NIFDI Research Reports

Recent reports from the research staff of the National Institute for Direct Instruction describe the achievement gains of students in the Baltimore City Public School System who received Direct Instruction..

Technical Report # 2008-1

Improving First Grade Reading Achievement in a Large Urban District: The Effects of NIFDI-Supported Implementation of Direct Instruction in the Baltimore City Public School System, Technical Report # 2008-1, Eugene, Oregon: National Institute for Direct Instruction, September, 2008.

This study compares students’ achievement in BCPSS schools that 1) implemented Direct Instruction with support from NIFDI, 2) implemented DI without NIFDI support, and 3) used a traditional curriculum (Open Court) from 1998 through 2003. Students in the NIFDI supported schools had significantly higher levels of achievement than students in the other schools. Achievement scores of all first grade students in the BCPSS were higher in 2003 than in 1998, but the increases in the NIFDI supported schools were more than twice as great as in the other schools.

Technical Report # 2008-2

The Long-Term Impact of NIFDI-Supported Implementation of Direct Instruction on Reading Achievement: An Analysis of Fifth Graders in the Baltimore City Public School System. Technical Report # 2008-2, Eugene, Oregon: National Institute for Direct Instruction, September, 2008.

This report examines the impact of receiving Direct Instruction in first grade on reading achievement in fifth grade. Results indicate that students who received Direct Instruction had significantly higher reading scores in fifth grade than other students. On average, students in NIFDI-supported schools had a 25 percent gain in composite reading achievement scores from first grade to fifth grade compared to a gain of only 5 percent for students in control schools.

Technical Report # 2008-3

Improving Elementary Level Mathematics Achievement in a Large Urban District: The Effects of NIFDI-Supported Implementation of Direct Instruction in the Baltimore City Public School System. Technical Report # 2008-3, Eugene, Oregon: National Institute for Direct Instruction, September, 2008.

This report examines the impact of receiving Direct Instruction on mathematics achievement. Results indicate that students who received Direct Instruction had significantly higher mathematics achievement than other students. The differences in achievement between DI schools and other schools became larger over time. In addition, students who had DI in first grade had significantly greater change in their achievement scores from first grade to fifth grade than students in the Control schools.

Technical Report # 2008-4

The What Works Clearinghouse Beginning Reading Reports and Rating of Reading Mastery: An Evaluation and Comment.  Technical Report # 2008-4, Eugene, Oregon: National Institute for Direct Instruction, September, 2008.

This document discusses serious concerns with the policies, procedures and judgments of the federally funded What Works Clearinghouse, focusing both on a recent Clearinghouse review of the Direct Instruction program Reading Mastery as well as more general issues regarding their procedures and conclusions.

Technical Report # 2008-5

Reading Achievement in a Direct Instruction School and a "Three Tier" Curriculum School.  Technical Report # 2008-5, Eugene, Oregon: National Institute for Direct Instruction, November, 2008.

This report examines data from two schools within the same Oregon school district. One school adopted the Reading Mastery Direct Instruction program as the core reading curriculum for all primary children, while the other used a “three tiered” model, occasionally employing DI for students that teachers felt would benefit from the instruction.

Technical Report # 2008-6

National Institute for Direct Instruction Institutional Review Board Policies and Procedures.  Technical Report #2008-6, Eugene, Oregon: National Institute for Direct Instruction, December, 2008.

The National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI) has an Institutional Review Board charged with reviewing research procedures to assess any possible risks to research subjects and to ensure that the procedures provide appropriate protections for these subjects.

Technical Report # 2008-7

Academic Kindergarten and Later Academic Success: The Impact of Direct Instruction.  Technical Report # 2008-7, Eugene, Oregon: National Institute for Direct Instruction, December, 2008.

The National Reading Panel recently concluded that pre-literacy and early literacy instruction is appropriate for kindergarten students and an important element of promoting higher achievement in later grades.  This paper examines the relationship of receiving the Direct Instruction (DI) kindergarten curriculum, Reading Mastery, on students' oral reading fluency in first and second grade.

Technical Report # 2009-1

Promoting Early Literacy of Preschool Children: A Study of the Effectiveness of Funnix Beginning Reading.  Technical Report # 2009-1, Eugene, Oregon: National Institute for Direct Instruction, December, 2008.

This paper reports the results of a study that employed a pretest-posttest control group design to examine the relationship of instruction in Funnix Beginning Reading to the development of beginning reading skills.

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