The Institute for Multi-Sensory Education (IMSE), a leading provider of Structured Literacy curricular solutions and professional development, proudly announces that its Orton-Gillingham Plus (OG+) program has received two prestigious recognitions: the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Tier 2 “moderate evidence” seal from LXD Research and the Silver Efficacy certificate from the International Center for Education Innovation & Evaluation (ICEIE). Earning an ESSA certification represents more than just a mark of quality — it serves as a trusted endorsement for school districts, signaling that the curriculum meets rigorous standards and has been proven to support student success in real-world educational settings.
“The ESSA Tier 2 designation highlights the effectiveness of IMSE's OG+ program and validates the pedagogical design choices we've made to translate literacy research into practice,” said Laura Fischer, Chief Academic Officer at IMSE. “Earning the Silver Efficacy certificate is a result of decades of work refining and implementing IMSE's science-backed Orton-Gillingham approach to ensure all students learn how to read.”
To evaluate the efficacy of OG+ and its impact on student outcomes, IMSE partnered with the Research and Evaluation Bureau at Kent State University to conduct a quasi-experimental study aligned with ESSA’s criteria for “moderate evidence.” The study measured the growth of first and third-grade students in oral reading fluency (ORF) from fall to spring using AIMSweb assessments.
The results indicated that students taught by IMSE OG+ trained educators showed significantly more gains in ORF than their peers receiving standard literacy instruction. The study analyzed data from 1,183 students across two Michigan school districts, including students in general education, English Learners, and those with individualized education plans (IEPs). Statistical analysis confirmed the positive impact on student outcomes, supporting its status as an evidence-based solution grounded in research. Specifically, students in 1st and 3rd grade who were taught by an IMSE OG+ trained teacher scored higher in ORF than the control group.
IMSE’s OG+ curriculum is a core foundational skills literacy curriculum that has been designed and developed over decades for K-3 Tier 1 instruction as well as Tier 2 and 3 implementation scenarios. Rooted in explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction, it builds phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension through multimodal techniques and guided practice. This evidence-based curriculum equips educators with the tools to teach every student to read.
IMSE, founded by educators for educators, is the leading provider of evidence-based solutions that leverage the best of Orton-Gillingham and Structured Literacy, rooted in the science of reading to promote literacy. An education pioneer, IMSE has nearly 30 years of experience applying and innovating the science of reading to empower educators through curriculum, professional development, and consulting and coaching. IMSE's unmatched training and curricula enable a practical approach to teaching reading that furthers equity in literacy learning and has helped millions of students across the country achieve measurable growth. For more information about IMSE, visit: imse.com.