Evidence-Based Interventions Under the ESSA (2024)

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) has consistently directed educators to implement interventions grounded in research. Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), districts and schools were called to use “scientifically-based research” as the foundation for education programs and interventions. This has been replaced by “evidence-based interventions” under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This shift was designed to help increase the impact of educational investments by ensuring that interventions being implemented have proven to be effective in leading to desired outcomes, namely improving student achievement. Many ESSA programs encourage state educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and schools to prioritize and include evidence-based interventions, strategies, or approaches.

Evidence-based interventions are practices or programs that have evidence to show that they are effective at producing results and improving outcomes when implemented. The kind of evidence described in ESSA has generally been produced through formal studies and research. Under ESSA, there are four tiers, or levels, of evidence:

Tier 1 – Strong Evidence: supported by one or more well-designed and well-implemented randomized control experimental studies.

Tier 2 – Moderate Evidence: supported by one or more well-designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental studies.

Tier 3 – Promising Evidence: supported by one or more well-designed and well-implemented correlational studies (with statistical controls for selection bias).

Tier 4 – Demonstrates a Rationale: practices that have a well-defined logic model or theory of action, are supported by research, and have some effort underway by an SEA, LEA, or outside research organization to determine their effectiveness.

Interventions applied under Title I, Section 1003 (School Improvement) are required to have strong, moderate, or promising evidence (Tiers 1–3) to support them. All other programs under Titles I–IV can rely on Tiers 1–4.

Please view this presentation for more information regarding evidence-based interventions and the four tiers of evidence under ESSA:

Additional Resources

Non-regulatory Guidance: Using ESSA to Strengthen Education Investments Evidence-Based Interventions Under the ESSA (1) (PDF)
This guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) seeks to help SEAs, LEAs, schools, educators, partner organizations, and other stakeholders understand the four levels of evidence and recommends a step-by-step process for choosing and implementing interventions that improve outcomes for students.

What Works Clearinghouse Evidence-Based Interventions Under the ESSA (2)
The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), an initiative of ED’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES), is a helpful resource for locating the evidence on various education interventions.

ERIC Evidence-Based Interventions Under the ESSA (3)
ERIC is an online library of education research and information, sponsored by the IES.

California Department of Education Quality Schooling Framework
The Quality Schooling Framework (QSF) is the California educator’s destination for evidence-based tools and practices to guide effective planning, policy, expenditure, and instructional decisions at all schools and districts.

Regional Educational Laboratory Program Evidence-Based Interventions Under the ESSA (4) and Regional Educational Laboratory of the West Evidence-Based Interventions Under the ESSA (5)
Regional Education Laboratories conduct applied research and development, provide technical assistance, develop multimedia educational materials and other products, and disseminate information in an effort to help others use knowledge from research and practice to improve education.

Evidence-Based Improvement: A Guide for States to Strengthen Their Frameworks and Supports Aligned to the Evidence Requirements of ESSA Evidence-Based Interventions Under the ESSA (6)
This guide from WestEd provides an initial set of tools to help school districts understand and plan for implementing evidence-based improvement strategies.

Questions:

ESSA Team | ESSA@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0843

Last Reviewed: Monday, January 29, 2024

Evidence-Based Interventions Under the ESSA (2024)

FAQs

What are evidence-based interventions under ESSA? ›

Evidence-based interventions are practices or programs that have evidence to show that they are effective at producing results and improving outcomes when implemented. The kind of evidence described in ESSA has generally been produced through formal studies and research.

What are examples of evidence-based interventions? ›

Evidence-Based Practice Interventions
  • Behavior Therapy. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) ...
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Anxiety. ...
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Anxiety, Depression, and Trauma/PTSD. ...
  • Exposure Therapy. ...
  • Family Therapy. ...
  • Group Interventions. ...
  • Holistic Approaches. ...
  • Parent Training.

What are the four tiers of evidence under the ESSA guidelines? ›

ESSA provides guidance to help you evaluate the quality of a research study, so you are selecting studies that are conducted in a way that will give you confidence that you can trust the results. Under ESSA there are four tiers of evidence: Strong, Moderate, Promising, and Demonstrates a Rationale.

What are evidence-based interventions for schools? ›

The EBI Network protocol was designed to examine the literature base for simple interventions that can be done in most classes with little resource commitment. These are interventions that a teacher or an intervention team can select and tryout with a target student or group of students demonstrating a common problem.

How do I know if an intervention is evidence-based? ›

Evidence of effectiveness is demonstrated by: 1) inclusion in federal registries of evidence-based interventions; 2) reports in peer-reviewed journals; 3) documentation in other reputable sources of information; or 4) the consensus of opinion among informed experts.

What is ESSA definition of evidence? ›

Definition of "Evidence-Based" in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) • At least 1 well-designed and well-implemented experimental study. (i.e., randomized) (1) Strong. • At least 1 well-designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental.

What are 5 examples of interventions? ›

Appendix 5Types of interventions
  • cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT)
  • behavioural therapies.
  • modelling and skills training.
  • trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT)
  • eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).

What are the 5 interventions? ›

The five major steps to intervention are the "5 A's": Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange. Ask - Identify and document tobacco use status for every patient at every visit. (You may wish to develop your own vital signs sticker, based on the sample below).

What are the three types of evidence-based practices? ›

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)
  • Clinical expertise/expert opinion.
  • Evidence (external and internal)
  • Client/patient/caregiver perspectives.

What are ESSA guidelines? ›

This law upholds protections for America's disadvantaged and high-need students, requires that all students be taught to high academic standards for success in college/careers, increases access to high-quality preschool, and maintains an expectation of accountability and action toward positive change in low performing ...

What are the principles of ESSA? ›

ESSA requires every state to measure performance in reading, math, and science. Each state determines the way students are assessed. Every school in each state must inform parents about their standards and their results.

What are the criteria for ESSA? ›

ESSA requires that states have “challenging” academic standards in reading, math, and science. This means a state's curriculum must prepare students to succeed in college and in a career. Also, states must apply these standards to all students, including those with learning and thinking differences.

Why are evidence-based interventions important in schools? ›

Evidence-based interventions have been effective in improving student outcomes in a variety of areas, such as academic achievement, behavioral outcomes, and social-emotional learning.

What is an evidence-based strategy in education? ›

EBI are strategies consistently associated with positive learning outcomes. You can rest easy knowing that these strategies have been peer-reviewed and are backed by scientific data. John Hattie's oft-cited work on the nature of evidence in learning provided the current framework for assessing EBI's.

What are the 3 components of evidence-based practice in education? ›

Evidence-based practice includes the integration of best available evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values and circ*mstances related to patient and client management, practice management, and health policy decision making. All three elements are equally important.

What are evidence-based interventions in social work? ›

EBP is a process in which the practitioner combines well-researched interventions with clinical experience, ethics, client preferences, and culture to guide and inform the delivery of treatments and services.

What is evidence-based mental health interventions? ›

“Evidence-based practice in psychology is the integration of the best available research with clinical expertise in the context of client characteristics, culture, and preferences” (American Psychological Association, 2005).

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