessons 10, 20, 35, 55, and 75. Through these assessments, the students demonstrate their knowledge of single-syllable phonics, open and closed syllables, sight syllables, and polysyllabic decoding strategies. Suggestions are provided for how you might adjust your teaching based on the assessment results.
Note that progress in polysyllabic decoding is more complicated than in single-syllable decoding. This is because of the complexity of syllable units and syllable division patterns, the critical role of vocabulary knowledge in decoding, and the importance of extensive practice reading a very large number of polysyllabic words. You should not be discouraged if progress is slow.