The Reach System is a set of direct instruction (DI) programs designed to bring students who are performing as low as grade 1 level in language arts to performing at grade 8 level within 2 years of instruction delivered 3 hours per day. It involves a comprehensive system of professional development, curriculum, and instruction within the larger DI Model for Secondary Schools. The initiative includes innovative strategies and proven methods of student learning, teaching, and school management, providing explicit, systematic instruction built around three programs: Corrective Reading, Spelling Through Morphographs, and Reasoning and Writing. California has approved the Reach System as a stand-alone language arts program for students performing 2 years or more below grade level in grades 4-8. It aligns specifically with California's language arts standards and in general with most states' language arts standards. Data on schools that have implemented the Reach System show that when schools implement the comprehension programs of Corrective Reading and/or Reasoning and Writing with all of their students, there are strong SAT-9 gains on the California statewide assessments. Research also indicates that students who are academically behind their peers will never achieve at the level of their peers at the end of 8th grade without more intensive instruction in comprehension, writing, reasoning, and spelling. (Contains 42 references, 4 figures, and 2 tables.) (SM)