Academy on Becoming a DI Trainer

Has your district received extensive training and follow-up support for implementing Direct Instruction (DI), and is now looking at ways of maintaining the implementation with a high level of fidelity?  

The Academy on Becoming an Effective DI Trainer at NIFDI’s First Annual Training Institute in San Antonio, TX (August 4-9, 2013), can help your school or district expand its capacity for providing training and support to the DI implementation by developing on-site trainers.

The academy provides advanced training for teachers, coaches and building coordinators who already have substantial DI experience and are ready to become trainers. Over the course of 5 and ½ days, participants are introduced to the main steps for developing a program training for teachers new to Direct Instruction: creating a training outline, designing materials for a training packet, identifying critical program formats and articulating the rationale for the program’s design. Participants pre-select a program and level to train, develop an outline for training teachers in the program and then deliver a presentation to the other participants. Trainees spend approximately half their time with the course leaders and half their time in other sessions observing and assisting actual program training sessions at the institute.

Participation in the academy requires extensive experience with Direct Instruction programs. A prerequisite to being admitted to the academy is a minimum of two full years of DI teaching experience. Potential participants must have at least two full years of experience teaching one or more of the programs listed below:

• Reading Mastery
• Connecting Math Concepts
• Direct Instruction Spoken English (DISE)
• Corrective Reading Decoding

The academy provides no program training – it assumes that applicants have already been trained in their pre-selected program and have substantial first-hand experience teaching the program. The focus of the academy is on effective training techniques and general content that needs to be included in trainings. Other sessions at the National Training Institute provide program-specific training. 

Prospective participants must complete a separate application form for admission into the academy, which can be downloaded below. Enrollment is limited. Please complete and return your application by June 3, 2013. Session leaders will select applicants, and not all applicants may be accepted. Notification of acceptance will be made by June 14, 2013.

Direct questions about the academy to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call the National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI) toll-free at 1-877-485-1973.