Instructional innovation should progress through three major stages before general implementation--development, field testing, and dissemination. During the 1965-66 school year, joint planning was undertaken by the staff of the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) at the University of Pittsburgh and by Research for Better Schools (RBS), the regional educational laboratory, to design plans to field test and disseminate the instructional innovation titled Individually Prescribed Instruction (IPI), which had undergone 2 years of developmental work. IPI was first implemented as a pilot study in five elementary schools. This study involved inservice teacher training experiences in the original setting in which the innovation had been developed, a limited exchange of personnel between the experimental and pilot schools, and a close monitoring of the pilot schools by the RBS staff. The study was later expanded to include approximately 91 schools. Five organizations were utilized to implement the programs prior to the field testing--the schools, regional laboratories, a publishing house, RBS, and LRDC. The field testing program is considered an essential aspect in implementing innovations. (HW)