Grounded in Research, Proven in Practice

Check out the new Fundations Curriculum Navigation Report on The Reading League’s website!

Our Proven Approach

Wilson’s Structured Literacy programs are grounded in the science of reading and align to all three tiers of the MTSS framework, built on decades of research and proven classroom practice.

Our evidence-based approach integrates the five critical components of literacy—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension—to ensure all students learn to read and spell.

Click here to learn more about Wilson alignment to the science of reading.

Fundations logo
Tier 1 (K-5) & Tier 2 (K-3)
Our most widely implemented program, Fundations is designed for all students in Grades K-5 to establish foundational skills in decoding, encoding, handwriting, morphology, and syntax using engaging, multimodal techniques.
Fully Aligned to the Science of Reading

Fundations achieved the highest possible score from The Reading League as a foundational skills program.

  • Provides comprehensive instruction of foundational literacy skills
  • Highly structured, explicit—with well-established instructional routines
  • Teacher-friendly materials make daily routines easy to implement
  • FUN HUB digital platform builds educator knowledge and capacity
ESSA Tier 2 Studies
Independent, Real-World Evidence

Real student data from schools across multiple states show Fundations strengthens early literacy skills and accelerates student progress across classrooms.

Significant Growth in Key Literacy Skills
  • 2x more likely to reach a higher DIBELS benchmark
  • Kindergarten students 4x more likely to move up
Gains in Reading Fluency
  • Equivalent to 4–5 additional months of learning
  • Accelerated compared to other instruction
Equal Impact Across Demographics
  • More students reached highest benchmark category
  • Fewer students requiring Tier 2 or Tier 3 support
Double Digit Gains With Fundations

20%

improvement in oral reading fluency scores

80%

of students met benchmark goals

18%

improvement in reading test scores

Don’t Take Our Word for It

Districts across the country are transforming literacy instruction with Fundations.

Fundations works! Implementing Fundations with fidelity engages the students in an educational structured block of time which promotes growth and understanding of key concepts.

Angela G., Elementary Teacher, New Jersey
Tier 2
An accelerated, highly explicit, multimodal word study program, Just Words is designed for students in Grades 4–12 and adults who have mild to moderate gaps in their decoding and spelling proficiency but do not require intensive intervention.
ESSA Level 3 Study
Results That Speak for Themselves

Independent research shows Just Words improves literacy skills, closes word-level reading gaps, and supports consistent growth across grades and student groups.

Significant Growth in Key Literacy Skills
  • 1+ year growth for Grades 4–8
  • 2 years' growth in 1 year for high school students
  • Gains in decoding, real word reading, spelling
Gains in Reading Fluency
  • Improved word-reading accuracy and speed
  • Fluency gains support reading comprehension
  • Stronger confidence across content areas
Equal Impact Across Demographics
  • ELLs, IEPs, FRL students had equivalent growth
  • Decoding and spelling gaps narrowed
  • Effective for diverse Tier 2 populations
Instruction That Measures Up
Just Words® is aligned to key foundational and language standards, providing struggling readers in Grades 4–12 with explicit instruction in phonics, word structure, and total word analysis.
Teaches accuracy, fluency, and comprehension strategies to support reading for meaning
Covers spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and conventions of standard English
Provides practice with high-frequency irregular words, prefixes, roots, and suffixes
Prepares students to access and master grade-level reading and writing tasks
  • Teaches phonics, decoding, word structure, and English conventions
  • Supports fluency, comprehension, spelling, and writing
  • Provides measurable objectives and differentiated instruction for diverse learners
  • Includes assessments and progress monitoring to track mastery
"Just Words, Just Works"

We caught up with Just Words educators to get their unvarnished opinions of the program and its effectiveness.

Fostering confident, independent readers and writers, together.

Discover how Wilson can be your partner in literacy success.
Logo of the Wilson Reading System. The word WILSON is in large blue capital letters, with a registered trademark symbol. Below it, in smaller blue letters, reads Reading System. A strip of seven colored boxes in various colors is beneath the text.
Tier 3
Our flagship intensive intervention program for students with dyslexia, Wilson Reading System (WRS) serves students in Grades 2-12 and adults with a language-based learning disability.
Backed by Research

More than 30 years of studies indicate WRS is effective in developing the reading skills of individuals with a language-based learning disability or who have otherwise struggled to learn to read.

Built on Trusted Literacy Benchmarks
WRS supports key foundational and language standards critical for struggling readers, providing explicit instruction in phonics, decoding, spelling, and fluency.
Builds comprehension and vocabulary through structured discussion and guided text analysis
Covers spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and conventions of standard English
Provides practice with high-frequency irregular words, prefixes, roots, and suffixes
Prepares students to access and master grade-level reading and writing tasks
  • Teaches phonics, decoding, word structure, and English conventions
  • Supports fluency, comprehension, spelling, and writing
  • Provides measurable objectives and differentiated instruction for diverse learners
  • Includes assessments and progress monitoring to track mastery
Meet Jamie
An educator who teaches the why—and sees students take off.

As a WRS Certified Instructor, Jamie watches students move from memorizing rules to truly understanding how reading works.

Mia’s Journey
From Struggling Reader to Grade-Level Achiever

Mia had learned to shut down when reading felt too hard. With WRS instruction, she gained skills, confidence, and the courage to try again.

Reading composite:
2nd → 35th percentile

Grade-level reading achieved and IEP goal met

Successful transition back to general education

Empowering Every Teacher & Student to Succeed

With four decades of proven results, Wilson continues to innovate — aligning with the latest science of reading research to elevate instruction for today’s classrooms.

States

Districts

Teachers

Students

Want to Learn More?

Join the thousands of districts that trust Wilson programs to deliver Structured Literacy that works—for every teacher, every student, every day.
Share your experience with Wilson programs for a chance to be featured across our website, social channels, and emails—and help inspire educators everywhere.