Direct Instruction classes

At St Patrick’s, we use an evidence-based direct instruction approach in our teaching and learning. The programs currently used within our school that follow this pedagogy include ‘Connecting Maths Concepts’ (CMC), ‘Reading Mastery’ (RM) and  ‘Spelling Mastery’ (SM). These programs are designed to explicitly teach skills and content, based on an individual student's level at which they are learning.

Great care is taken throughout the program to ensure that each student is placed at the correct level and achieving mastery of skills. Early in the term, we are continually monitoring and communicating with teachers to ensure that students are in the correct class and level for their development. This ongoing process may mean that there are changes to your child’s group. It is expected that students will maintain a score of 100% in each of the assessments to demonstrate mastery at that level. In some cases, students may be placed in the same level that they have previously completed. This means that they have not yet achieved mastery at this level and will continue to develop their skills until mastery is achieved. The programs have been designed to have a lot of repetition to embed the concepts that are being taught. This is an essential component of learning, that ensures there are no content gaps before students move to the next level.  

This Week, Week 4, some students will be moving class for English and / or Mathematics based on the data, assessment and teacher feedback. This is to ensure every child is accessing the curriculum at their level.

Direct Instruction in Action