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Research and Evidence Base

Collaborative Classroom continuously learns and evolves alongside our district partners. For more than 40 years we have conducted research, analyzed data, and worked in classrooms to create and revise programs and services that support both students’ academic and social development and teachers’ ongoing professional learning.

We are committed to ongoing research on the efficacy of our programs and to the study of the effects of our programs on students’ literacy achievements.


Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) replaced No Child Left Behind in December 2015. This federal education legislation emphasizes state and local control, providing school districts with the flexibility to determine appropriate curricula and interventions for their schools. The levels of evidence define the study criteria.

ESSA Evidence for Our Programs

The chart below identifies the ESSA Evidence level for each of our programs.

Click the link for each program’s evidence.

Program EvidenceLevel 4
Demonstrates a Rationale
Level 3
Promising Evidence
Level 2
Moderate Evidence
Level 1
Strong Evidence
Collaborative Literacy evidence✔︎
Being a Reader evidence✔︎
SIPPS evidence✔︎✔︎✔︎
Being a Writer evidence (3rd Edition Coming Soon)✔︎
Caring School Community evidence✔︎✔︎✔︎✔︎

Level 1: Strong Evidence
A well-designed, well-implemented experimental study with randomized control groups 

Level 2: Moderate Evidence
A well-implemented quasi-experimental study with matched treatment and control groups 

Level 3: Promising Evidence
A well-implemented correlational study with statistical controls for selection bias

Level 4: Demonstrates a Rationale
A program or practice, under evaluation, that is informed by research


Ongoing Research and Current Studies

  • Quasi-Experimental Study of Being a Reader (2023–24)
    • Recruited districts in MA
    • Studied the impact of Being a Reader, Small-Group Reading instruction as core foundational skills instruction for students in grade 1
    • Partnered with WestEd

  • Quasi-Experimental Study of SIPPS (2022–23)
    • Recruited 1 diverse district in FL
    • Studied the impact of SIPPS as an intervention for students in grades 4–5
    • Partnered with WestEd