NIFDI offers many options for implementing Direct Instruction. These options include:
DIRECT INSTRUCTION IN PRESCHOOL
The National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI) supports several schools that employ Direct Instruction (DI) in their preschool classrooms. The children usually start a DI language program (Español to English or level K of Reading Mastery Signature Edition Language) after a few weeks of school. Children initially participate in only about 10 minutes of language per day. They start with the action track in language. Once they are accustomed to following directions the first time (about the first 10 lessons), the teacher goes back to lesson 1 and teaches entire lessons, which may take 20 minutes or more. The children may need a break, so they are only experiencing DI for 15 minutes at a time. The goal in preschool is for students to complete at least the first 80 lessons of language at mastery by the end of the year. Once children complete lesson 40 in language at mastery in preschool, they can begin reading lessons immediately and not have to wait until they enter kindergarten.
Read more: pdf Using DI in Preschool
EARLY LITERACY MODEL (GRADES K-3)
The early literacy model provides children in the primary grades reading and language instruction that sets the stage for students to be successful in a wide range of academic and personal activities. Language and conceptual skills are fundamental to this model as a precursor to reading success. Reading Mastery is the primary program utilized in this model. The goal of the model is to accelerate student learning by one full grade level ahead of the national average by the third grade for continuing students.
ELEMENTARY REMEDIAL LITERACY MODEL (GRADES 4-5)
Designed for students in the upper elementary grades, the elementary remedial literacy model improves the reading skills of students who have demonstrated needs in writing and decoding or comprehending written texts. Programs include Corrective Reading Decoding and Comprehension tracks, Expressive Writing, and Reading Mastery. The goal of the model is to increase student confidence in reading and writing and provide students with fundamental skills that will allow them to function in middle school content courses.
FULL IMMERSION MODEL (GRADES K-5)
The full immersion model extends the early literacy model to all grades in elementary schools and includes spelling and mathematics. The model builds on the conceptual and literacy success of the primary grades to foster academic acceleration in the intermediate grades. Programs include Reading Mastery, Expressive Writing, Spelling Mastery, and Connecting Math Concepts. The goal of the model is to accelerate student learning by one and a half grade levels ahead of the national average by the sixth grade for students who begin the program in Kindergarten.
MIDDLE SCHOOL REMEDIAL LITERACY AND NUMERACY MODELS (GRADES 6-8)
The middle school remedial literacy model is designed for students in middle school who have demonstrated needs in decoding and comprehending written texts. Programs include Corrective Reading Decoding and Comprehension tracks and Expressive Writing. The goal of the model is to increase student confidence in reading and writing and provide students with fundamental skills that will allow them to function in middle school content courses.
A numeracy version of the model addresses fundamental mathematics skills at the middle school level using Corrective Mathematics, a program available in seven separate modules that address specific mathematics deficits: Addition; Subtraction; Multiplication; Division; Basic Fractions; Fractions, Decimals, and Percents; Ratios and Equations. Advanced students will receive instruction in Essentials for Algebra.
RESEARCH STUDY OPTION (ALL SUBJECTS & GRADES)
NIFDI is interested in working with schools and districts that want to participate in a research study related to Direct Instruction. Potential sites are asked to send a letter of interest to NIFDI’s Office of Research that includes:
In addition to your letter of interest, please complete and submit a folder School Data form outlining the demographics of your site’s demographics.
Mail letter and School Data form to:
National Institute for Direct Instruction
Research Site Proposal Consideration
1140 Willagillespie Rd, STE 18
Eugene, OR 97401
Or email to:
research@nifdi.org
Or fax to:
541.236.9137
It takes several months to determine whether a site is appropriate for a study and to establish procedures. Interested schools or districts should contact NIFDI at least six months before they wish to begin the study.
Early Language Model
Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and First Grade
The early language model ensures that sutdents acquire critical skils in the first years of schooling that will lay the basis for later success in reading and other subjects. Many students enter school without a solid foundation in oral language comprehension and expression. In this model, all students become familiar with the foundational vocabulary, background information and sentence structures that allow them to understand and respond appropriately to teachers' instrucitonal language. Instructional programs include Language for Learning and Language for Thinking, which can be used effectively with high-performning preschool students as well as low-performing second grade students or for speakers of English as a second language at various grade levels.
Teaching Direct Instruction (DI) can be very demanding, especially in the early levels of the programs. In order to be effective, teachers must be able to:
Melding these elements together for every lesson is difficult and initially requires daily practice. Teachers can practice reading the script out loud on their own and can practice correcting different errors with a partner. Practicing reading and correcting errors for the next day's lesson just 10 to 15 minutes per day pays huge dividends in student learning.
In addition to the routine daily practice, some exercises that address specific skills require special attention. Group in-service sessions are the best way to practice these targeted exercises and other potential problem areas that are critical to teaching DI effectively. In-service sessions cover such topics as:
IMPORTANT: Many teachers who haven't used DI before may be under the impression that teaching DI is a simple affair. After all, the script provides the precise wording to say, the specific examples to present, and the types of corrections to make. What could be easier? The reality is that teaching DI is not easy. To be effective, teachers must be able to respond quickly and positively to students' answers, which can’t be done if the teachers' eyes are fixed on the script. Teachers' eyes and attention must be directed toward the students. Teachers' presentations must be fluid and flawless, which requires that teachers practice the presentations before working with students.
Implementing the comprehensive Direct Instruction (DI) model effectively requires a sufficient number of teaching personnel trained in the DI methodology, and administrators who can ensure a successful implementation. The number of teachers needed for instruction depends on the number of children that place into each level of the DI programs. The first two levels of the Reading Mastery program require small group instruction with the following number of students per group:
Lower performers 4-6 students per group
Middle performers 8-10 students per group
High performers 10-12 students per group
These ratios ensure that teachers can hear and react to student responses. Lower-performing students require smaller student/teacher ratios because they are apt to make more errors and need additional practice in comparison to higher performing students. Similar ratios are required in the first two levels of the Corrective Reading program:
Level A no more than 12 students per group
Level B1 15 or less is optimal, but larger groups can be accommodated
Instruction takes place in large groups (up to 35 students grouped homogeneously) once students reach the third level of Reading Mastery or Corrective Reading.
A teacher and paraprofessional are needed in each room in elementary schools implementing a 90-minute reading block in the morning with three instructional groups per room. The teacher teaches reading for 30 minutes to a group while the paraprofessional teaches language to a 2nd group and a 3rd group works on their "take home" assignment independently. The groups rotate after 30 minutes. At the end of a 90-minute period, each instructional group has received a dose of reading, a dose of language and 30 minutes of independent work. The same rotation occurs in the afternoon for 20 minutes a group. Additionally, administrators need to plan for an additional 60-minute reading block for all students in Kindergarten and first grade and students in grades two and above who are below grade level expectations. If the school is also implementing Direct Instruction mathematics, staffing for a 60-minute block dedicated to math will be necessary. (See Scheduling Sufficient Instructional Time.)
Schools also need a full-time, on-site (building) coordinator in each school employed by the district to facilitate the implementation. The coordinator manages day-to-day aspects of the DI implementation, such as collecting and examining data forms submitted by teachers. In addition, the coordinator acts as the lead coach with teaching responsibilities for at least the first year. The coordinator and peer coaches receive advanced training in three stages over the course of three years. (See the pdf Job Description for an Experienced Building Coordinator .)
Schools also benefit if they have access to substitute teachers who have been trained in the programs. Students can continue to advance in the programs if the school employs substitutes who are able to teach the specific DI programs effectively.
IMPORTANT: When students learn something incorrectly, it takes a great deal of effort for students to re-learn the material correctly. In many cases, students require dozens or even hundreds of correct exposures to a skill or concept if they have mislearned the skill or concept initially. This type of re-teaching can be time consuming and difficult as students’ motivation to re-learn skills or concepts may be low. Schools can avoid the difficulties of re-teaching by ensuring that students are placed appropriately in the DI programs and taught to mastery daily in homogenously grouped instructional groups. Small-sized groups in the lower levels of the DI programs allow teachers to focus on student responses and correct student errors early before they can develop into misrules. Small-sized groups are possible only if schools have a sufficient number of trained teaching personnel available to teach every day. Trained substitute teachers can continue the teaching when regular classroom teachers or paraprofessionals are absent.
See the following for more information on personnel deployment:
pdf
Scheduling Guidelines
pdf
Sample Schedules: Kindergarten through 4th Grade
pdf
Job Description for an Experienced Building Coordinator
pdf
Middle School Scheduling Guidelines
pdf
Sample Middle School Schedule
