Explore · I4I

Elevate Math

2015

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.

7th Grade

Communities In Schools Level 2 Case Management

2015

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.

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

Reading Partners

2015

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.

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

Achieve3000

2015

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.

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

Expository Reading and Writing Course

2015

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.

12th Grade

KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) Schools

2015

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.

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

Diagnostic Assessment Tools (DAT)

2015

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.

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

Building Assets Reducing Risks (BARR)

2015

Building Assets Reducing Risks (BARR) is a comprehensive 9th grade intervention that addresses developmental, academic, and structural challenges through eight interconnected strategies. BARR combines teachers' real-time analysis of student data, student asset building, and intensive teacher collaboration to prevent course failure. The model serves all 9th grade students and teachers in cohorts of approximately 90 students with three core-subject teachers (typically math, English, and science or social studies). Teachers meet weekly during a common planning period to review each student's progress using updated weekly data. The intervention includes a 30-minute weekly I-Time curriculum focused on social-emotional learning, family engagement activities, risk review meetings for persistently struggling students, and administrator engagement. Teachers receive two days of initial training on developmental assets and the BARR model, followed by ongoing monthly professional development and weekly technical assistance calls. Implementation requires restructuring teacher and student schedules to create cohorts and common planning time.

9th Grade

Arts for Learning (A4L) Lessons Project

2015

Arts for Learning (A4L) Lessons Project is a supplemental literacy curriculum designed to improve students' reading and writing achievement through the integration of arts into the language arts curriculum for students in grades 3, 4, and 5. Students in the treatment group receive two A4L Lessons Units and one teaching artist Residency each school year. Units of instruction are delivered by a classroom teacher trained by program staff, focus on a particular art form (theater, visual arts, music, or dance), and are built around one or more central texts. Each A4L Unit is comprised of 10 to 19 Lessons, with suggested instructional time varying from 13 to 20 hours. Residencies are aligned with each A4L Unit, in which a trained teaching artist works in collaboration with the classroom teacher during five one-hour sessions. Students work together in groups and practice public presentations. Teachers attend professional learning community (PLC) sessions for training.

3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th 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