The Instructional Hierarchy—Planning Instruction for Maximum Impact

In 2024, Dr. Matthew Burns authored an insightful article in IDA’s Perspectives on Language and Literacy Journal emphasizing the importance of aligning instruction with students’ learning needs. The science of learning shows that students progress through a predictable set of stages as they acquire and master new skills. This framework, known as the Instructional Hierarchy (Haring et al., 1978), provides teachers with a roadmap for delivering targeted and effective instruction.

Understanding these stages—and how to support students as they move from one stage to the next—allows teachers to design instruction that maximizes student learning and makes instructional efforts more efficient and intentional.

Stage of Learning	Look Fors	Instructional Approach
Acquisition	·      Students first exposure to the new skill ·      Not able to consistently perform the task accurately	Explicitly model the skill and provide feedback--both corrective and positive praise--to encourage students’ effort.
Accuracy	·      Accurately responds to the learning task ·      Performs the task is slow or effortful	Offer guided practice opportunities with ongoing monitoring and timely, feedback to improve accuracy.
Automaticity	·      Accurately and automatically responds to the task ·      May not apply the skill to new situations	Provide repeated, independent practice to build fluency and confidence with periodic opportunities to review and practice to ensure maintenance.
Application	·      Accurately and automatically responds to the task ·      Applies the skill to new situations	Design opportunities for students to use the skill in novel situations, supporting generalization and transfer.

Table 1. The Instructional Hierarchy in Brief 

Why It Matters

Using the Instructional Hierarchy to plan instruction enables educators to meet students where they are. Rather than reteaching or moving on prematurely, teachers can tailor their methods to match each learner’s current stage.

For example:

• If a student cannot yet complete a task accurately after instruction, they need more explicit modeling.

• If a student performs accurately but slowly, they need additional practice to build automaticity.

By diagnosing the stage of learning, teachers can provide just-right support that leads to greater efficiency and stronger skill development.

Example: Teaching Students to Identify the Main Idea

Let’s consider how the Instructional Hierarchy can guide instruction when teaching students to identify the main idea in a text.

Stage of Learning	Look Fors	Instructional Approach
Acquisition	·      First exposure to main idea ·      Not able to consistently perform the task accurately	Explicitly model how to find the main idea using metacognitive strategies (thinking aloud). Provide both corrective feedback and positive reinforcement during guided practice.
Accuracy	·      Can identify main ideas accurately ·      Performs the task in a slow, halting manner	Offer additional guided practice identifying main ideas in short passages, providing immediate feedback to strengthen accuracy.
Automaticity	·      Accurately and automatically identifies the main idea ·      Limited application to new texts	Allow independent or partner practice finding main ideas in different types of texts to build fluency.
Application	·      Accurately and automatically identifies the main idea ·      Can apply skill across subjects	Provide opportunities to find main ideas in content-area texts (e.g., social studies or science) to encourage generalization.

Table 2.  Instructional Hierarchy and Main Idea

By intentionally aligning instruction to each stage of the Instructional Hierarchy, teachers can ensure that every lesson meets students’ learning needs. Whether introducing a new concept, refining a developing skill, or extending learning to new contexts, this framework provides a clear guide for planning effective instruction that truly moves learning forward.

References

Haring, N. G., & Eaton, M. D. (1978). Systematic instructional procedures: An instructional hierarchy. The fourth R: Research in the classroom, 23-40.

Burns, M. (2024). Skill-by-Treatment Interaction: An Important Link to Instructional Design. Perspectives on Language and Literacy, 50 (2), 23-25.