NCLB Scientifically Based Research 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A district uses a reading program supported only by anecdotal evidence from teachers. Under NCLB, this program:
- Qualifies if at least 10 teachers report positive outcomes
- Does not meet the scientifically based research requirement (Correct answer)
- Qualifies because teacher expertise is a recognized evidence source
- Meets the standard if the district has used it for more than five years
Correct answer: Does not meet the scientifically based research requirement
Anecdotal evidence from teachers does not constitute scientifically based research under NCLB's rigorous evidentiary standard.
Question 2: Which NCLB-funded program area explicitly required the use of scientifically based reading research as its foundation?
- Title II Teacher Quality Grants
- Title I School Improvement
- Reading First program (Correct answer)
- Safe and Drug-Free Schools program
Correct answer: Reading First program
The Reading First program under Title I, Part B specifically required all instructional approaches to be grounded in scientifically based reading research.
Question 3: Under NCLB's definition, which of the following is NOT a required characteristic of scientifically based research?
- Use of valid and reliable measures
- Endorsement by a national professional organization (Correct answer)
- Evaluation using experimental or quasi-experimental designs
- Peer review or review by independent experts
Correct answer: Endorsement by a national professional organization
NCLB's definition does not include professional organization endorsement as a criterion; it focuses on methodological rigor and peer review.
Question 4: A quasi-experimental study of a tutoring program uses matched comparison groups instead of random assignment. Under NCLB, this study:
- Is entirely disqualified because it lacks randomization
- Can meet the scientifically based research standard if designed and implemented rigorously (Correct answer)
- Qualifies only if the comparison group is from a different state
- Must be replicated at least five times before it qualifies
Correct answer: Can meet the scientifically based research standard if designed and implemented rigorously
NCLB explicitly recognizes quasi-experimental designs with rigorous controls as acceptable evidence when randomization is not feasible.
Question 5: Which element of NCLB's scientifically based research definition addresses whether a study's findings can be trusted to represent real effects?
- Reliability
- Internal validity (Correct answer)
- Sample size
- Publication date
Correct answer: Internal validity
Internal validity refers to whether a study's design allows researchers to attribute outcomes to the intervention rather than confounding factors.
Question 6: NCLB required schools identified for improvement to adopt interventions based on scientifically based research. What was the primary rationale for this requirement?
- To reduce paperwork burden on teachers
- To ensure struggling schools used strategies with a proven track record of raising achievement (Correct answer)
- To standardize curricula across all states
- To comply with international education benchmarks
Correct answer: To ensure struggling schools used strategies with a proven track record of raising achievement
The requirement aimed to break the cycle of ineffective practices in underperforming schools by mandating evidence-backed interventions.
Question 7: Which of the following correctly pairs an NCLB program with a scientifically based research requirement?
- Even Start — required arts-integration research only
- Title I professional development — must be based on scientifically based research on teaching and learning (Correct answer)
- Title VI Rural Education — required longitudinal case studies only
- Title IV Safe Schools — required crime-rate statistical analysis only
Correct answer: Title I professional development — must be based on scientifically based research on teaching and learning
NCLB's Title I required that professional development activities be based on scientifically based research related to teaching and student learning.
NCLB Scientifically Based Research 3
A district uses a reading program supported only by anecdotal evidence from teachers.
Under NCLB, this program: