Find the best evidence-based interventions for your students

TAP System (The System for Teacher and Student Advancement)

Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade

TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement is a comprehensive educator effectiveness model designed to improve teacher quality and student achievement. The intervention targets teachers and school administrators in K-8 schools, primarily high-need schools with high percentages of economically disadvantaged students. TAP includes four core elements: (1) multiple career paths where skilled teachers serve as master and mentor teachers, providing leadership and support; (2) ongoing applied professional growth through weekly cluster group meetings led by master and mentor teachers; (3) instructionally focused accountability with multiple classroom observations per year by trained evaluators using research-based rubrics; and (4) performance-based compensation where teachers earn bonuses based on classroom observation scores, student achievement growth, and schoolwide growth. Teachers are observed 3-4 times per year by multiple certified raters (principals, master teachers, mentor teachers) using 19 indicators of instructional practice. Master and mentor teachers receive training and certification to conduct evaluations and lead professional development.

2014

Cost per student

N/A

Connections

Kindergarten

Connections is a supplemental vocabulary intervention for at-risk kindergarten English learners that provides explicit instruction in high-frequency decodable root words. The intervention targets kindergarten students with limited English proficiency (averaging in the 10th percentile in receptive vocabulary). Students receive small-group instruction (2-3 students per group) for 30 minutes per day, four days per week, for approximately 20 weeks (averaging 73 days total). One new target word is introduced each day, along with 2-4 related words and review of previously taught words. Instruction includes word blending and spelling, word meaning instruction with pictures and definitions, reading decodable passages, sentence completion activities, word meaning matching with pictures, and independent sentence generation. Tutors (paraeducators) receive day-long initial training and ongoing coaching visits during the first three weeks, with monthly observations and feedback throughout the intervention period.

2015

Moderate

15 Weeks

Cost per student

$539.96

Elevate Math

7th Grade

Elevate Math is a summer math program designed by the Silicon Valley Education Foundation to help students entering grade 8 succeed in algebra and related content aligned with Common Core State Standards. The program consists of an intensive 75-hour (19 days over four weeks) summer preparatory course taught by a certified teacher with support from a college-educated teaching assistant. The curriculum covers four math content modules: properties and operations, linear equations, ratios and multiple representations, and transformational geometry. Instruction includes approximately four hours of blended learning classroom instruction per day, with one hour spent on Khan Academy (a free online learning system). Students also participate in a field trip to a local college or university and a college information night. Teachers and teaching assistants receive 40 hours of Common Core State Standards-based professional development provided by the Santa Clara County Office of Education and the Krause Center for Innovation. The program targets grade 7 students who scored at the high basic level or low proficient level on the grade 6 math California Standards Test.

2015

4 Weeks

Cost per student

N/A

Communities In Schools Level 2 Case Management

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

Communities In Schools Level 2 case management is a targeted intervention for at-risk secondary school students (middle and high school) who display significant risk factors such as poor academic performance, high absentee rates, or behavioral problems. School-based site coordinators identify eligible students through data review and referrals from school staff, then work individually with each case-managed student to assess their needs, develop individualized case plans with goals, and connect them to appropriate services within the school and community. Services focus primarily on academic assistance, behavior support, and social/life skills development. Throughout the school year, site coordinators monitor student progress through regular check-ins and review of school records, adjusting services as needed. Students receive an average of 19 service contacts totaling 16 hours over approximately 30 weeks. Site coordinators have an average caseload of 84 students and spend about 44% of their time on Level 2 services. The intervention requires parental consent and aims to provide sustained, personalized support to help at-risk students stay on track toward graduation.

2015

Cost per student

N/A

Reading Partners

2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade

Reading Partners uses community volunteers to provide one-on-one tutoring to struggling readers in underresourced elementary schools. The program serves students in kindergarten through grade 5 who are half a year to two and a half years behind grade level in reading, are conversationally fluent in English, and do not have an Individualized Education Program. The program consists of twice-weekly, 45-minute one-on-one tutoring sessions delivered by community volunteers using a structured, modular curriculum. Tutoring takes place in dedicated reading centers within schools, with sessions overseen by full-time site coordinators (typically AmeriCorps members). Volunteers receive minimal initial training (approximately one hour of orientation and shadow session) but receive ongoing support from site coordinators. The curriculum is data-driven, using the Rigby PM Benchmark assessment administered three times yearly to inform instruction and create Individualized Reading Plans for students.

2015

11 Weeks

Cost per student

N/A

Achieve3000

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

Achieve3000 is a differentiated online literacy program designed to improve students' reading and writing skills for grades 2-12. The program teaches all students at their individual Lexile/reading levels while continually challenging them to achieve the next level of success. Achieve3000 provides differentiated online instruction that adjusts content according to each student's Lexile/reading level and aligns with Common Core State Standards. The program includes specific versions: KidBiz3000 (grades 2-5), TeenBiz3000 (grades 6-8), and Empower3000 (grades 9-12), plus specialized programs for English language learners (Achieve Language), struggling readers (Achieve Intervention), and adult learners (Spark3000). Schools implementing the program purchased Professional Learning Services (PLS) that provided 1-3 days of on-site support from an Implementation Manager, including training for teachers, classroom modeling of lessons, and one-on-one consulting sessions to review student data.

2015

Cost per student

N/A

Expository Reading and Writing Course

12th Grade

The Expository Reading and Writing Course (ERWC) is a grade-12 English course developed by California State University faculty, high school teachers, and administrators to improve the academic literacy of high school seniors, thereby reducing the need for students to enroll in remedial English courses upon entering college. The course emphasizes in-depth study of expository, analytical, and argumentative reading and writing using primarily nonfiction texts. The yearlong course includes 12 modules (units), of which teachers are expected to teach 8 to 10. Each module follows an Assignment Template with three domains: Reading Rhetorically, Connecting Reading to Writing, and Writing Rhetorically. Students engage in extensive writing assignments (750-1,500 word analytical essays), timed in-class writing, and portfolio development. The course also integrates oral language development through class discussions, presentations, and collaborative activities. Teachers receive professional learning consisting of a two-day summer session, professional learning community meetings (at least 9 per year), and coaching sessions (at least 4 per year). All curriculum materials are provided including teacher and student versions of the curriculum, student readers, and two full-length books.

2015

36 Weeks

Cost per student

N/A

KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) Schools

Prekindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade

KIPP is a national network of public charter schools operating at elementary, middle, and high school levels. The KIPP approach emphasizes rigorous academics and character instruction with the goal of preparing students to succeed in college and beyond. The program is distinguished by seven key principles including: belief that all students can learn and achieve, focus on college graduation, emphasis on rigorous academics while developing student character, belief in visionary empowered leaders, belief in excellent teachers, empowered leaders and teachers leveraging existing knowledge, and focus on continuous learning and improvement. KIPP schools have open enrollment policies but students must choose to apply and enroll. The network expanded significantly during the study period, growing from 59 middle schools in 2011 to 162 schools (elementary, middle, and high) serving 59,495 students by 2014-2015. The study evaluated KIPP's impacts as the network scaled up under a five-year $50 million Investing in Innovation (i3) grant, with goals to train 1,000 leaders, increase school openings by 50%, and serve 50,000 students by the end of the grant period.

2015

36 Weeks

Cost per student

N/A

Diagnostic Assessment Tools (DAT)

Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade

Diagnostic Assessment Tools (DAT) is an interim assessment system for students in grades K-8 that consists of two software packages aligned to Indiana state standards: Wireless Generation's mCLASS for grades K-2 and CTB/McGraw-Hill's Acuity for grades 3-8. Teachers use these diagnostic assessments periodically throughout the school year to monitor student progress in mathematics and reading, identify specific learning needs, and adjust instruction accordingly. The assessments are accompanied by progress monitoring tools, instructional tools, and online support systems. Teachers at intervention schools received training using a train-the-trainer model, where 1-4 volunteer teachers from each school received 2-3 days of summer training from the state and assessment vendors, followed by another training session in the fall, and then delivered 2-3 training sessions to other teachers at their schools within 6 months.

2015

36 Weeks

Cost per student

N/A

Fitness Improves Thinking in Kids (FITKids)

2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade

Fitness Improves Thinking in Kids (FITKids) is an afterschool program designed to increase physical fitness and executive control for preadolescent students ages 7-9. The program runs for 2 hours after each school day for 150 days of the school year at a recreational facility. Each session includes three components: a 30-minute fitness component with 4-6 activity stations focused on cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength; a rest period with a healthy snack and nutrition education centered on weekly themes; and a 45-55 minute session of low-organizational games like tag and active rock-paper-scissors centered on skill themes. Students average 70 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per session.

2015

30 Weeks

Cost per student

N/A

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