Direct Instruction for K–12 Learning

McGraw Hill is the exclusive publisher of Direct Instruction programs. Its DI portfolio dates to 1991, when the company acquired SRA. Today it includes Reading Mastery Transformations, Reading Mastery Signature Edition, Corrective Reading, Language for Learning, Connecting Math Concepts, Corrective Mathematics, Spelling Mastery and more. Educators looking for authentic DI curricula, designed by the methodology’s original authors and backed by decades of documentation, find them at McGraw Hill.

Dr. Siegfried “Zig” Engelmann developed the foundational techniques in the 1960s and, with Dr. Wesley Becker, published the first DI program, DISTAR. Engelmann went on to author more than 100 programs as the senior author of DI. Today’s McGraw Hill programs reflect a larger team of authors at Engelmann-Becker, including Owen Engelmann, Douglas Carnine, Linda Carnine, Bernie Kelly, Jerry Silbert, Bonnie Grossen, Jean Osborne, and Steve Osborne. 

Direct Instruction was the top-performing model in Project Follow Through, the largest education study ever conducted. In 1977, the study found DI produced the greatest gains in basic academic skills, problem-solving skills, and self-esteem among the 22 models studied. Since then, DI has been implemented in thousands of schools worldwide. McGraw Hill’s research library documents efficacy studies for Reading Mastery, Corrective Reading, Connecting Math Concepts, and Corrective Math.

Yes. Direct Instruction is highly consistent with research on effective reading instruction, including explicit, systematic teaching of foundational literacy skills. DI literacy programs address phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension through carefully sequenced instruction, guided practice, and ongoing feedback. Reading Mastery Transformations is aligned to the Science of Reading, while Corrective Reading has used explicit, systematic instruction for decades, well before the term “Science of Reading” came into widespread use.

Direct Instruction lessons are highly structured, interactive, and designed to keep students actively responding and practicing. Students are grouped by instructional need, and teachers use carefully sequenced, prescribed lessons with clear signals, brisk pacing, group and individual responses, frequent checks for understanding, and immediate correction and feedback. Teachers use a Model–Lead–Test–Retest instructional sequence to introduce and develop skills: the teacher models, students respond with the teacher, students demonstrate the skill independently, and errors are corrected and retested as needed. New learning builds on previously mastered material, with frequent practice and cumulative review. Across DI programs, the mastery-focused design is approximately 80% review and 20% new material.

Teacher scripts give students consistent language and give teachers built-in prompts for corrective feedback at key moments. They keep lessons paced and focused, so students master prerequisite skills before moving on. Because the lessons are systematic and explicit, educators of any background or experience level can implement them with fidelity. That includes new teachers and schools without a dedicated intervention specialist. Teaching scripts are carefully designed to provide clear, consistent instructional language and to guide teachers through modeling, student responses, feedback, and error correction. They help maintain the precise pacing and interactions that are central to the Direct Instruction methodology while reducing the need for teachers to determine instructional wording or corrections in the moment. The scripts work together with DI’s carefully sequenced content, so teachers can focus on student responses and provide immediate support when students make errors.

McGraw Hill’s DI literacy programs include Reading Mastery Transformations and Reading Mastery Signature Edition (K–5), Corrective Reading and Corrective Reading Decoding (Grades 3+), and Language for Learning (PreK–2). They also include Language for Thinking (1–3), Language for Writing (2–5), Expressive Writing, Essentials for Writing, Spelling Mastery, and others. DI math programs are Connecting Math Concepts (K–8), Corrective Mathematics (3–12), and Essentials for Algebra (6–12). 

Direct Instruction is based on the belief that all students can learn. Its explicit, systematic approach is designed to meet students at their instructional level and has been used with diverse learners, including multilingual learners, students with learning disabilities and attention deficits, struggling learners, and students performing on or above level. Depending on the program, DI can support core instruction as well as Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention.

DI can be used for core or intervention instruction. Reading Mastery Transformations and Reading Mastery Signature Edition serve Tier 1, 2, and 3 in Grades K–5. Connecting Math Concepts can serve as a core replacement in Grades K–5. Corrective Reading and Corrective Mathematics are intensive Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions for older students who are significantly behind.

Recent achievement data underscore the urgency of addressing persistent reading gaps. The 2024 NAEP results showed the lowest average Grade 12 reading score ever reported. Direct Instruction offers an explicit, systematic approach designed to help students build skills to mastery. For older struggling readers, programs like Corrective Reading provide intensive intervention that addresses foundational reading skills through age-appropriate content and instruction.