Research

EVIDENCE OF EFFECTIVENESS

• Project CRISS®: Evidence of Effectiveness, 2004
  This article details several research studies done in Utah during the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 school years. Independent evaluators collected student data using pre and post free-recall assessments with both experimental (CRISS-treatment) and control (non-treatment) groups of students.
• Project CRISS®: Evidence of Effectiveness, 1995
  This article describes the data collected for national validation during the 1994-1995 school year at sites in Aurora, Colorado, and in Spokane, Washington.
• Project CRISS®: Evidence of Effectiveness, 1993
  This article describes the data collected during the 1991-1992 school year at sites in Putnam County, Florida, and in Stafford, Virginia. The data reported were submitted to the U. S. Department of Education's Program Effectiveness Panel, from which Project CRISS received an additional four years of funding and validation.

RESEARCH CONNECTIONS

• CRISS® on the Cutting Edge: Support from the Reading Next Report
  The 2004 Report, Reading Next: A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy, commissioned by the Carnegie Corporation of New York in conjunction with the Alliance for Excellent Education, suggests fifteen essential elements for improving adolescent reading instruction. In this article, each of the elements is explained and related to the Project CRISS components, features, and process of implementation.
• Is CRISS® Based On Solid Research? You Bet!
  This article shows how the Project CRISS principles, strategies, and methods of implementation fit with the current research on (1) reading comprehension, (2) models of teaching, (3) reading engagement, and (4) school change.
• The National Reading Panel Report Supports CRISS®
  The information quoted most often by the press from the National Reading Panel Report involves the review of research related to phonics. However, other parts of this report relate to vocabulary learning, comprehension strategy instruction, and the effects of teacher education. In this article, these other research conclusions are related to the basic tenets of Project CRISS.

RESEARCH BASIS

• Project CRISS®: Reliable, Replicable Research
  In this article, Dr. Carol M. Santa reviews the development and research history of Project CRISS. She includes a description of how the program began and how it obtained national validation. Data collection and research design are explained along with the project's connection to research-based learning strategies and other research on improving student comprehension.

GOVERNMENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the Institute of Education Sciences, to study the effectiveness of reading comprehension interventions. The study will focus on how the various interventions improve reading comprehension for fifth grade Title I students in science and social studies. Project CRISS was selected as one of four interventions to be studied. During the 2006-7 and 2007-8 school years, MPR is collecting data in ten districts. Research conclusions are to be published during the 2009-10 school year. For more information on this study, click here.

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory received a contract from the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, part of which included funding a five-year study of Project CRISS. The study will focus on ninth grade teachers and students from rural and small town high schools which represent a large part of their Northwest region. During the 2006-7 school year, NWREL conducted a pilot study at three sites. Starting in 2007, teachers in the experimental schools will receive training and support. Data will be collected during the 2008-9 school year. For more information on this research, click here.

TEACHER RESEARCH PROJECTS

The following articles are written by or about teachers who have conducted research in their own classrooms. They have studied how the use of Project CRISS principles and/or strategies impacts the learning of their students.

• Cheryl Plettner—high school math research to increase involvement and motivation
• Jim Scalf—high school history research to convince students of the importance of studying the information in their notes
• Sandra Bradford—4th grade research to help students identify which strategies work best for them.
• Sue Dailey—longitudinal study of 7th grade students to see if they continued to use the CIRSS principles and strategies through high school
• Jenny Watson—High school English students become researchers of their own learning in this study