School Improvement - Louisiana Department of Education

SCIENTIFICALLY BASED RESEARCH STRATEGIES
A strategy for school improvement is a method for achieving the identified objectives. (e.g., using
graphic organizers, visual imagery, and summarization).
Scientifically Based Research [SBR] (ESEA; Title IX, Part A) is research that involves the application of
rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid knowledge relevant to
education activities and programs.
CHARACTERISTICS OF SCIENTIFICALLY BASED RESEARCH STRATEGIES
(A) Includes research that:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
Employs systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation or experiment.
Involves rigorous data analyses that are adequate to test the stated hypotheses and justify
the general conclusions drawn.
Relies on measurements or observational methods that provide reliable and valid data
across evaluators and observers, across multiple measurements and observations, and
across studies by the same or different investigators.
Is evaluated using experimental or quasi‐experimental designs in which individuals, entities,
programs, or activities are assigned to different conditions and with appropriate controls to
evaluate the effects of the condition of interest, with a preference for random assignment
experiments or other designs to the extent that those designs contain within‐conditions or
across‐conditions controls.
Ensures that experimental studies are presented in sufficient detail and clarity to allow for
replication or, at a minimum, offer the opportunity to build systematically on their findings.
Has been accepted by a peer‐review journal or approved by a panel of independent experts
through a comparably rigorous, objective, and scientific review. It should be noted that a
practitioner journal or an educational magazine are not the same as a peer‐reviewed
academic journal. (See Appendix C for examples.)
The U.S. Department of Education sees this as integral to the new directions it plans to take in regards to Program
Evaluation. Eventually, no federal dollars will be spent on programs that do not meet the criteria of “scientifically
based.”
Note: Go to Appendix C to review Guidelines for Judging the Quality of a Study.
Each strategy should:
• Be aligned and designed to achieve the objective.
• Address underlying causes of strengths and weaknesses discerned in the needs assessment.
• Be appropriate for the needs of the targeted student population.
• Be implemented with available fiscal and human resources.
• Have clear curricula, instruction, and classroom assessment (CIA) for the targeted content areas.
The Action Plan page in the SIP section of the template is comprised of the following component:
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