Project CRISS® (CReating Independence through Student-owned Strategies)

Project CRISS® (CReating Independence through Student-owned Strategies) is a professional development program for teachers that aims to improve reading, writing, and learning for 3rd- through 12th-grade students. The program does not require changes to existing curriculum or materials but instead focuses on changing teaching style to incorporate three primary concepts: students monitoring their learning, integrating new information with prior knowledge, and being actively involved through discussing, writing, organizing information, and analyzing text structure. Teachers incorporate these concepts through comprehension strategies such as using background knowledge, questioning, organizing graphically, and summarizing. Teachers receive 12 to 24 hours of Level I training to prepare them to incorporate CRISS principles and strategies into the classroom, with follow-up support including on-site visits, demonstration lessons, newsletters, and computer network assistance.