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.
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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:
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For over 30 years, the National Institute for Direct Instruction has supported schools’ efforts to give students the best opportunity for success and develop teachers’ skills to utilize the finest tools for ensuring that success.
By making your tax-deductible donation to NIFDI, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, you can help us impact the lives of more children. Select the program areas you want your money to support:
1) Training and Coaching - Providing on-site training and coaching to schools, as well as open-registration training events.
2) Educational Outreach - Offering videos, articles, and other tools and materials to promote the effective use of Direct Instruction.
3) General Funding
Download a pdf donation form or donate online by clicking the button below.
NIFDI has provided direct support to over 200 schools from around the world as they implement DI, transforming failing schools into highly effective models of instruction. Through these schools, NIFDI has positively impacted tens of thousands of students who would likely have otherwise experienced failure and personal tragedy. Through your tax-deductible donation to NIFDI, you can help change the lives of many more students like those at City Springs School in Baltimore, Maryland:
NIFDI also conducts open-enrollment Institutes and Conferences where educators receive training on program implementation, coaching, and administrative leadership. These open-registration events provide the same training schools partnering with NIFDI have received for years. Your donation can help us defray the costs of these events for participants, helping to provide more educators access to quality training.
Many people - educators and non-educators alike - do not know that Direct Instruction is the most viable solution to educational failure. Through production of videos, tutorials, presentations, booklets, supplementary materials and the like, decision makers have the opportunity to hear and see the powerful effect DI can have on student performance.
DI can have on student performance. NIFDI also works with community groups and other non-academic organizations to help them understand how to influence the decisions their local school districts make regarding curriculum and instruction. Through these partnerships, NIFDI has helped bring DI into a number of schools. You can help introduce Direct Instruction to hundreds more by making a tax-deductible contribution to NIFDI in support of educational outreach efforts.
Each of these areas are important to our goal of giving every student the greatest chance of becoming an educated, productive citizen in today’s world. Through your tax-deductible donation, you can join NIFDI in making a difference in the lives of children.
