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, Urban West, 2004
  URBAN WEST. This article details a research study done in an urban west city school district in the 2003-2004 school year. Pre- and post-free-recall assessments were used with both experimental (CRISS treatment) and control (non-treatment) groups of students from two demographically similar high schools.
• 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.

REFERENCES TO PROJECT CRISS

• References to Project CRISS
  This list includes a variety of Project CRISS References including journal articles, books, online references, school sites, and other resources that refer to Project CRISS in overviews, research, and implementation. If you are looking for support for Project CRISS implementation, take a look at the resources on this list.

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

In 2006, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR) began a two-year study funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), to evaluate the effectiveness of reading comprehension interventions. Project CRISS was selected as one of four interventions to be studied. The research focused on how the various interventions improve reading comprehension for fifth grade Title I students in science and social studies, as assessed by multiple choice measurements. Year one data are available at the IES Web site. For several responses to the results as printed in Education Week, 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 research study of Project CRISS. The study focuses on ninth grade teachers and students from rural and small town high schools that represent a large part of the northwest United States. During the 2006-7 school year, NWREL conducted a pilot study at three sites. Since 2007, teachers in the experimental schools have been receiving training and support. Data will be collected through the 2009-10 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 CRISS principles and strategies through high school
• Jenny Watson—high school English students become researchers of their own learning in this study