A method for determining an initial alignment for a frame of input data is provided. A frame for the input data is set, and the frame is synchronized. Specifically, a syndrome check of the frame is performed using a first predetermined number of bits, and a slip of a second predetermined number of bits is requested following the syndrome check. Evaluation of the syndrome check to determine whether the frame is aligned can then be performed in parallel with the slipping. The evaluation and slipping can then be repeated if the frame is misaligned. When the frame is aligned, a lock condition can be indicated, and the slip performed in parallel with the evaluation indicating that the frame is aligned can be deasserted. In addition, when the frame is aligned, error correction on the frame can be performed, and the error corrected frame can be formatted.