Preschool Students Demonstrate Exceptional Math Skills - Video Guide
Direct Instruction got its start at the University of Illinois when Siegfried "Zig" Engelmann -- creator of Direct Instruction and Senior Author of the DI programs -- debuted DI, teaching at-risk preschoolers at the Institute for Research on Exceptional Children. Students in the preschool learned remarkable skills, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, basic algebra, fractions, and how to solve area problems. These students, some who attended the preschool for two years and others who only attended for one year, are shown demonstrating their skills.
The National Institute for Direct Instruction has developed a guide for the video that is free to download. The guide is designed to help viewers identify (and leaders to facilitate conversations on) key aspects of DI presented in the video, including: the children's knowledge of specific mathematics concepts, rules, and processes; the students' ability to solve a wide range of mathematical problems; the self-confidence and independence demonstrated by the students; and, the children's ability to focus their attention for long periods of time. pdf Download the accompanying video guide here.
Find Zig Online!
Zigsite.com
Zig developed his own site where you will find videos, papers, stories about his life, images of his watercolor paintings, and much more!
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING IF YOU ARE REGISTERING FOR PROGRAM TRAINING: We strongly recommend that you administer DI placement tests to your students before registering for program training.
Because the DI programs are oriented toward students’ skill proficiency rather than their age or grade level, it is critical that teachers use the level of the DI programs that correspond to their students’ current skill level. You can determine which level of the program matches your students’ current instructional needs by administering the placement tests contained in all DI programs.
Test Administration Procedure
You can find the placement tests linked below. Here is the procedure to follow when administering the placement tests:
1. Give students the test that corresponds to their grade level.
2a. If students pass the grade-level test, give them the test for the next-highest level of the DI Program. Continue testing up a level until students don’t pass the test.
2b. If students fail the grade-level test, give them the test for the next lowest level. Continue testing down a level until students pass the test.
3. Record the highest level that each student passes on a summary spreadsheet.
4. Group students into homogenous instructional groupings or consult with your NIFDI Implementation Manager.
Repeat the four steps for each DI subject area.
Placement Tests
For the placement test(s) for a specific program, please see the " folder Programs " Folder in the Downloads section of this website or visit the program's homepage (found on the main menu under "The Programs">Subject Area>Program Title) and click on "Placement Tests." Below you will find the placement tests for some of the most commonly used DI programs. Placement tests are courtesy of McGraw-Hill for users of DI programs. All rights reserved.
Return to the National Direct Instruction Conference and Institutes page.
In recent years, the Common Core State Standards have become a universal language for schools across our nation and play a significant role in instructional decisions made in schools, including curriculum selections. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were developed with the intent to provide a clear framework of what students are expected to learn and to ensure consistent standards, regardless of where students attend school. The standards are organized by grade level into two categories: English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. 
An evaluation of Reading Mastery Signature Edition (RMSE), a well-known and commonly used DI program, has been conducted by McGraw-Hill to determine the alignment of the program’s content with the English Language Arts common core standards. Overall, RMSE met 95% of the ELA Standards prescribed in the CCSS. Only 23 out of 427 standards are not covered by the program. Moreover, the standards that are not covered by RMSE can be met through lessons and activities teachers regularly promote in their classrooms. For example, the following Kindergarten standard is not met through RMSE: “With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.” Teachers routinely introduce digital tools, such as computers and word processing, to their students within other subject areas and contexts during the school day.
The newest addition to the DI math family of programs -- the 2012 edition of Connecting Math Concepts: Comprehensive Edition (CMCCE) -- was specifically designed to meet the Common Core State Standards and has a 100% alignment. This program not only meets the CCSS, but also provides a number of improvements to the previous edition, including extensive oral practice on problem types before students work them independently.
Schools using RMSE, CMCCE and other DI programs can be assured the coverage in each of those standards addressed is superior than with traditional texts. In DI, students are expected to master the concepts presented to them and are routinely tracked on their performance to ensure mastery. As a result, students don’t just cover the standards that DI programs address – they master them!
To see the correlations by grade level, visit McGraw-Hill’s website at the links below.
Reading Mastery Signature Edition
Grade K Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5
Connecting Math Concepts: Comprehensive Edition
Level A Level B Level C Level D Level E Level F
See also:
