Explore · I4I

STEM Early College Expansion Partnership (SECEP)

2019

STEM Early College Expansion Partnership (SECEP) is a comprehensive high school reform model designed to improve STEM education and increase college enrollment for high-need students. The program serves grades 6-12 in Bridgeport, Connecticut and four intermediate school districts in Michigan. SECEP implements four Design Principles: (1) STEM College-Focused Academic Program with pathways leading to college STEM majors, college credit opportunities, and STEM instructional practices; (2) Student Support including academic, social-emotional, and college readiness supports; (3) High School-College Collaboration through formal partnerships and shared resources; and (4) Culture of Continuous Improvement using data-driven decision making and ongoing professional development. The model aims for 90% of students to graduate with at least one college credit. Implementation supports include leadership coaching to districts, workshops and conferences, an online Community of Practice, school-based SECEP coaching, district-level implementation teams, and district-college collaboration to develop pathways and MOUs.

6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade 9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade 13th Grade

Super Solvers (3rd grade-revised)

2020

Super Solvers (3rd grade-revised) is a fractions intervention designed for third-grade students who are at-risk for mathematics difficulties or have learning disabilities. The intervention focuses on fraction magnitude understanding through comparing, ordering, and placing fractions on number lines, as well as word problems that contextualize fractions as numbers in everyday contexts. It is delivered in small groups of two students, three times per week for 35 minutes per session over 13 weeks (totaling 39 sessions). The intervention uses explicit, structured cognitive strategy instruction with worked examples, guided and independent practice, cumulative review, and interleaved problem sets. Activities include Multi-Minute (multiplication practice), Fraction Action (fraction magnitude), Fraction Flash (building flexibility with fraction magnitude skills), Problem Quest (word problem instruction using schema-based approach), and Power Practice (independent interleaved practice). Materials include fraction tiles, fraction circles, number lines, Compare Cards, help cards for word problems, and a motivational system with rewards. Tutors require training and weekly meetings for condition-specific instruction and feedback.

3rd Grade

Word Learning Strategies (WLS)

2019

Word Learning Strategies (WLS) is a supplementary curriculum designed to develop upper-elementary students' vocabulary acquisition skills to improve reading comprehension, particularly for English learners and students from low-income backgrounds. The program teaches students to use context clues, word parts, and dictionaries to learn the meanings of unknown words, with Spanish-speaking English learners receiving additional instruction in using cognates and all English learners receiving instruction in recognizing idioms. WLS provides 15 weeks of whole-class instruction delivered three days per week for about 30 minutes per day, plus additional web-based remedial lessons for students who need more practice, three web-based lessons on Spanish cognates for Spanish-speaking English learner students, and three web-based lessons on idioms for all English learners. The program uses teacher-led direct explanation with constructivist elements and includes online tutorials and videos to prepare teachers, a detailed teacher manual with day-by-day lesson plans, presentation materials, student activity books, quizzes, and tests. Teachers participated in approximately 3 hours of professional development provided by WestEd before implementation.

4th Grade

Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC)

2020

Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) is a professional development program that supports teachers in implementing Common Core State Standards by integrating literacy skill development throughout content areas. Teachers participate in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) that meet regularly (typically weekly or biweekly) to collaboratively design and adapt standards-driven writing assignments called LDC modules. The program provides synchronous support through coach-facilitated PLC sessions and asynchronous support through written feedback via the CoreTools online platform. Teachers create modules that require sustained writing and use of evidence, implementing at least two modules per year. LDC coaches provide training, feedback on module design, and support for classroom implementation. The program targets middle and elementary school teachers across core content areas (ELA, social studies/history, and science) and requires substantial time commitment including common planning time, professional development sessions, and classroom implementation.

3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade

Mission HydroSci (MHS)

2020

Mission HydroSci (MHS) is a 3D game-based learning environment and curriculum designed for middle school students (grades 6-8) to support learning of water systems science and scientific argumentation. The program is a rigorous, coherent 6 to 8-day curriculum where all learning activities and social interactions take place in a virtual world. Students progress through six units covering topics including topography and water flow, watersheds, dissolved materials in surface water, groundwater systems, the water cycle, and culminating problem-solving challenges. The curriculum is delivered one-on-one with computers (Windows or Mac systems with 8GB RAM and headsets) in blended learning classrooms or technology laboratories. Teachers observe and support students through an online support system enhanced by analytics including a teacher dashboard. Teachers complete 2-3 hours of online training to prepare for implementation and have access to a teacher online community for ongoing support.

6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade

P-TECH 9-14 Schools

2020

P-TECH 9-14 (Pathways in Technology Early College High School, Grades 9-14) is a six-year integrated education model that creates a partnership between a high school, a local community college (CUNY), and one or more employer partners in STEM fields. The program targets students entering ninth grade, with open enrollment and no academic or attendance criteria for admission. Students work toward earning both a high school diploma (within four years) and a cost-free, industry-recognized associate's degree. The model features accelerated high school coursework with early Regents exam taking, career and technical education (CTE) classes aligned with STEM careers, and work-based learning activities including workplace visits, job shadowing, mentoring, and paid internships. College coursework begins largely in tenth grade after students pass Regents exams at CUNY-qualifying levels. Students take CTE courses in areas such as engineering, technology, health care, and architecture that complement their college degree pathways. The program includes soft skills instruction, advising support, and in some schools a summer bridge experience before ninth grade. Staff includes high school teachers, college liaisons who split time between campuses, and WBL coordinators. The NYC DOE Office of Postsecondary Readiness and CUNY Early College Initiative provide ongoing support and professional development.

9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade

Science Notebook in a Universal Design for Learning Environment

2019

The Science Notebook in a Universal Design for Learning Environment (SNUDLE) is a digital notebook designed for fourth-grade elementary school students, particularly those who struggle with reading and writing or are unmotivated to learn science. SNUDLE uses the Universal Design for Learning framework to support active science learning through built-in accessibility features including text-to-speech technology with real-time highlighting, word-by-word English-to-Spanish translation, keyboard-accessible actions, and a multimedia glossary. The digital platform provides students space to collect, organize, and display observations and data; reflect on inquiry experiences; and demonstrate understanding through text answers, data tables, photo uploads, and drawing tools. Teachers provide formative, interactive feedback on student work through the platform. The intervention is implemented in inclusive general education science classrooms using the district's STEMscopes curriculum. Teachers received training on using SNUDLE before implementation.

4th Grade

Coding as Another Language (CAL) curriculum

2023

Coding as Another Language (CAL) is a curriculum developed by Boston College's DevTech Research Group that integrates coding and computational thinking with literacy skills for kindergarten, first, and second grade students. The curriculum uses the ScratchJr app and consists of 24 lessons of 45 minutes each, delivered in-person to whole classes during regular school hours. CAL introduces coding in a playful, developmentally appropriate way by integrating powerful ideas of computer science with literacy and math skills through both unplugged activities and on-screen coding. Before implementation, teachers attend two 2-hour professional development workshops (4 hours total) and complete their own ScratchJr project. Teachers also have access to onsite and virtual coaching support during implementation.

Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade

Higher Achievement

2020

Higher Achievement is an intensive summer and after-school program for students in grades 5-8 in under-resourced schools. Students enter during the summer before fifth or sixth grade and commit to attending through eighth grade. The program offers more than 500 hours of academic enrichment annually through Achievement Centers hosted in select middle schools. During the school year, the Afterschool Academy operates three days a week (3:30-7:30 p.m.) for 25 weeks, providing homework help/study hall, dinner, enrichment activities, and 75-minute English Language Arts (ELA) or math lessons delivered by trained volunteer mentors to small groups of 3-4 scholars. The six-week Summer Academy offers eight-hour days with morning academic instruction in ELA, math, science, and sometimes social studies delivered by certified or student teachers, followed by afternoon enrichment electives and field trips. The program is overseen by a full-time center director and assistant director at each center. Higher Achievement uses detailed, scripted lesson plans aligned with Common Core standards and focuses on four social justice themes: freedom, voice, solidarity, and justice.

4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade

Four Reading Interventions: Corrective Reading, Failure Free Reading, Spell Read P.A.T., and Wilson Reading

2006

This study evaluates four widely used remedial reading programs for struggling readers in grades 3 and 5: Corrective Reading, Failure Free Reading, Spell Read P.A.T., and Wilson Reading. The interventions were delivered as pull-out programs in small groups of three students, meeting five days per week for approximately 50-minute sessions from November 2003 through May 2004, totaling about 90 hours of instruction on average. Three interventions (Corrective Reading, Spell Read P.A.T., and Wilson Reading) focus primarily on word-level skills including phonemic awareness, phonemic decoding, and reading fluency through systematic and explicit instruction. Failure Free Reading focuses on building sight vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension through computer-based lessons, workbook exercises, and teacher-led instruction. Teachers were recruited from participating schools and received approximately 70 hours of professional development and support during the implementation year, including 30 hours of initial intensive training, 24 hours during a practice period, and 14 hours of supervision during the intervention phase.

3rd Grade 5th Grade