Educators know that the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires federal funds to be used for evidence-based interventions, but understanding the evidence–what, how recent, and how much of it there is–behind specific products is easier said than done.
Applying the four levels of evidence laid out by ESSA to decision-making can feel daunting, especially for administrators and teachers without an academic research background. However, understanding and putting to use the ESSA framework is not only critical to maintaining compliance for use of federal funding, but it’s also a key tool to make informed edtech decisions that will positively impact student achievement. That’s where LearnPlatform by Instructure’s ESSA Evidence Badges come in. These credentials can be earned by K-12 solutions, and offer a quick, trustworthy means for educators to understand a solution’s existing evidence base.
How Can Educators Use the Badge?
Over 1,400 edtech tools are accessed every month in the average district. Making sure that those tools are high-quality programs that will positively impact both educators and students is a big job–LearnPlatform’s ESSA evidence badges are designed to help. Our badges provide confirmation that a study done on a solution meets the evidence requirements for a specific level outlined by ESSA. Badges are issued for all four levels, and are associated with a particular study conducted at a specific point in time, so you can easily recognize the quality, quantity and recency of the evidence behind a solution.
With this high-level information in hand, educators can more easily identify products that they want to take a closer look at and provide a starting point for the type of questions that should be asked about that product’s research base.
What’s Behind Each Badge
For each badge, LearnPlatform has either designed and executed the research study or has independently validated that an existing study meets the requirements outlined in the indicated ESSA level. LearnPlatform’s team of experienced researchers hold advanced degrees in various academic research fields, are certified What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviewers and collectively have over six decades of education research experience, so you can trust our analysis is empirical, objective, and well-informed.
Here’s what you can expect from each of the four leveled badges:
ESSA LEVEL IV - Demonstrates Rationale Evidence Badge
- There is a solid rationale–referred to as a logic model or theory of change–for why this product should work based on other accepted education research.
- The logic models lays out a recommended approach for implementing this product with fidelity, including appropriate usage metrics to track.
- Empirical research on this specific product in authentic education settings has not yet been conducted.
- There are limitations on the federal funding programs this product will be eligible for.
ESSA LEVEL III - Promising Evidence Badge
- At least one correlational research study has demonstrated a positive relationship between use of this tool and student outcomes.
- The study was very context specific, meaning it did not include comparison groups, random assignment, or baseline equivalence.
- The study is most meaningful to district administrators if their context (student population, current challenges, geographic setting, etc.) is very similar to that of the district in the study.
- Study establishes the product as eligible for all types of federal funding.
ESSA LEVEL II - Moderate Evidence Badge
- At least one quasi experimental research study has demonstrated a positive relationship between use of this tool and student outcomes.
- The study includes comparison groups for stronger, more generalizable evidence, but the groups were not randomly assigned.
- District context should still be strongly considered when interpreting results.
- Study establishes the product as eligible for all types of federal funding.
ESSA LEVEL I - Strong Evidence Badge
- At least one experimental research study utilizing randomized comparison groups has proven a positive relationship between use of this tool and student outcomes.
- The study utilized randomized comparison groups for very strong, highly generalizable evidence.
- District context should still be taken into account when interpreting results, but due to randomization the results should be repeatable across many contexts.
- Study establishes the product as eligible for all types of federal funding.
Ready to do more with evidence? Get all the details about LearnPlatform’s ESSA Evidence Badges and our associated IMPACT-Ready Certification, or request a demo to see how LearnPlatform by Instructure can get your district started on its evidence journey.
If you’re a K-12 solutions provider looking to get started on building an evidence base for your product(s), learn more about our Evidence-as-a-Service subscriptions.
