The Iowa Reading Research Center (IRRC) is excited to announce the release of a new eLearning module, Explicit Instruction: Fidelity of Implementation.

School administrators, instructional coaches, and other educators can visit the Measure FIRST webpage to access the module beginning on Tuesday, December 16, 2025.

The results of national reading assessments consistently show that many students struggle with reading, and evidence suggests that all readers can benefit from explicit instruction—that is, research-supported instructional practices in which teachers explain and model new content and provide guided and independent practice to build student mastery.

“It’s our hope that this module will provide teachers and administrators with tools that support the implementation of explicit instruction in their schools,” said Keller Young, Assistant Research Scientist at the Iowa Reading Research Center.

The explicit instruction eLearning module is designed to help educators identify and monitor explicit instruction practices and includes real classroom videos demonstrating various aspects of explicit instruction being implemented effectively.

“We’re excited to provide video examples of what explicit instruction can look like in an authentic setting,” said Young.

The module is organized around seven components of explicit instruction grounded in previous research—identifying and communicating objectives, alignment, teaching procedures, guided practice, pacing, engagement, and monitoring and feedback. Each component is broken down further into specific, observable indicators of the component in practice.

Additionally, to accompany the module, a pre-built Explicit Instruction Observation Rubric will be accessible through the Measure FIRST application. Instructional coaches and other school personnel can use the rubric to identify key components of explicit instruction during classroom observations. Then, this data can inform the feedback and coaching they provide to educators.

As described by IRRC Research Fellow Seth King, fidelity observations can serve as a collaborative student-centered problem-solving tool.

“We always emphasize that effective evaluations are about collaboration, learning, and achieving school goals,” says King. “Knowing what instruction looks like improves our decision-making process and puts educators in the best position to improve student outcomes.”

Those interested in learning more about explicit instruction and fidelity can access the module, rubric, and related resources by visiting the Measure FIRST webpage.