Skip to main content

Evidence-Based Practices, Year Two

CoP: Implementing Evidence-Based Practices

CoP Summary: The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) introduced new evidence standards for identifying and prioritizing evidence-based practices (EBP) for federal programs. The State Support Network facilitated a Community of Practice (CoP) in 2016-2017 to support states' efforts to better understand ESEA requirements and guidance for identifying and implementing EBPs

Based on the results of a comprehensive needs assessment and input from the states that participated in the first COP, the Network facilitated a second EBP CoP to build on the work of the first CoP and focus on increasing states' capacity to engage in continuous improvement cycles in order to support districts with implementing and evaluating EBPs.

In the second EBP CoP, states built their knowledge in areas such as:

  • What frameworks are available for engaging in cycles of continuous improvement? What are the strengths and limitations of each framework?
  • How can continuous improvement frameworks be adapted to support EBP implementation in my state context?
  • What are some common challenges faced when implementing EBPs and how can they be avoided?
  • How can states provide districts with technical assistance, training, and coaching for implementing EBPs with fidelity?
  • How can states support districts in establishing or building an evidence base for practices?

States in this CoP were able to collaborate with peers and review tools as they prepared to (1) support districts in developing processes to implement needs assessments in the schools that would identify root causes and would lead to identifying and using EBPs to address them, and (2) engage with districts to apply frameworks, policies, and systems to support districts implementing EBPs as part of cycles of continuous improvement.

States accessed and used the below resources during the CoP learning cycles. The first set comprises resources that subject matter experts either created or curated from other technical assistance providers. The second set is composed of resources the states found and shared with one another.

Participating SEAs: Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Utah, Vermont
CoP Duration: December 2017 through July 2018

Resources

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)
Page Last Reviewed:
September 14, 2024