Direct Instruction Spoken English (DISE) is designed to help non-English-speaking students who have at least a third-grade level of knowledge in their native language achieve functional mastery of English in one year or less. The program features an explicit, systematic instructional model that supports English language learners. DISE only teaches spoken English—not reading or writing. All lessons are presented in English, and the teacher does not need to know the students’ native language. Students are taught both social and academic vocabulary.

The program has two levels. Level I consists of 100 90-minute lessons. Students who have no knowledge of the English language will need between 140 and 170 days to complete the 100 lessons in Level I of the program. Level II is a continuation of Level I and consists of 80 lessons. Students will need 100-120 school days to complete all 80 lessons. Lessons in Level II require 50 minutes, compared to the 90 minutes per lesson in Level I.